Art Re-Public Festival
Yoyogi Park, Harajuku,Tokyo, Japan
May 5th 2011
My last visit to Japan coincided with the Art Re-Public festival organized by my friend Yusaku. Over the past few years this festival has taken place in the streets of Tokyo to celebrate “Kodomo No Hi” or Children’s Day, an annual celebration throughout Japan. This year however, the festival took place in Yoyogi park in Harajuku.
I was offered the opportunity to do an installation at the event and decided to take advantage of the presence of so many children to do an experiment with one of my automatic painting projects. Four stations were prepared where people (mostly children) could choose randomly between 9 figures, 6 colors, 8 orientations and 289 positions. This choice was determined through a series of simple games. The experiment lasted 5 hours during which 85 people participated and 86 figures were painted.
Video:
Photos:
This project would not have been possible without the help of Sierra Forest and the invitation and hospitality of Yusaku and his family. Thanks!
At the end of May 2011, I went for a couple of weeks to Warsaw to paint two big murals on the facades of an old building that was constructed before World War II (very few of these buildings are still intact because of the intense bombings). The project was part of update 2011, an event organized by the Vlepvnet foundation. Every year they invite local and international artists to work in the city. The building is located on Zlota street in the Wola neighborhood, close to the central station. Thanks to the help from the guys from vlepvnet, the volunteers and the support of the neighbors, we managed to finished the two murals in only seven days.
East facade, day 0
West facade, day 0
Innovation and high technology
Wind proof #1
Wind proof #2
West facade at the end of the second day
West facade on the third day
East facade on the third day
East facade at the end of the third day
West facade on the fourth day
East facade on the fourth day
East facade on the fourth day
The Manitou "Maniac-Access"
East facade on the fifth day
Highest point of the painting on the West facade
Painting the last part of the East facade
Done!
South-East view
North-West view
South-West view
The "best tool ever" after one week of intense use
As I was working more than 10 hours a day everyday during the week, I developed a very special relation with the neighbors who, as you can see in the pictures below, took very good care of me…
I was happy to do a little bit of construction work for a neighbor...
... and in the evening he brought us some cakes!
Antoni made a drawing for me. He said to Marta, his mother, that it represented the wall. They dedicated it to me and framed it.
Marta's delicious coffee
Antoni and Maciek bringing us some picnic!
Fresh pasta and lemonade!
One morning, Chris and Joanna prepared a very special breakfast for me. She told me that as I was always working outside in front of everybody, she wanted to give me a moment of privacy.
Incredible!
Brownie with a "T" for Tono
!!!
Maciek, Marta's husband, and his incredibly delicious pizzas!
Kamien's goulash
26 meters down, picnic is arriving!
Maciek prepared the pizza and Joanna the dessert
The last day, inaugural picnic
Tropical cocktail that Joanna prepared for me!!!
I would like to thank all the guys from Vlepvnet, the neighbors (particulary Antoni, Marta and Maciek and Joanna and Chris for taking so good care of me) and also all the volunteers who helped us painting.
At the end of June 2010 I was invited by the Spanish embassy in Hanoi to paint the facade of the Sen Thang Long hotel, in Nguyễn Trường Tộ street, close to the Old Quarter. I spent 20 days there and was helped by Duy, Bái, Thăng y Nhi, four painters used to extreme working conditions, who ended being my hosts and allowed me discover the city and Vietnamese culture in a very unusual and authentic way.
Scaffolding arriving on the first day
Duy and Nhi building the scaffolding
Progress at the end of the first day
Third day
Fourth day
Bái
Bái and Nhi
On the fifth day we had to stop because of the rain and when it's raining in Hanoi, it's raining!
Thăng giving me the "băng" (tape)
After one week
Duy and Nhi
Duy retouching
Duy taping
Duy and Thăng painting the fifth floor
Duy hiding from sun!
Nhi, Thăng and Duy
The scaffolding left as it came, by motorbike.
The finished facade after 15 days of work, click on the picture to enlarge.
Extra pictures:
My assistents didn't speak English and as I don't speak Vietnamese we were forced to be creative in our methods of communication. We used mobile phones, cameras, sign language and even sketched numbers, words and symbols on the wall while we were working.
Trying to agree on the time we would meet the next day. At 1'30 in the morning Spain was playing in one of the preliminary rounds, and I was trying to make it clear that I couldn't make it to work before 8!
In cases of impossible communication moments you always can use the "Translator"...
The facade sketch after 20 days of bad treatment and extreme humidity.
Duy, Nhi, Thăng and Bái in front of their shop in Thanh Xuân, a neighborhood in the south of Hanoi.
