CONTEXT
Vila Brasilândia is one of the communities that proliferate in the outskirts of São Paulo. More than 300.000 people live in the 41 neighborhoods and housing complexes that make it up. The intervention is located specifically in Jardím Guaraní. Structurally, it is developed longitudinally, responding to the topography of the hills on which it is located. Secondarily, there are elements of transversal communication that facilitate access to the houses. The favela is a complex place, whose real pulse is found in the winding alleys that run through it and give access to the houses: these cracks are known as “becos”, in the flat sections, and “vielas”, in the flights of stairs, and they are the true articulators of the internal life of the community. That is why we decided to focus the intervention on these alleys. The Reis Gonçalvez family opened the doors of their home to us, allowing us to see the favela from within. To live it, smell it, love it and try to understand how life works from within.
Aerial view of Vila Brasilândia
Old Beauty, before
Old Pride, before
Old Poetry, before
THE INTERVENTION
The intervention was developed in a collaborative manner. In a completely spontaneous way, many families decided to participate in this transformation process. It was one of the first projects in which we were able to put into practice an emerging participatory methodology.
The irregularity of the layout of the pylons and the heterogeneity of the constructions made it impossible to deal with the space in a two-dimensional way. In this difficulty we saw the opportunity to work with anamorphosis, flattening the perspective and ordering this complexity under a uniform blanket of color. The text, always in white, is only legible from a specific point; as one walks down the street, it breaks down into abstract forms that re-draw the work. Beauty, Firmness, Love, Pride and Sweetness in 2012, and Magic and Poetry in 2017. Seven words with seven colors are the portrait of our experience immersed in the daily life of Vila Brasilândia.
+ INFO
+ The intervention was carried out in 7 alleys, each about 30m long, in Vila Brasilândia, Brazil, in January 2012 and February 2017.
+ Plastic paint on wall and pavement
+ Thanks to the support of the Embassy of Spain in Brazil and collaboration Singapore Airlines, Sustainable Turn, Montana Colors, and the Spanish Cultural Center in SP
+ Thanks also to the small paint shops in the favela that donated some of the material
+ Thanks to Paula Pascual, Mamen Macías, Clara Irigoyen, Jaime Prades, André Palhano, Isabela Menezes, Monica Picavea, Rosângela Macedo, Tatiane Gois, Joks, Smoky and Shalak
+ And our most emotional and profound gratitude to Dimas, Evaneide, Eurípedes, Priscila, Bea, Pedro, Edgar and the entire Gonçalves family who welcomed us into their home as if it were our own.
+ Photographs by Boa Mistura
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