Out My Window - interative 360º documentary!

Out My Window is the first major global of HIGHRISE super cool multi-media collaborative documentary experiment at the National Film Board of Canada, directed by Katerina Cizek.
And I'm in!

Highrise is a project about the human experience in vertical suburbs, "exploring the state of our urban planet told by people who look out on the world from highrise windows... residents who harness the human spirit — and the power of the community...". These concepts approximated one of their editors, Heather Frise, to my documentary work at Prestes Maia Occupation (at São Paulo, Brazil), that was showed at this blog (and Flickr).

I contributed with some of my Archival Photos, images I took at the occupation during 2005 to 2007, that are showed on the "Neighbours" and "Highrise Squat", both pieces of Ivaneti's story. Sadly, I was just arriving in China (2009) when they first contacted me asking to make the records and new photos for Ivaneti's story, but couldn't follow them. Another photographer in São Paulo, Julio Bittencourt, that also worked at the P. Maia Occupation and knew the people did it, and his images looks so great!

The project worth a visit! Check it here.
Loved!

Prestes Maia | Opening in Los Angeles August 9th

Solo Exhibition
Prestes Maia:
Opening August 9 6pm to 8pm

August 9 to October 3 2008

Alegria Gallery
2737 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323.454.4200
9to5 MF

A Diary of Exclusion

The Alegria Gallery, from Art and Shelter, will be exhibiting a group of photographs from the Prestes Maia essay. These images are fragments of a visual diary that I have been keeping at the Prestes Maia occupation at the heart of the city of Sao Paulo, during almost three years (2005 to 2007).

The site was considered the largest vertical occupation in Latin America. The building was an old textile factory abandoned more than 20 years ago, and the owners owe millions in taxes to the municipal government. Some 2.000 people were living there, members of the Downtown Homeless Movement, which is led by 10 women from various occupied sites in the city. The groups, well organized and articulated are formed by thousands of people who formerly lived on the street, in squares or under bridges and overpasses. Like an army without shelter, they founded the Homeless Movement not only as a way to struggle for the right to housing, but to restore their own dignity, unraveled by lack of care and social segregation.

There is tremendous prejudice in Brazil against the homeless, who are often accused of being "rabble rousers" and "invaders" of empty and abandoned buildings.There are more than 400 sealed or under utilized buildings in downtown Sao Paulo. It is in these locations that the homeless want to live. Nevertheless, in recent years, "urban revitalization" projects have given emphasis to raising real estate values, and there is no room for the homeless. They are evicted towards the periphery or sub-human life in cortiços – precarious urban dwellings with many residents in tiny spaces. These revitalization projects sponsored by the city government and private companies (pressure of property speculation) do not give priority to reducing inequalities, but to exclusion, a social apartheid, which often includes violent actions from shock troops, security forces and private security.
These images seek to show that the homeless are honorable people seeking the inalienable right to a dignified life.

Prestes Maia Occupation now
After almost 5 years of occupation, constants suspensions of evictions, national and international mobilizations, in May 2007, a meeting joined leaders from federal, state and municipal sphere, giving a new direction for the Prestes Maia families. After negotiations, a progressive and pacific withdrawal happened and the occupation was closed.

Many had moved to other buildings, small apartments at city's downtown with a provisory support of the federal government, and are still waiting the promise of the negotiation: reform and rent for fair values social habitations for them . Other group of families accepted the offer to move out of downtown, to live in the periphery of the city. Some other families just moved to other occupations from the Homeless Movement in the city, and continue fighting.

Since July, 2007, the Prestes Maia building is still closed, sealed with concrete blocks.

These photos are fragments of this history of S o Paulo society, where I was born. They are not only testimonies, but also elements of communication that I hope can raise awareness and promote the approximation of social classes. They strive to contribute to the transformation of urban space into a location that does not segregate, but to the contrary, unites people around a common good.

bird flying away

bird flying away, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

The Prestes Maia occupation is now closed, after the removal of all the families. It has been almost 5 years of occupation.
Mixed feelings appeared while I photographed the main door of the building, now covered with concrete and blocks. If on a hand, important development and conquests had occurred in the debate and process about the city housing, calling attention for the social exclusion imposed by the real estate speculation and the preconception between social classes, on the other hand, looking to this door closed, and everything what it iconically represents, brings me some sadness.
It was like looking a giant tomb with 22 floors, sealed up without life, in the heart of the city.

Copyright © 2007 Tatiana Cardeal. All rights reserved.
Reprodução proibida. © Todos os direitos reservados.

Good bye

Winds of changes
a gate will open
we navigated in dreams
and expectations

every place
must bring enchants for the eyes
and touch the heart

dear Prestes Maia
symbol of many fights
and knowledge
we brought your name for the world
but it will remain in our hearts

there is a giant bird
that underneath of its wings
received us

here's the life's mirror
It's time to leave
good bye, dear Prestes Maia
we must leave you

the doors are closing
they cease the applauses
but it will be forever
kept in our memory.


Poem by Roberta Maria da Conceição,
who became a nice friend,
always opening her wings and home to receive me
at the Prestes Maia occupation.

the last days

the last days, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

I've been visiting the Prestes Maia occupation these last weeks, to see how things are changing and give some pictures to the people. The progressive and pacific withdrawal of the families had started, and many had moved alredy to other buildings, at city's downtown. They will stay living in those new apartments for 6 months, with a government's fund help, until the "popular" (subsidized) buildings be finished to be inhabitable. Other group of families decided to move out of downtown, to a neighborhood that alredy have "popular" apartments, with the same government support.

