Wrongsword was a pop-up exhibition and screening event centred on Footnote for a Foreign Object, which is part of a wider project about the Japanese automotive industry in Guanajuato, and how macroeconomic events shape intimacy, fantasy, and sexual behaviour.

The film grew from a research interview in Salamanca, where a participant described Japanese residents practising kendo in a gated community park. Prompted by this unusual image, Horgan invited members of Mexico’s national kendo team to perform there, as the flames of the Pemex refinery glow in the distance.

The sequence references wuxia classic Hero 英雄 (2002), whose North American poster replaced the film’s Chinese sabres with a Japanese katana to better appeal to Latin American audiences. Subsequently, this "wrong sword" raises questions around soft power, cultural fetishism, and anachronism in post-NAFTA/USMCA Mexico.

Footnote for a Foreign Object was first shown at the Shadwell Biennial, London, organised by Season 4 Episode 6 and Santi Gallery.

With an original score by Gabo Barranco, camera by Eber Morales, and sound design by Samantha Leff. Special thanks to Gerardo Yamamoto and Rodrigo Gutiérrez from the Mexican national kendo team.