Textilográfica: performative banner creation in Santiago de Chile
A print out of the slogan before cutting out the stencils
In less than 2 weeks, I’m heading to Chile for a one-week conference, but I’m staying for a month. It’s the 10th “Encuentro” conference titled: eX-céntrico: dissidence, sovereignties, performance. During the conference, I have a street performance scheduled within the Arte-acción de calle: Resistencia en las periferias urbanas (Street-Art Action: Resistance in Urban Peripheries).
Taping certain elements on the banner to create a negative painted texte & images
The Arte-acción de calle I’ve planned is scheduled on July 21 at 16h15 in Parque André Jarlan in the Santiago neighbourhood of La Comuna Pedro Aguirre Cerda. The plan is to spray paint a 10ft x 6ft banner that expresses solidarity with the Chilean student movement. The banner will need six colours and requires 22 stencils to complete. I’ve also applied tape directly to the canvas to create a negative imprint once paint is applied and the tape removed. I plan to finish the banner within one hour. A sunny winter Santiago day.
The 22 stencils are stacked in the order they will be used to paint the banner.
During the performance, two other banners will be hung alongside the one I’ll be making. One is a banner that I continue to remediate: “Ici comme ailleurs on a raison de se révolter” and the other is a banner that tells passersby what I’m doing and why. The three banners will be on exhibit the following day at the Centro Gabriela Mistral (GAM), nearby.
The stencils are cut and placed onto the canvas to see how they fit with the taped portions of the slogan.
“Textilográfica”is the title of the performance and the banner will be signed La Brigada MTL, as a token of respect for La Brigada Chacón and their dissenting political messages on long strips of papelógrafos pasted onto Santiago walls to criticize Pinochet throughout the dictatorship and more recent struggles since.
Later in the month, I will be giving a banner creation workshop with arte students at the Museo Artequin Viña del Mar in Valparaiso.
And of course I will be visiting my friends from the Teatro Fresa Salvaje, whom I met in Montréal back in May, when they came to perform their play, “El Montaje, ¿Quién conoce a Gómez Roja?” at the 11th Montréal International Anarchist Theatre Festival.
¡Buen viaje!
¿Cachai?
The final design for the banner to be produced on the streets on Santiago de Chile
contextual banner
This banner will also be displayed because it represents common struggles that transcend borders. In this photo, it was reused during a vigil against mass arrests under municipal by-law P-6, Montréal – March 29 mars 2013. photo : Thien V.
