ALKEM: Transforming Reality

ALKEM is an artistic collective that works multiple genres. Hip-Hop, Rumba, Poetry, Performing Arts, Visual Performances and Multimedia. As a collective we are the 3 + 1 eternal. ALKEM is not delimited by just one thing. We are always evolving, reinventing and redefining ourselves. As such, integrating ideas, projects, concepts and collaborators in a slow cooking process that provokes the most succulent stew.

Our conceptual inspiration comes from the word Al-Khem. Al is arabic that serves as a prefix, Khem is an Egyptian word that means black earth or blackness, usually associated with the after effects of chemical reactions provoked by heat. The acadian-sumerians (ancient Babylon) used this word to refer to those black lands or those who practiced the art of the black powder. Alkem evokes the memory of the past in which gave birth to science, math, phylosophy, engeniering and sprituality centuries before the birth of Western thought and civilizations

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The origin of this tradition is African. It spawned from the Nile Valley Civilization. Popularly known as the Egyptians, in this valley, humanities first schools and universities where founded. The most revered and respected intellectuals, and/or their mentors, from Babylon, Greece and Rome were disciples of these schools (For more information on the subject please see Stolen Legacy by George James).

For Al-Khem matter has three basic states known as Tria Prima

Mercury: the fluid connection between high and low

Sulfur: the omnipresence of life’s spirit

Salt: base matter

Furthermore, Al-Khem studied the properties and

manifestation of matter organizing them in 4 Elements

Fire

Water

Earth

Air

Al-Khem has five main phases:

Calcination: 1st phase that consist in burning all impurities leaving matter in a more pure state.

Dissolution: Process in which the carcinated residue is introduced into water.

Fermentation: Process the dissolved substance is left in a state of decomposition and putrefaction.

Distillation: Process in which heat is applied to the fermented substance for purification and refinement.

Coagulation: Process in which the refined essence pases through basic states such as a)from gas to liquid or from liquid to solid. The final product is quite distinct from the original material form. Through multiple chemical ractions matter is transmuted, altered and/or modified to a more pure and refined state. Hence: the essence of refined gold becomes a main tenant of Alchemy.

This is the foundation of our creative process.