Here is João, son of Severino and Roberta, still at his Prestes Maia's home during the lunch. They are going to stay until the last family leaves. They care about the Prestes Maia's library, and they have agreed that the library will be last thing to be moved out of the occupation. For where?
Well, this have been a theme of strong discussion between them,
but it's probably going to another occupation. Let's see.

They have asked to say that they are really thankful for all your support, all the faxes and letters you sent, and this really made a big difference here.

light in the darkness

light in the darkness, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

Here are lady Romilda and the Prestes Maia's coordinator, lady Jomarina, cooking in an improvised kitchen at the encampment. Both of them live at Prestes Maia occupation, and they were cooking pasta for hundreds people of the Downtown Homeless Movement. They have been camping several times, on the streets, in front of the São Paulo's city hall, as a way to protest and pressure the mayor about their cause. Finally, I think it started to work.

Sir. Gilberto Kassab, the actual mayor from the city in person, went friday night (april, 13th) to Prestes Maia building and talk to with the families. The eviction is alredy suspended, 60 days again. But now I think they have something new.

There happened an representative meeting last thursday,12th, that joined Marcio Fontes, Minister of the city, the city mayor, and other representants from federal, state and municipal sphere to resolve the problem of the Prestes Maia families. They are planning a progressive and pacific withdrawal of them, to move groups of families for other buildings, mostly of them still inside the downtown city area, with the support of the federal governament who will reform and rent popular habitations for immediate moving.

peace

peace, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

A year ago, an artist from a performatic group was protesting with others to pressure the judge, asking the suspension of the Prestes Maia Occupation's forced eviction.

It's alredy suspended again, after the visit of the judge who understood the needing of a good plann to remove all those people from the building. They have now 60 days for a new negotiation.
A provisory peace, but also a time to work for new solutions on this terrible inequality.

Thank you all those who were sensibilized and mobilized.
You are brave people.

home sweet home

SUSPENDED!!
Eviction is now suspended!

SUSPENSO!!
O despejo está suspenso!!
(click e leia aqui em português)

Yes, the eviction of the Prestes Maia Occupation is now suspended for 60 days!

I'm trying to find the more details about the cancelation, but I had just a talk with a lawyer representant of the Movement, and he told me that the judge went with the Military Police Commander to the area of the building, and saw how dificult, dangeours and insecure it could be the withdrawal of almost 2000 people... so the judge decided to suspend the eviction for this sunday and gave them 60 days for a new negotiation.

Thank you so much, all of you!

the call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the call, originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal.

AÇÃO URGENTE (click no link, em português)

We need five minutes of your day, and a FAX machine.

from Amnesty International,
to help the Prestes Maia 468 families.

A judge has issued a new order to evict the 468 families who have been living in the derelict Prestes Maia building in central São Paulo for over two years. The municipal authorities must carry out the order before 4 March. Amnesty International is calling you to an urgent action. You can see it in this links.

English
Espanol
Français

Please, spread the word, and sign the online pettition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/pmaia911/

Join our group at Flickr, to support and be informed about this issue:
The Prestes Maia Hope

Picture during a meeting at Prestes Maia occupation of the Homeless Movement of Central São Paulo, in 2005.

Prestes Maia, the fight for rights

originally uploaded by Tatiana Cardeal
All photographs © 2006.

Prestes Maia, is a colossal abandoned clothes factory that towers over central Sao Paulo, and the biggest occupation of Latin America, with 22 storeys in total, is home to 468 families; around 2,000 people from the MSTC - Movimento dos Sem Teto do Centro (Downtown Homeless People's Movement).

The community is meticulously organised and removed 200 lorry loads of rubbish and 1.500 cubic meters of sewerage from the building’s ground floor, together with all the rest, bestowing upon it the social function of a domicile as determined by the Federal Constitution.
They had organized the cleanning maintenance, the security, they had banned all the traffic of drugs and crimes from the building, making it a familiar place full of activities. The created a library, recycling program, and cultural activities with artists and partners.

The owners of the building, Jorge Hamuche and Eduardo Amorim, who do not possess the title deed, abandoned the building for twenty years and owe close to BRL$5 million (EUR$1.8 million) in taxes.
But, an injunction has been issued for the repossession of the building.
The judge of the 25th Civil Jurisdiction of Sao Paulo granted an injunction for the repossession of the property, ignoring the residential rights of the occupants and even a UN report that declares; "the municipal government of Sao Paulo, through the Secretary of Habitation and Urban Development and COHAB, should promote the renovation of the Prestes Maia building for housing and social interests, to meet the objective of the dispossession of the building by the municipality."

The authorities didn't plan a project to remove everybody, and we know that they will return to live at the streets. We are trying to stop this, and to pressure the state governor Geraldo Alckmin and the mayor from the city José Serra, to make first a project, and then remove the families.

I've created a new set to publish the pictures of the development of this story, called "Where do we go?", and a Flickr's community to support them, "The Prestes Maia Hope", with an online petition to be signed (there is a translation of the text for english and french), and much more details about this story.
Please join us.