Thanks to my four assistants efficiency, it only took 15 days to finish the facade and I was left with a week to do a little bit of tourism, sing What is love at the Karaoke, do independent paintings in the street, finally find out what was that song Bái was playing everyday in his mobile phone, try more types of Phở, ride three at a time on a motorbike to Thanh Xuân in the rain, and try at last the Mía đá…
An incredible experience that was made possible thanks to Cesar Espada, Mónica Gutierrez, Duy, Bái, Thăng, Nhi and Thin, Mr Hai the hotel director, Eugenio, Nga, Chi, Ming from Bar36, the corner fruit sellers and Mrs Phở.
The first Script experiment, Script 1.0, took place at the Spanish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires in April 2010. Script 1.1 was run in Delimbo Gallery in Seville in April 2010 as well. With the same idea, I started Script 1.2 for my show in Sala de Arte Joven 2.0. The idea was to paint the largest wall in the gallery between all participants. Each collaborator chose a color and painted stripes following precise rules. Thus each individual executed the script while at the same time watched as the mural was “automatically” painted.
A grid was marked on the wall and each person chose the color they wanted. Before beginning to paint, a random process was used to give each person a coordinate for their line (x, y) so they would know their starting point and direction.
Over the course of 7 days, 30 lines were painted in 12 different colors by 12 people.
Video:
Thanks a lot to: Carmen y Tono (el verdadero), Julio, Ana Paula, Jaime, Clara, Hoffa, Lore, Mónica, Rafa, Rocío, Guillermo, Pablo, Laura, Dani, Sierra, Tere, Bea, Elsa, Parsec, Jesús, Alvaro, Dane, Isra, Rafafans, María, Pepito, Encarna Fernández, Justo Sánchez-Manzano, Ana Isabel Illanes, Emilio Camacho, Eduardo de la Fuente…
Delimbo Artspace
Calle Pérez Galdós nº 1, Sevilla, Spain
May 14th – July 15th 2010
The Reticula exhibition is the study of a union between calculated geometric forms and uncontrolled factors such as wear caused by spontaneous actions produced by pedestrians. Through experiments in the streets of Seville, I observed how these external factors were affecting the works installed in the street while at the same time influencing the results that would be presented in the gallery.
The SCRIPT project (see Script 1.0) consists of murals painted by following a set of predefined rules determined by the artist. Thus, the development of the work is done in an uncontrolled manner and the end result is unexpected.
In this way, the artist is a spectator in his own artwork, and can be surprised by the outcome.
To run the script in Sevilla, I drew a grid on the wall where, according to the results obtained, the lines would be drawn. Each line depended on four elements:
1 – A horizontal coordinate (a letter)
2 – A vertical coordinate (a number)
3 – A color
4 – A direction (an arrow)
For example: E, 7, yellow, vertical upward.
I decided to leave the choice (though unconscious) of these four elements to the pedestrians. I stapled sheets of paper arranged in four groups (one for each item) in the street. Each group made a sort of mini-notebook from which the leaves could be torn. In this manner the combinations that defined the lines of the mural were formed on there own. I walked around the city to record the state of the papers between four and six times a day. I only wrote down the codes generated on a site where at least one paper had been torn. Each time a new combination was generated, I wrote it down in a notebook in the order in which it was seen. The day before the opening, we reviewed all the combinations and painted each line in the order in which it was documented.
The experiment lasted five days and 19 lines were painted.
Delimbo
Calle Pérez Galdós nº 1, Sevilla, Spain
May 14th – July 15th 2010
The Reticula exhibition is the study of a union between calculated geometric forms and uncontrolled factors such as wear caused by spontaneous actions produced by pedestrians. Through experiments in the streets of Seville, I observed how these external factors were affecting the works installed in the street while at the same time influencing the results that would be presented in the gallery.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the pieces, please contact the gallery: www.delimbo.com
The SCRIPT project (see Script 1.0) consists of murals painted by following a set of predefined rules determined by the artist. Thus, the development of the work is done in an uncontrolled manner and the end result is unexpected.
In this way, the artist is a spectator in his own artwork, and can be surprised by the outcome.
To run the script in Sevilla, I drew a grid on the wall where, according to the results obtained, the lines would be drawn. Each line depended on four elements:
1 – A horizontal coordinate (a letter)
2 – A vertical coordinate (a number)
3 – A color
4 – A direction (an arrow)
For example: E, 7, yellow, vertical upward.
I decided to leave the choice (though unconscious) of these four elements to the pedestrians. I stapled sheets of paper arranged in four groups (one for each item) in the street. Each group made a sort of mini-notebook from which the leaves could be torn. In this manner the combinations that defined the lines of the mural were formed on there own. I walked around the city to record the state of the papers between four and six times a day. I only wrote down the codes generated on a site where at least one paper had been torn. Each time a new combination was generated, I wrote it down in a notebook in the order in which it was seen. The day before the opening, we reviewed all the combinations and painted each line in the order in which it was documented.
The experiment lasted five days and 19 lines were painted.
Video:
Photos:
(Click on the picture to enlarge.)
