The first time I heard about BesArt was 3 years ago. Even before the first mural was installed, I received an invitation to be part of the project, but due to scheduling issues that invitation did not materialize until a few days ago, when I finally had the opportunity to create my piece within this vast open-air museum.
BesArt is an initiative that seeks to promote the transformation and restoration of the natural environment through art. It is located in the Besòs River Park, which over more than 18 kilometers runs through Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Sant Adrià de Besòs and Barcelona.
THE SPACE
The mural measures approximately 4 meters high x 17 meters wide. The wall is porous and required prior preparation carried out by the production team. The space is large and has a bike lane and a wide green area, as well as the river, which makes painting there very peaceful compared to painting directly on the street.
THE TEAM
One of the things the project pays close attention to is production during the process. Every day this team of people prepared the space so that I could start my work: carpet to protect the ground, stanchions to mark out the safe area, scaffolding assembly, and a tent with food and drink (very important with the heatwave we are experiencing right now). Likewise, at the end of the day they took care of packing up and leaving everything in perfect condition. This may seem obvious, but not many projects take it into account, and after many hours of work it is appreciated to have some support, especially when it comes time to pack up all the materials at the end of the day.
HOW LONG DID THE PROCESS LAST?
In total it was 5 days which, unfortunately for us, fell during a week with quite high temperatures. Despite that, we did long days from 8:00 to 18:00 for the first 3 days, but the sun was so strong that for the last 2 the day was reduced from 7:30 to 12:30.
THE CONCEPT
Title: Paper Dreams
If we talk about something we all share, perhaps one of the things we tend to leave until last is that we all dream, in one way or another. Dreams have always played a relevant role in our lives, and even so we are still far from fully understanding their true nature. Dreaming is creating in its purest state, and paper has long been the medium that has allowed great dreamers to bring their ideas to life. Dreaming is flying, and flying is experiencing the world from another perspective. The mural reflects these thoughts; the figure of the paper bird not only represents the act of flying, it condenses multiple readings: creation, imagination, the versatility of the material (fragile or resistant depending on the shape it is given). And of course, the local wildlife of the environment where the work takes place. This mural is an invitation to reflect on that, and on what happens within our own dreams, and how we might learn from them.
