ONE: Patchwork World of Unique Individuals (edit1: 29th June 2013)

 

ONE is a project that uses the symbol of the patchwork quilt to celebrate community.  The patchwork quilt is traditionally created from many pieces of fabric cut from old clothes belonging to the maker´s Family members.  Each piece carries a wealth of its own stories, memories and emotions, and by neing sewn in amongst its neighbouring patches, contributes to the overall beauty and warmth of the whole quilt, 

 

As such, the ONE Project uses this symbol of the patchwork to represent our Global Family, celebrating the unique individuality of each participant within the whole of the united community ¨¨The Solidarity of the Companions¨ .  Each participant is represented in the Project by a Postcard-Portriat which has two elements: a photographic and written portriat.  The written portriat is the participants response to the start of three phrases:

A challenge I´ve overcome...

A dream for my future...

A hope for our Global Village...

The postcards are sent back to the UK to be collected and (hopefuly) exhibited alongside a physical patchwork quilt of photos later in the year.

 

All of the portraits can be seen in the Facebook group ¨La Solidariedad de los Compañeros¨ (The Solidarity of Companions).  Born from my joy and gratitude at the chain of friends-of-friends-of-friends that had me so warmly welcomed in Chile,  I hope that the ONE project´s Facebook group will facilitate more connections and collaborations between the participants, who can all see one another online, (like a slightly more personalised version of Couchsurfing!)  Next the portrait of each participant on Facebook is a link to their portrait here on this blog, where you can see more information and photos about the person and the story of how they came to join the project.

To date on 29th June 2013 the following countries are respresented by the project participants, either as nationals or residentes: Chile, Argentina, Bolívia, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Germany, Spain, Wales, England, Scotland, Austrália, Colombia, USA, Switzerland and Ecuador.

 Song snipet taken from Rodrigo y Gabriela´s track Juan Loco.

A huge thanks to all the participants to date... it has been a massively exciting and joyous adventure getting to know all of you!
Hoping you are all happy and well in your current projects and adventures.
Big love
:-)

Amongst the Skyskrapers of São Paulo

Alex Honrest - image from outside of Museo Afro Brasil, Parque do Ipirapuera, São Paulo

A few days on after Camilla and my exhibition at Comuna and here I am amongst the super-high sky-scrpaers of São Paulo, staying with my brother’s soon-to-be-mother-in-law Margot.  Margot is a wonderful woman with Japanese heritage and Brazilian born and raised who has lived in Englad for 30-odd years so speaks Portuguese, Japanese and English. Margot is mother to my soon-to-be-sister-in-law Amanda, and is very kindly putting me up for these few days visiting the city.

Walter Firmo "We Brazilian Afrodescendents" - part of the 'eco exhibition' on the exterior walls of the Museo Afro Brasil in the culture-brimming Ibirapuera Park.

There was a really inspiring exhibition inside the Museo Afro Brasil of photographs by Hans Silvester of the Omo People from Ethiopian documenting their use of body paint and foliage that I can already feel adding to the brew of an idea that I will come back to later. ;-) 

So far the weather has been rainy and drizzly, but by borrowing a very large and sturdy umbrella from Margot I have been happily getting out-and-about walking the streets and visiting galleries and museums in the center and in nearby Parque do Ibirapuera, which is brilliant and full of life in all its greenery, families, joggers, skaters, rollerbladers, cyclists.

I´ve had a good introduction to the centre alongside Felipe Cidade, a fantastic contemporary Brazilian artist who is another great friend from the Curatoria Forense Social Summer Camp residency in Villa Alegre in Chile back in February.  I also happily caught with a good old friend from the Central St. Martin´s Character Animation course back in 2006, Braizilian Daniel who is a fantastic 3D animator currently working on a feature length film in the Magdalena district of São Paulo.  Daniel also told me the great news that he is expecting his second baby in just one months time.. Congratulations! Daniel was also interesting to chat to about the demonstrations, as he believes that there are genuine changes being made.  Some laws have already been altered and an old politician sent to jail for corruption.