Carteles Desgarrados (Torn Posters)
I returned to the Pubblico project but this time with more refined designs, as an homage to both Jacques Villeglé and Daniel Buren. Like the previous project in Milan, once the posters were plastered, I only allowed myself to observe and decide when it was time to retrieve them. Of the 15 sets of posters that were pasted, 8 were recovered and exhibited in the gallery. Some took less than 12 hours to be modified and others more than 5 days.
Video:
Photos:
Click on the pictures to enlarge.
Set #1
Calle Santa Paula 22
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 00h59
Recovered: 11/05/2010 at 14h40
Set #2
Calle San Luis 7
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 01h06
Recovered: 11/05/2010 at 14h08
Set #3
Calle San Luis 18
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 01h13
Disappearance documented: 10/05/2010 at 11h49
Set #4
Calle San Luis 28
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 01h18
Last seen: 15/05/2010 at 17h46
Set #5
Calle San Luis 40
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 01h32
Disappearance documented: 13/05/2010 at 14h13
Set #6
Plaza Santa isabel 3
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 01h39
Recovered: 11/05/2010 at 14h17
Set #7
Plaza de la Alameda 94
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 22h12
Disappearance documented: 11/05/2010 at 18h26
Set #8
Plaza de la Alameda
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 22h52
Recovered: 11/05/2010 at 13h34
Set #9
Plaza de la Alameda
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 23h03
Disappearance documented: 11/05/2010 at 13h41
Set #10
Calle Belen 1
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 23h16
Last seen: 16/05/2010 at 13h36
Set #11
Calle Peris Mencheta 4
Posted: 10/05/2010 at 23h31
Recovered: 11/05/2010 at 01h51
Set #12
Calle Cruz Verde 4
Posted: 11/05/2010 at 00h49
Recovered: 12/05/2010 at 16h49
Set #13
Calle Cruz Verde 10
Posted: 11/05/2010 at 00h55
Recovered: 12/05/2010 at 16h32
Set #14
Calle Correduría 46
Posted: 11/05/2010 at 01h03
Last seen: 15/05/2010 at 23h56
Set #15
Calle Churruca 5
Posted: 11/05/2010 at 01h10
Recovered: 13/05/2010 at 16h56
Thanks to Laura, Seleka, Victoire, Rorro and Axel.
Intervenciones Urbanas Iberoamericanas
CCEBA, Centro Cultural de España en Buenos Aires
Sede Balcarce 1150, San Telmo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Abril 2010
“Intervenciones Urbanas Iberoamericanas se define como muestra de acción usualmente exterior, en un interior, tomando provecho de los muros aún en construcción, del edificio de la nueva sede CCEBA San Telmo.” www.cceba.org.ar
El proyecto SCRIPTconsiste en pintar murales ejecutando reglas predefinidas por el artista. Así el desarrollo de la obra se hace de forma descontrolada y el resultado final es inesperado. De esa forma, el propio artista puede ser sorprendido y se encuentra en la posición de espectador de su propia obra.
Fue invitado por la embajada española para participar en la muestra donde me dieron una sala vacía para desarrollar mi intervención. A partir de allí, pensé en hacer mi primer experimento SCRIPT o de “pintura descontrolada”. La idea era de pintar líneas que daban la vuelta a la habitación de forma automática. Antes de empezar a pintar, establecí unas normas que iban a dirigir el desarrollo de la pintura:
1- Cada línea empieza en la primera pared a la izquierda y acaba cuando vuelve al ese mismo sitio.
2- La altura donde empieza cada línea depende de la hora a la que se empieza a pintarla (gráfico 1).
3- La inclinación con la que empieza cada línea es definida según los minutos que indica el reloj a la hora de empezar a trazarla (gráfico 2).
4- Cada línea rebota contra el suelo y el techo con un angulo a 90 grados.
5- Al encontrarse con un cambio de plano, la línea sigue con la misma inclinación pero cambia de color.
6- La última cifra de la hora define el color que hay que usar (gráfico 3).
Una vez el script escrito y los gráficos y tablas correspondientes dibujados, solo faltó ejecutarlo.
El experimento duró cinco días y se logró pintar cinco líneas.
Video:
Fotos:
Checking dead patterns in the making of the rules for the script.
The empty room
12 colors
Mate y tarta de ricota!
Done!
I photocopied the graphics I used to execute the script and put them on the wall at the entrance of the room.
Graph 2
Graphs 3 and 1
The opening
Muchas gracias a Magda, Barbara y Martín por la preciada ayuda y a todo el equipo del CCEBA.
Fundació Joan Miró
Parc de Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain
February 19th – June 6th 2010
Curated by Martina Millá
Mural painting in collaboration with Nuria Mora
“Murals” represents a meeting point and a creative space for mural painters of our time. The Foundation invited ten artists who come from as far as West Africa, Mexico and the United States as well as Europe to work on the walls of the temporary exhibition area.
