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| A Miniature City Created by Brazilian Artists Comes to Queens College; First U.S. Installation of International Projeto Morrinho--Visiting Brazilian Artisans are
Crafting the Installation Through September 17;
Will Remain on View as Part of the College’s “Year Of
Brazil” Exploration--
FLUSHING, NY, September 10, 2013 --The first U.S. installation of Projeto Morrinho is now being crafted at Queens College by
visiting Brazilian artisans. Morrinho, which means “little
hill” in Portuguese, is a miniature recreation of favela
(Brazilian shanty town)—think hundreds of painted brick doll-houses rising in
a vertical city.
Projeto Morrinho was begun by favela teens in the Laranjeiras
neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro in 1998 as a creative escape from the realities of violence and corruption surrounding
their community. Since then, it has evolved into a social and cultural force
that is inspiring social awareness and dialogue internationally. The project
even includes a role-playing game where
participants assume the identities of residents, drug dealers, and the police. Using
decorated LEGO avatars, participants act out original scenarios that address
the power imbalance between residents and the government.
Projeto Morrinho is also an expressive work of art. Smaller
scale replicas of the Morrinho model
have been exhibited throughout Brazil and Europe, including the Urban World
Forum in Barcelona (2004); Point Ephémère in Paris (2005); and the Venice
Biennale (2007). In July 2009, the
Museum of Modern Art in New York presented a documentary film on this cultural
and artistic phenomenon entitled Morrinho:
God Knows Everything But is Not a Snitch. The Queens College installation—the first appearance of Projeto Morrinho in the United States--is
meant to inspire a dialogue between the artisans and students on how the
project is helping to challenge the popular perception of the favelas.
The artisans will be in New York until September 17. Three installations will
be completed at QC. The main one can be viewed at Rosenthal Library Plaza on the Flushing
campus.
Directions: http://bit.ly/mX79LH; Campus map: http://bit.ly/VLiEdq Two other installations will be located next
to each other outside the Science Building.
This project is
presented as part of the college's Year of Brazil, a cultural, political and
artistic exploration of the country.
As it celebrates
its 75th year, Queens College remains committed to providing a premier liberal
arts education to bright, ambitious students of all backgrounds. Once again, the
school has been named one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate
education by The Princeton Review. Located on a beautiful, 80-acre campus in
Flushing, Queens College offers outstanding academics, generous financial aid
packages, and relatively low costs. | |
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