Some highlights from the gallery visits when I was a-wandering myself:

Mural that I reckon must be by the Brazilian grafiti twins "Os Gêmeos", outisde the Museo de Arte Moderna in Parque do Ibirapuera that was closed when I passed by.  Happy to see this on the outside wall though!

 Paintings by Fransisco da Silva, whose intricately woven brightly coloured textures had me hypnotised! At the Museo Afro Brasil, Parque do Ibirapuera.

Two images that drew my eye for their heavily textured feminine and flower-like forms,  by Henri-Georges Adam: Julho 1951 (left) and Agosto 1952 (right) seen at the Museo de Arte Contemporãnea.

I think my favourite exhibition of all, for its bright, Brazilian explosion of colour and for the ingenuity of the products on display was the "Design da Periferia" (Design from the Periphery) at the museum space the Pavilhão das Culturas Brasileiras (Pavilion of Brazilian Cultures).  This exhibition was full of pieces made by ordinary people for use in their day-to-day lives, many making clever use of discarded materials to create functional objects and tools. There were toys, coffee carts, sweet carriers, flyers, furniture, lamps, even bins made from old tyres.  Many of the pieces came from Salvador in Bahia, further north in Brazil, which has me day-dreaming of traveling there one day (and even further north to the Amazon!)

(left) door-mat-shoe-scraper made from old metal bottle tops (right) Photo by local Adenor Gondim documenting the hand-painted booths typical of Salvador's festive fairs. Exhibition notes explain that in the late 1990's this style was banned, and wooden stalls replaced by plastic.

Inspiration for future art workshops:(Left and below) Getúlio Demado, Rio De Janeiro 2012, a mixture of recycled materials used to create representations of male and female figures. (right) car made out of old plastic bottles. 

Will look forward to making colourful characters like these with kids of future workshops! :-)

The Park Woven by Hand, handmade fabrics produced by artisans from Muquém in Minas Gerais, in partnership with Renato Imbroisi. This space inside the Brazilian Cultures Pavilion was filled with handwwoven trees reflecting the species growing all around in the Ibirapuera Park outside. 

Lucian Freud exhibition "Corpos e Rostros" (Bodies and Faces) at Museu de Arte de São Paulo MASP, I love these two paintings for their use of symbolistic objects: (left) Naked Girl with Egg the eggs representing fertility  - why is the one egg split into two yolks? and (right) Girl with Roses,the rose apparently signnifying pregnancy - so why the second broken rose fallen in the lap?

This has also been a chance to catch up on editing and writing work, and starting to look towards heading back to the UK in less than two weeks.

Big love from São Paulo

:-)


Graffiti that caught my eye in São Paulo (left to right) 
"3.20 NO" (referring to the recent hike in bus fares to 3.20 that triggered the manifestations and has since been dropped back) / 
"LOVE" /
"Throw out prejudice here"
:-)

ONE: Rodrigo Panda Ortega

Rodrigo Panda Ortega

A challenge I overcame: Arrogance

A dream for my future: To have a beautiful family and to travel with it through the whole world.

A hope for the global community: That Chistita is the new World Empress and brings love and happiness to the world.

Panda is an artist, musician and lecturer of Art History at Santiago’s university in Chile and was one of the three co-ordinators of the Social Summer Camp residency with Curatoria Forense in Villa Alegre in February.  He is also an amazing dancer, damn good at salsa and also the first one to show me a few of the cueca steps, the traditional national dance of Chile that is based on a cockerel wooing a hen.

Panda was also one of our team of four that took the joy of Rocket’s mobile-karaokê to the tube-traveling public of Santiago’s metro one of the days after the residency had finished.    Rocket provided the speakers and tracks, Chisti sang and encouraged the public to join in and Panda and I filmed... the public variously smiled, laughed, looked bemused, sang and high-fived... a wicked intervention full of joy!  

 Panda, fue fantastico compartir aquelles experiencias en Chile :-)  Mandando te un abrazo muy fuerte, y esperando que estes disfrutando mucho tus proyectos y aventuras ahora!

