“The Sun Dance” – Deerhoof Rattle Sound Sculpture
“The Sun Dance” mechanizes the Native American deerhoof rattle, transforming it into a cynical memorial that critiques the commodification of indigenous cultures. It reflects on how society often honors what it has already helped to erase. Created by Arnaud Quercy in 2021.
Description
“The Sun Dance” – Deerhoof Rattle Sound Sculpture
Arnaud Quercy Digital Creations / 2021 / AQC0300
“The Sun Dance” reinterprets the sacred Native American deerhoof rattle, traditionally wielded in spiritual ceremonies, by replacing the hand of the shaman with a mechanical, rotating wheel. This transformation turns the rattle into a machine, reflecting the inevitable clash between sacred tradition and industrialization.
The piece acts as a cynical memorial—an acknowledgment of cultural practices in a form that mirrors how Western society often celebrates the remnants of the cultures it has actively contributed to dismantling. Like artifacts in a museum, the rattle is stripped of its original meaning, preserved in function but emptied of its spirit. Quercy’s sculpture critiques the hollow act of recognizing cultural practices after the forces of modernity have already compromised or erased their significance.
Through this mechanical reenactment of a sacred ritual, “The Sun Dance” provokes reflection on how society tends to honor what it has helped to destroy—turning lost traditions into sanitized exhibitions. The work challenges viewers to confront this uncomfortable dynamic, serving as both a memorial and a critique of the ways in which culture is commodified and distanced from its roots.
