Favela Intervention

The street art collective Boa Mistura see their work as an urban intervention, that utilises the digital technologies of 3D perspective onto the haphazard landscape of the favelas of São Paulo, Brazil.  These site specific color field paintings project an optical illusion - viewed from a specific angle and distance, white text spelling out words such as ‘beleza’ (beauty) and ‘orgulho’ (pride) seem to float in midair.  The group worked with residents to cover corners and passageways with vibrant colours in the shanty town and painstakingly detail every lightpole, brick, and pipe with the white lettering.

“We like to feel the place, talk with the local people, breath the atmosphere and be inspired before start working,” Purone said. “Because when you make a street intervention, it is linked to a particular place, and you need to have dialog with the environment.” - Pablo Purone of Boa Mistura, 2001