:-)

ONE: Cristina Riofrío Reyes

Cristina Riofrío Reyes

A challenge I overcame: I overcame my fear and discomfort with the new.  I overcame my old grudges with Chile and I fell in love!! :-)

A dream for my future: I dream of being able to continue my work and to learn more each day and with a house by the beach with Panda and a little dog Panda

A hope for the global community: I hope that every moment is a creation of consciousness and that from very little we will move forward recognising, loving and valuing this world and its beings. 

Cristina Riofrio is a gorgeous Ecuadorian artist who works with performance to bring joy and happiness to random strangers through her Project ¨Transacciones Urbanas¨ (Urban Transactions) where she makes interventions in the street such as “Se Vende Felicidade” where Chisti dressed as a street vendor and gave out hugs!  Another of her pieces that impressed me hugely was “Se Vende Belleza” (Beauty for sale) where individuals swap their permission to be  photographed for a glimpse at beauty, which Cristina shows them by opening a box which has.... a mirror inside, reflecting back the participants own beauty. Brilliant!

Chisti and I met on the Curatoria Forense artist residency in Villa Alegre in Chile back in February 2012, where I was hugely impressed and inspired by her videos documenting these actions (and also where, very romantically, she and Panda met and fell in love!)  Christina has recently been involved in another residency in Lima, Peru, working with the Peruvian collective Santa Rosa to create the Project ¨Se Vende el Arte¨(Art for Sale) in the neighbourhood of Barranca, read a review of the Project here.

Chisti became a great friend and dancing buddy over the course of that residency and I will hugely look forward to seeing her next year in Ecuador if my path continues in that direction.  :-)

Hasta pronto Cristina, estoy esperando mucho a salir bailando contigo otra vez ahí en Ecuador el año que viene! Suerte con todos tus proyectos y aventuras mientras, con abrazos fuertes mi hermantia linda!

 :-)

Take Spaces and Make them New: CHANGE

Camilla Brendon is a brilliant artist who is traveling the Americas moving from country to country doing artist residencies and collaborations in each place she stops for her project 34 South / 61 North.

 Our paths crossed for the third time on both of our respective journeys in Rio, and third time lucky as they say, this was our opportunity to finally collaborate.  Camilla and her friend Marcelo already had a space booked for Sunday 23^rd at the bar and exhibition space Comuna in Botofogo, and as the space was big and I was flexible with plans Camilla invited me to collaborate with her installation.

At the start of working in the space we discussed the themes running through each of our current work and identified that Camilla’s is the physical environment and mine the social environment.  Camilla’s paper-based installations temporarily alter the physical space causing people to change the way they move in the space thereby inviting them to re-look at familiar places.  My postcard ONE Project invites individuals to reflect on their ideas about their personal and global community by sharing experiences and hopes.

Camilla works a lot with discarded newspaper and magazines, partly as a reflection of environment and partly as a way of managing her hoarder-tendencies whilst travelling.  After our conversation I was challenged to confront my own inner-hoarder and went through the pile of magazines weighing down my backpack, tearing out the few articles I want to keep for my sketchbook and donating the rest to our materials pile.  Good decision.  Thanks for the stimulus Camilla!

 

The first step in the space was sorting out the wall that was covered in enormous charcoal-y letters.  We washed it down, then as I painted it over white(ish) Camilla got started with installing her organic Brazil-based shapes from threads hung from hooks on the ceiling.  I created a wave shape filled with puzzle shapes where people would be invited to share a little of their viewpoint.  I adapted the shaping of my puzzle pieces to reflect Camilla’s organic forms, and was happy with the resulting biological cell-like impression they took on.  

Having a joint interest in transformation Camilla and I knew we wanted to work with the idea of change in our installation, and I was interested to use the opportunity of working in the Rio context, now at the time of the protests, to explore the phrase which is associated with Ghandi (although it has perhaps been condensed down over the years of retelling): “Be the change that you want to see in the world”.   The beauty of this phrase is that it brings the responsibility of change to a personal level, and challenges the listener to recognise that we each have an impact within our environment and society. 

