Bogotrash is an intervention project in public space that criticizes the transformations that have been carried out Bogotá, with the urban transformation plan thousands of trees were cut down to place instead bridges, football camps, avenues and buildings, arguing that those trees could be dangerous for the construction and the citizens as well, even when they were far away from the constructions. For its location and presence of important water forms as wetlands, moore and rivers, Bogotá is a mandatory stop for thousands of passing birds that also need those trees. Deforestation, contamination of water sources and a bad disposal of the solid residues is affecting the landscape and sound environment of the city, so we wanted to make this evident through the installation.
First, we made Resonante, that was an interactive at the Open San Felipe’s Night, an independent circuit of artists and galleries in Bogota. We decided to collaborate with no economical interest, motivated by the traffic of people that would be visiting the zone that night.
After creating Resonant, and as the result of working with recycled materials, we had the chance to create Bogotrash, a social project to produce a public space intervention as the result of workshops made with a group of around 20 participants in process of leaving street dwelling. This was made in collaboration with the Trash University, a project that seeks on the usage of materials as plastic bottles, paperboard and soda cans among others, to resignificate the material and create objects like lamps, chairs or flower pots. Those workshops are being done at a temporary care centre for homeless people in Bogotá, as a program of the local government to connect social process with artistic work.
The final result was shown at plaza known as the Hippie’s Park, located in Chapinero’s district, a central zone in the city with a high traffic of people due to the economical, cultural and educational activities. It’s also a zone with a large population of homeless people, that even sleeps at the park with a police station besides. For the sound design we are going to use phrases and words of the participants as well as sounds they choose. To activate the system, the people is going to to make a human chain, holding each other’s hands to close the circuit existing in the flower pots. This is going to be an opportunity to show the city values and capabilities that our participants have and is also a chance to discover the power existing in holding our hands.
