'Street art' as a driver of change
From street to street where everything happens. This could be summed up the transformation of the Santa Maria Street , epicenter of the initiative ** ART OPEN DOORS ** that since 2011 develops in the Old area of Funchal.
The deteriorating situation in the old quarter of the capital of Madeira, especially after the floods suffered in 2010, prompted Jose Maria Montero , creator of the project.
“I like the historical areas of the cities, in them the base of the local culture is found. It is a shame to see the state of degradation in which some of them are found” , tells Traveler.es.
Amália Rodrigues in the intervention of Gabriel Motta
After some initial negotiations, a presentation of the project and a first door intervened on August 20, 2010, OPEN COVER ART was put on hold until the Tasca Literária Dona Joana Rabo-de-Peixe opened. The interest in the project of its owner and former Secretary of Tourism, João Carlos Abreu, made it not fall into oblivion.
On April 6, 2011, the artist Mark Milewski he would be the first to start painting a door, the one at ** number 77 Santa María Street ** he would take a month to finish it.
faster it would be Gonçalo Martins, whose intervention began and ended on April 9, making the **door number 81-83** the first to be finished.
Since then, seven years have gone a long way, as much as the 220 doors of shops or abandoned and deteriorated spaces that have come back to life at the blow of painting, sculpture, photography or writing.
Any artistic expression is welcome, just as it is any citizen who wants to show his art. There are only two conditions: Respect the environment and the rest of the participants.
It all started with her
For Montero, all doors have great value, "because they are the contribution of people made with love to give life to these forgotten spaces”.
However, he fondly remembers "The door intervened by a nine-year-old girl who showed her love for animals" or another, controversial, because “it made reference to the political leader of the Island and was ordered to be painted white by the Chamber of Funchal, l or that caused the artist to paint the word 'Censorship' on it in red”.
Once the initial bureaucratic barriers have been overcome and the typical reluctance of the residents has been overcome, the initiative, which is still under way, can be called successful.
Intervention by Fátima Spinola at number 4 of calle dos Barreiros
“From the beginning it was clear that this project was going to be widely accepted and have an impact on life on the Island, since there is a lot of creativity and good will in the people, it was only necessary to 'light the spark' for the 'Party' of light and color to jump on the street…” , they write on the art website open doors.
“The balance is positive in terms of dynamization of the space. At the cultural level, Some artistic spaces have been achieved, such as galleries, some of which have been opened by the artists who participated in the gates”, reflects Montero.
A Paul Pestana , a worker at a souvenir shop on Calle Santa María, likes the result and describes it as open-air museum that, among other things, has increased trade. "The best time to see them is first thing in the morning or at night," he tells Traveler.es.
Because, effectively, Santa María street has ceased to be a passing street to a street where everything happens. Because, as Montero defends, “Art plays an important role in the transformation of a city and, above all, if it is like the art project of open doors: an intervention made by the people and for the people, since the main function of this project is to offer a more pleasant space to its inhabitants”.
Intervention by Helena Berenguer at number 79 on Calle Santa María
Despite the success of the project, Montero cannot avoid criticism. “It saddens me that this objective has not materialized 100% in this space, since It has gone down the tourist paths and the resident population has been forgotten in favor of tourist marketing".
"I think there is still a long way to go. the politicians who govern the cities, who are highly influenced by economic power and have their eyes closed towards the good of the population” he sentences.
A project made by the people and for the people