It was tough deciding on the right phrasing for a question to invite our visitors to the installation to share their thoughts on change, Camilla and I were aware of the need to be very sensitive in our tone.  This is a critical time in Brazilian politics, with huge crowds taking to the streets in protest at the corruption ingrained in the system and Camilla and I were hearing passionate debate about the issues in Brazil each day and seeing images of the protests, fires and tear-gassing all over TV screens and newspapers.  This context made us particularly interested to hear from people what and how they believed things could change in Brazil and how they believed that on a personal level they could themselves change things.  To ensure that we asked our question in a curious and inviting way, not an arrogant or flippant way, particularly because of being foreigners, we asked for the language help of Leandro, Camilla’s friend and host, and after a lot of rephrasing eventually got one that sounded right, simple and straightforward:  “Que a sua mudança?” (“What is your change?”) 

We spent early Friday afternoon and a long Saturday night installing the work and invited folk to the one-off show on Sunday evening.  Interestingly, many of the most interesting conversations around change occurred on the Saturday night as drinkers in the bar downstairs drifted upstairs to see what we were up to, and added their comments to the wall and chatted with us.  With a young crowd of mid 20’s to mid 30’s, many of these drinkers had been involved in the protests, and all spoke excitedly and passionately about the protests, saying this was a beautiful moment for Brazil.  Surprisingly although almost everyone seems to say that this is a pivotal moment for Brazil, when asked how they think the protests will come to an end, and if things will change for Brazil, the majority seem to say no, they don’t believe anything will change.

I’m sure that all you folk back in the UK will have been seeing reports of the protests on the News, and I know I’ve had a few messages asking about my safety.  What I would say as a foreigner here that has not been directly involved in any way is that my impression of the atmosphere on the streets and amongst Brazilians is not one of fear, but one of excitement and national pride.  Although on the flip side of that I have heard a few comments from Brazilians worried about fascism and the right wing influence on a generally politically uninformed majority.  

So the protests were sparked when a 20 percent rise in transport fees motivated thousands to take to the streets in outrage.  Brazilians say they pay high taxes and the supposedly public transport is already very expensive in Brazilian’s opinion.  Another recent factor that is causing anger is the huge amount of cash being fed into football with the current tournament and the upcoming World Cup, when the healthcare and education systems are believed to be seriously under-funded. 

As a democratic country Brazilians obviously have the right to march and demonstrate, but what apparently took many by surprise was the extreme force used by the police against the crowds.  The protests are in fact being called the ‘Vinegar Protests’ because of the excessive amounts of tear gas that the police have apparently been using – in self-protective measurements demonstrators are carrying the antidote vinegar.  Reports tell that one reporter was actually arrested just for carrying vinegar.  

(left) "Carioca is..." [Carioca = a person from Rio - fill-in-the-blank graffitti stickers asking what a Rionian is] plus "more hate please" / (right) "more love for more love" "I love you" "Kindness  affection and respect more nature" "more love please" "infinite love"

A lot of the info and local opinion I was hearing about the demonstrations came from two particular people: Juliana, a Brazilian student staying at the hostel I moved to in Ipanema when Rachel and Lisa left and Felipe, a couch-surfer whose flat I stayed at for a couple of nights last weekend. By the time I moved to his flat the transport fee had already been reduced back to the previous price, but demonstrations were still strong, and as Felipe said, they had become about a lot more than just the fees, they were also about the corruption infiltrating Brazilian politics and business and now the shock at the repression of the protests themselves.  We watched President Dilma Rousseff’s make a national announcement on the TV last Friday night and although she acknowledged the democratic right to demonstrate, she spoke of the destruction by the minority as not being tolerable and the police’s force, seen by many to be over-brutal, as justified.

Despite their dissatisfaction, everyone I have spoken to seems to believe that Dilma Rousseff is the only option for Brazil as a President.   As a youngster she herself was a demonstrator against the then-dictatorship and was allegedly imprisoned and tortured.  Considering her history many people now seem disappointed that she is heading a government seen to also be corrupt, and I’ve hear many comments about her being a puppet, although she is saying now that corruption will be tackled. 

