'Los Hombres de Musgo' is a legend from the Spanish town of Bejar. The town has existed since the middle ages, and it is said that when the Arabs were occupying Spain in the 14th century, a group of Spaniards from the town went up to the surrounding mountains that encase the valley where the town sits and covered themselves in large costumes made of moss. They then ran into town and ambushed the arab soldiers, who fled thinking they were monsters emerging from the woods, and the Spaniards were able to retake the town for themselves. Modern studies, however, say that their origin is more likely to come from a 15th-century theatrical performance that depicted some form of a savage man from the deep mountains. To this day, each year 8 townsmen dress in moss men costumes and walk throughout town to commemorate the legend in conjunction with Corpus Christi and other Christian traditions.
I created a series of sculptures in March of 2023 installed along the trail of the Djerassi Ranch in Woodside, CA inspired by the legend. They were constructed with moss and lichen collected in the redwood forest and clay harvested from the property.
Construction
