As part of our shantytown series, we revisit Hannah Mendoza’s story on the Amistad o Nada, a social and artistic project run out of Villa 20.
Rooftops of Villa 20 (Photo: Thomas Locke Hobbs)
We are sitting on the roof of a rather ramshackle building, a load of chorizo sausages sizzling on a makeshift barbeque. Some of the walls are missing, so that the hum of Villa 20 and cumbia music floats in and clashes with the crackle of ‘Baby I love your way’, spilling out of a dated radio. An inexplicable and extirpated bidet sits on the roof opposite, whilst a cat soaks up the sun lying inside it.
The roof in mention is also serving as a sort of open-air workshop, where, amidst the assorted palettes of wood and tools (a rather severe buzzsaw hangs precariously off the wall), we can see beginnings of chairs and tables that are scattered throughout the workspace. The chairs, perfect for sunbathing (as I discover on seating myself on a bright purple completed one) are oddly comfy despite the austere wooden appearance. Yet these chairs are no ordinary chairs. Well, they are, except that their creation and distribution lends itself to something rather special.
Amistad o Nada is a social and artistic venture that has been taken to Villa 20 de Lugano, one of the shantytowns on the outskirts of the capital. Using wood from recycled palettes, people of Villa 20 are welcomed to offer their craftsmanship to create a series of small tables and chairs in return for cash, whilst their creations will then be sold on in Buenos Aires. The scheme claims to be completely beneficial for the workers who create the chairs, and is also eco-friendly, using only recycled wood collected from the streets, or donated by local companies.
The concept arose from the collaboration of three young artists: Cecilia Glik, a photographer, Javier Barilaro, one of the faces behind the hugely successful publishing project Eloísa Cartonera, and Martín Roisi, a.k.a the Phantom, a celebrated electronic cumbia artist.
Today only Cecilia and Martín are present, and on our journey to Villa 20 Martín explains why Villa 20 is suited to a project such as Amistad o Nada.
“The infrastructure of Villa 20 is far better than some of the others. There is running water, electricity; there is less crime here. It is this infrastructure that allows us to implement a project such as ours.”
Photo by Thomas Locke Hobbs
Set up in April 2009, whilst ‘googling’, Cecilia came across and was inspired by an English design (by Studio Mama): that was the trademark low chair of Amistad o Nada. Collaborating with Javier and Martín, the triumvirate devised a plan to take a social and artistic project into Villa 20.
She explains: “I saw the design of chair and saw how they could be assembled following instructions. I also saw how they could be sold, and thought it would be a great idea to involve people who are lesser privileged, so that they could work and learn a trade.”
It is certainly this point that Cecilia makes that remains the primary objective of Amistad o Nada as a social project. The initiative offers an opportunity to the young people of Villa 20, especially those who may have been involved in crime and want to reintegrate themselves into society. In Villa 20, where some 20 thousand people live, the project offers a form of work to people who are potentially socially and economically vulnerable.
On the other side of the coin, the artistic element is similarly important. The ‘sillas’ and ‘mesitas’ are attractive designs, sold on in Buenos Aires for a reasonable price whilst the workers receive cash in hand for everything they make. As the Amistad o Nada objective puts it: it’s about a group of artists with social concerns who have collaborated with the people living in the villas.
Each one hand-made and painted differently, the chairs and tables are certainly unique pieces, and whilst we are there we see Cecilia drawing her trademark on each completed piece in Crayola.
Walter Moroni at work on a chair (Photo: Thomas Locke Hobbs)
Midday on a Friday afternoon 24-year-old Walter Moroni is at work. “I was unemployed, and now this allows me to return to work,” he explains, somewhat shyly. It seems anyone can work, when they want to; but the project within the Villa is based on word of mouth, nothing more.
Our time drawing to a close, the chorizos nearly cooked, I ask Martín about the name of the project. Also the name of a cumbia band, he explains with an affable shrug the meaning behind Amistad o Nada; and the concept is as simple as it’s translation. “It is friendship, or nothing.” Martín offers his palms as validation. Indeed, all the connotations of amity are in the air out here on the roof. Cecilia and Martín move around, very much at home, chatting, helping with the work going on around them.
As we all sit down to char-grilled chorizos and thick chunks of bread, music floating up from the streets below, it does seem that Amistad o Nada, as a social project in Villa 20 is worth its weight in gold. Still in its early days, there is room for vast expansion. As long as the chairs are sold, the people of Villa 20 de Lugano are not only earning a living, but learning an invaluable trade that may not have always been available to them.
As we eat and talk about secret Paraguayan cooking recipes, it seems that Cecilia, Javier and Martín have offered something special to the people of Villa 20 de Lugano, who in turn, with enthusiasm, have offered something special back.
Chairs created by Amistad o Nada cost $100 pesos each and are available to buy on Facebook, or for more information visit http://miaumiauestudio.com/amistad-o-nada/