This is certainly an interesting time to be here in Brazil, and I will be keeping an eye on the developments to see what happens for the country over the coming weeks and months.  I hope that any changes that are implemented affect genuine change and are not just pacifying gestures as some fear.

ONE: Carolina Raggio

 

Carolina Raggio

A challenge I overcame: The vices attached to the material world.

A dream for my future: To be happier every day and to transmit this happiness to others.

A hope for the global community: For us to be more unites, more together, like brothers and sisters

Carolina is an artist originally from Paraguay who now lives in Rio, making well-crafted artisanal jewelry which she sells up and down the length of the beaches. Carolina swept by Rachel, Lisa and I as we basked in the sun of Ipanema beach in a gorgeous burst of positive energy.

Thanks for stopping to chat while you showed us your jewelry Carolina.  Good luck with all your upcoming projects and travels lovely lass, and keep up the warmth.

Big love

:-)

ONE: Rachel Anne Jones

Rachel Jones

A challenge I overcame: Cycling from Panama to Nicaragua in 8 days, and surviving!!

A dream for my future: Happy, Healthy family

A hope for the global community: Education, Empowerment, Equality

Rachel is a gorgeous and multi-talented Welsh lass, who is absolutely hilarious and also, as I discovered during this trip, has the most beautiful singing voice.  Formidably intelligent, Rachel specializes in computer programming and as well as being bilingual in Welsh-Gaelic and English also speaks Italian after living in Italy and Spanish and Portuguese (and I have a feeling I’m missing out some other languages here?!).

Rachel and I originally met on one of Macmillan Cancer Support’s fundraising bike rides in Central America, where weboth cycled an intense 600km over 8 days (“8-days!” Rachel explained vigorously for Thiago and friend that night in Lapa, with 8 fingers extended in emphasis, “8 days!”), from Panama to Granada in Nicaragua in 2010, from where I carried on north to Mexico.  That trip was an incredible and really bonding experience for us.  Since then we’ve also cycle-camped through Wales as a celebration of Rachel’s 30^th, and had plenty a night out dancing back in London when we’ve both been based there.

Rachel’s computing skills had her working for the London Olympic Games in 2012 and she was kind enough to gift me and another good friend Tamara a pair of tickets to the athletics last summer – ace!!

Rachel, thanks for a fantastic few days and for so may tear-inducing laughs, you’re brilliant!  I hope you’ve been enjoying the rest of your trip and I’ll look forward to catching up again and hearing all about your adventures back on UK soil!

Big love

:-)

 

Arriving to sun sea and sand in Rio :-)

 

Moley and I arrive to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro!!

 

 

Another long bus ride, this one 18 hours, and here I was in another city, and what a contrast it was to Medina.  Rio de Janeiro, the famous city whose giant Christ statue and scantily-clad beach crowds are seen on postcards, t-shirts and film posters worldwide.

The transition from small-town-Medina and my Meninadança Pink House family to enormous-city-Rio was made easier with the companionship of a great friend from back home, Rachel Jones, and her friend and travel-buddy Australian Lisa. 

Knowing from months back that I would be meeting Rachel in Rio I was looking forward to having a few days of more traditional ‘holiday’ times, and sure enough we had a great few days as the trio of Rachel, Lisa and I.

¨The permanent temptation of life is to confuse dreams with reality.  The permanent defeat of life comes when dreams are surrendered to reality.¨A great quote taken from Lisa´s book The Drifters by James A Michener.

 

After 6 weeks of (almost) no drinking at the project Rio’s caipirinhas went down a treat and had us managing hours of ‘forro’ dancing on our first night out where at the luxury bar in Lapa the Rio Scenarium whose walls drip with all sorts of unusual antiques, with the lovely company of a couple of Brazilians lads.  The next days were spent drinking more caipirinhas, lazing around in the sea and sand of the beach right on the doorstep of our super-luxury hotel in Ipanema (the luxury an exciting temporary feature for me!), chasing errant laundry blown from our balcony by gale-force winds, eating out at great typical restaurant Jobi and attempting to reach Jesus. 

