by Christiane
Burklein
Boa Mistura group of Madrid implemented a project of
great social value in the Brasilândia favelas of São Paulo, getting the
inhabitants involved in the transformation of their neighbourhood and
establishing a new empathy among them and with the environment they live in.
he basic considerations underlying the project were: a
slum is a spontaneous construction of low quality housing in a fragile
environment; it has no urban infrastructures; the houses are built on
the basis of a grid topography. The lanes winding up the hill are divided into
“becos”, vehicle lanes, and “vielas”, narrow pedestrian pathways with steps
which are the true centre of community life.
In this setting, the artists of Boa Mistura
implemented their “Participative Urban Art” project using art as a tool
for change and inspiration.
The community’s participation in the preparations was
an essential part of the work, and it was this idea that gave rise to the
project’s keywords (“BELEZA”, “FIRMEZA”, “AMOR”, “DOÇURA” and “ORGULHO”).
This is not just a decorative project, like applying
make-up to the “vielas”, for it goes beyond mere visual impact, which is only
noticeable from certain angles, as in a snapshot.
By getting the inhabitants themselves involved in
making their neighbourhood into something else, a Visual Marketing operation
applied to visual design of urban development, the local people
were able to play an active role in aesthetic and social improvement of public
spaces, creating a new empathy between private and public spaces, a more
intense link, benefitting quality of life in the neighbourhood in general with
only a few inexpensive, sustainable tools: paint, brushes and lots of
inspiration, bringing light into the laneways of Brasilândia,
São Paolo.
Design:
Boa Mistura, Madrid, http://www.boamistura.com
Location: Brasilândia, São Paulo, Brazil
Photos by Boa Mistura
Related links: http://www.viradasustentavel.com
Location: Brasilândia, São Paulo, Brazil
Photos by Boa Mistura
Related links: http://www.viradasustentavel.com
