CHANGING PLACES / ESPACIOS REVELADOS in Chile
Connecting art, cultural heritage, and community
From 7-17 April 2016, CHANGING PLACES / ESPACIOS REVELADOS transformed Santiago de Chile into an experimental space for artists that examined the relationship between art, cultural heritage, and community. Installations, performances, and other artistic works turned abandoned buildings and squares into experiential spaces. The historic Yungay quarter in the heart of the city was home to a space that reflected the fragile cohesion of society, casting a spotlight on the neighborhood while pointed questions: Who are our neighbors, and what do I share with the person next to me?
The intersection of vacancy, immigration, and the pressure to develop
Dating back to the middle of the 19th century, the Yungay barrio is Santiago de Chile’s first planned quarter. In recent decades, the district has been marked by migration and decay, earthquakes, economic crisis, and political conflicts. Recent efforts within the neighborhood have meant some of the district’s buildings have been preserved. The intersection of vacancy and speculation, immigration and social separation, stagnation and development is part of Yungay’s reality today, which calls for a shift in our perspective.
Places that were nearly forgotten
The northern part of the district was once home to a train station that connected Santiago to other cities, -including the coastal city of Valparaíso. One of the interventions breathed new life into this more or less forgotten part of the neighborhood. Other artists turned to other locations: an old metal hut, abandoned apartment buildings, burned-out houses, an unused theater, or a metro station that was built but never put into operation. Artists from Chile and around the world went to work transforming around 20 buildings and public spaces.
Building a new relationship with the city
The eleven-day program with installations and performance pieces touched on three fundamental pillars of the project: Individual artistic works, participatory work with neighborhoods, and supplementary activities that went beyond the presentation spaces and were built for the future.
Artists
Magdalena Arau, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Ducci & Ducci, Nicolás Grum, Beatrice di Girolamo, Ant Hampton, Britt Hatzius, Raúl Hott, Sebastián Jatz, Ronald Kay, Daniel Lie, Ken Lum, Javier Mansilla, Eva Meyer-Keller, Rabih Mroué, Valentina Muhr, Ivan Navarro & Courtney Smith, Mario Navarro, Javiera Peón-Veiga, Cristóbal Palma, Amanda Piña, Cristián Plana, Catalina Pollak, Pilar Quinteros, Raqs Media Collective, Prem Sarjo, Reinhardt Schultz, Maria Siebald, Meg Stuart, Ariztía Lab, Grupo Grifo, 12na, MICH, MilM2, New Indie, Taller Fermín Vivaceta, Ediciones Pizarra, Eco Barrio Yungay
In cooperation with:
Municipalidad de Santiago, Municipalidad de Providencia, escenalborde, Nave, Junta de Vecions Barrio Yungay, Escuella Taller Fermín Vivaceta, DUOC, Universidad Diego Portales, Universidad de Chile, Goethe-Institut Chile and other partners.