We eventually reached Jesus on Rachel and Lisa’s final morning.  Taking the sup-steep cable car from Cosme Velho, we arrived at the summit of Corcovado to beautifully clear skies and had a lot of laughs, squinting and peculiar postures getting the desired photos (we wanted to hold Jesus’ hands you see!). Christ the Redeemer is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the impressivley huge statue draws tourists from all over the world and from the base of his feet you can see stunning views of Rio, including the ‘M’ whose two humps are the two bays of famous Rio beaches Copacobana and Ipanema.

 

Another highlight of our days together was the beautiful Genesis exhibition of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado in the Botanical Gardens.

 

“Genesis is a quest for the world as it was, as it was formed, as it evolved, as it existed for millennia before modern life accelerated and began distancing us from the very essence of our being.  It is a journey to the landscapes, seascapes, animals and peoples that have so far escaped the long reach of today’s world.

And it is testimony that our planet still harbours vast and remote regions where nature reigns in silent and pristine majesty.  //

Through these photographs, Genesis aspires to show and to share this beauty.  It is a visual tribute to a fragile planet that we all have a duty to protect.”

(Taken from Genesis exhibition notes.)

I liked the parallel between the images of the natural feminine in the photos of Genesis and this graffiti on a wall facing into the Botanical gardens:

 

Throughout my wanders with Rachel, Lisa I also enjoyed spotted more graffiti in the streets:

 

 

In the arts,

all that you are not allowed, you must!

Thanks for a fun few days girls! Enjoy your onward travels in Buenos Aires and Ecuador!

Big love

:-)

¨More love please¨:-)

ONE: Leona Matuszczak

 

Leona Matuszczak

 

A challenge I overcame: SKYDIVING

A dream for my future: To fulfil what I came here to do and to be the best I can be and to see the light in the dark = always.

A hope for the global community: That we all awaken from the sleep, realise our full potential, shed the ego and have fun with each other, give as much as we can and love with all our hearts

 

Artist and art workshop facilitator based in London, Leona is a lovely bubbly character full of great ideas for creative activities with kids.  Her business Artists Resource runs workshops both for private parties and in public spaces, such as the Caledonian seasonal street fairs where I’ve helped out on a couple of occasions, once at winter making candle decorations and once in the summer creating a giant metal wire and cloth-machê octopus sculpture.  Great fun! ;-)
 

As her postcard answers go to show, Leona has also braved a skydive, a recent undertaking not just to kick-start the adrenaline, but also to raise funds for the London Basket Brigade who help families in need at Christmas by giving out baskets of food and household items.  Well done Leona!

Thanks for your enthusiasm about this ONE project Leona, you’re our first email participant from the UK, brilliant! Sending you big love and hugs and happy wishes for all your current projects and adventures!

  :-)

Abra Os Olhos: Open Your Eyes

I exist

 

At the end of Rachel and my very last night in Medina we walked a few of the girls home after the open-air cinema screening in Praça Santa Rita.  Along our way we came across a couple of our other girls out in the street and encouraged them to go home too, one allowed us to walk her home and on our way we saw a little of the drug and drink issues of Medina.  This was a timely reminder of the harsh reality of the girls at Medina’s Pink House, who are either victims or at risk of poverty, violence, drug or alcohol abuse, abandonment and sexual exploitation or child prostitution.   

 

So to end these series of posts about my six weeks volunteering with the NGO Meninadança, here are the final black and white images from the series created in collaboration with brilliant photographer Rachel Alvarez to explore giving voice to the socially excluded “Abra Os Olhos” (Open your eyes).  Thank you to our beautiful models and friends Nanielly and Luana.

 

Can you see me?

 

Can you hear me?

 

Open your eyes.

 

Listen to me.

 

Speak for me.

 

Speak for me.

 

Open your heart.