Fellow artist and FRIEND, May Wilson and I have been working hard to develop a proposed exhibition for this coming spring at the Creative Alliance. The exhibition will consist of recreating some of my experiences and observations during our time traveling through Brazil. It was so full filling to create this proposal as a more thought provoking step in looking at what I was visually stimulated by in Rio. I am super excited about this project and am working on developing the first step with my google mapping project. Any input or comments are greatly appreciated!
This exhibition is a collaboration between two artists in order to reflect traveling and living in Brazil. A lot of the imagery relates directly to Rio de Janeiro, which is one of the largest and most well known cities in Brazil. Through sculpture and installations, viewers are invited to create a new visual identity of Rio by exploring the streets and interacting with the urban landscape. This kind of exploration is essential to the making of this work and these experiences are recreated for the viewer. Material choices reflect metaphors, connect deeper meaning and connect viewers to Brazil.
Upon entering the gallery space the viewer is confronted with "Abundance," a massive, cylindrical piece stacked floor to ceiling. Constructed of pallets and tree trunks, this serves as the armature for a chaotic web of telephone wires that extend across the ceiling space, enveloping the structure of the ceiling. On the joining wall are two pieces, one is "Bookbag" a cast iron bookbag resting on the gallery floor. The second, "Rua Differente" is a projection of Google Maps which walks viewers through Rua Nossa Senora and Rua Carioca. An interactive element will allow viewers to choose their own path. On the opposing wall is "Wanderless", an intricate landscape created with found newsprint native to Rio. The final piece is "Vending" a series of sculptures hanging from hooks on different racks inspired by the transient vendors that board public transit between stops throughout the city.
So I'm back in Baltimore and living in an adorable little house with some sweet roommates. I finally have settled in and also found a dream studio space to begin working on my thesis for MAT. This will begin a new body of research about my time in Brazil, most specifically in Rio. Right now I can't stop thinking about the favelas and that last week I was there the experiences I had. I can't stop visualizing images of favelas themself even though I know the experience being there is completely different. I can't pin point the reasoning behind it other than the visual chaos that stuns me. It is attractive to me and I know they are so much more but the visual itself..is driving me a bit crazy. I can't stop thinking about it. Clusters and groupings. Something that is very present in my work and the process of how I make it. Sooo..with that being said. Here are some images I gathered through this past week. I went to Enoch Pratt Library today and am determined to start reading at least one out of the 5 books I picked up about Rio tomorrow :) I'll let you know how it goes and share anything interesting I discover.
Rio de Janeiro is a city full of beautiful wonders. For each individual spectator, the beauty is found any many different forms. For me, Rio is beautiful for not only their wonderful beaches but also their lush, rich mountains, colorful and crowed streets, and most importantly, for the people that come from all over the world with the same mission, to see this marvelous place!! Sometimes I still can't pin point why I enjoy this place as much as I do. I think some of the reasons are indescribable but rather a feeling and an instinct that keeps coming back and will for some time. Often I feel like when I am there, I am somehow a different person, which in some ways one could argue is quite ironic. I felt like I was more myself in this other country, with a different language and culture. I guess in some ways it’s because these last few months, I was finding myself, the things I like and dislike along with discovering the new and I haven’t had the chance to do this any other time or at least be happy about it! I was confident, I was happy with myself, and I was enjoying everything about my life.
When it comes to being in a new place or environment, my natural instinct is to want to familiarize myself with the simple things. I often times find myself trying to remember landmarks on a street or certain names that will forever remain in my memory. When I rode throughout the city, whether that be on the bus or in a taxi I always was people watching or glued to the window and captivated by the scenery. I think some of my favorite memories spent in Rio, this past trip, were actually when I was commuting around the city by bus or foot trying to reach a destination for a meeting or to visit my family. It’s hard to believe at one time I was petrified of riding the bus because after a few weeks, I took it everywhere and often 3 or 4 times a day. On my many adventures around town, I once in awhile found myself taking a cab from the south zone to the north zone either on my way to the Rodaviara or bus station. It is impossible to drive through Rio without spotting a mountain covered with a favela or shantytown, which are the homes of thousands of Cariocas, each one uniquely different and spread throughout the city. One in particular has always been of interest to me because of the absurd color palette. See it is common to pass by a favela and just be amazed at the colors that are created by the mismatch placement of each building. I found it is easy to appreciate the beauty found in these communities and just how captivating they are to many people. Well in this one favela I had noticed, there are sections that have been painted this funky blue and I was always questioning why this was. I asked a few people and had some different responses. One response involved a theory about the different communities within the favela or possibly a way in which the drug lords mark off territory but I wasn’t really buying any that I had heard. It didn’t really make sense to me. So….I decided to do a little research on the net and see what I could find.
With the help of google maps I was able to identify the area where the favela was located, I’ve identified the favela as Morro da Coroa. Here is a pic that I found through my search. Gives you an idea of what I was talking about with the blue buildings but it looks even more absurd from afar.
Through my search, I stumbled upon this site about two guys from The Netherlands that started painting murals inside favelas in Rio. I am not really sure if this is what is being worked on in Coroa but thought it would make for an interesting post. They launched the Firmeza Foundation that supports the creation of striking artworks in unexpected places. It collaborates with local people to use art as a tool to inspire, create beauty, combat prejudice and attract attention. The project has really taken off in the last few years and it seems they have gained a lot of exposure through what they are doing. Here is a link to their site Favela Paintings and also some youtube videos you should check out. These projects look amazing and what they are planning next will be incredible. They want to organize a project where an entire favela will be painted with the help of everyone in the community. Each house hold would help paint their own house. From what I have read, it seems that the project will take place in a favela located in Copacabana but I am still not sure. They don't give a direct name. I was hoping it was the Morro da Coroa! Here is a link from their site about it. Check it out!
Hi my name is Jaime. I am an artist based out of Baltimore, Maryland. In September 2008, I spent two months in Brazil and created this blog in order to record my thoughts and research about my trip. It is definitely the beginning of long term quest to learn more about Brazil as well as myself. This past July 2009, I journeyed back to Rio and lived there for 4 months. I am planning another trip in 2010 in hopes of continuing my research.
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