Photo Credit: German Crew via Huffington Post
Adding a little color can change an entire community – as an innovative way to reduce violence and unite a local community, the Mexican government asked street art group “German Crew,” a local graffiti crew and youth organization focusing on alternative forms of communication like graffiti, murals, social studies research and documentation, to paint over the 209 houses in the district of Palmitas in Pachuca.
In over 215,000 square feet of wall, the street artists formed a massive rainbow of colorful stripes. In addition to spreading vibrant beauty from bottom to top, according to streetartnews as reported by Bored Panda, the impact has been extremely positive: 452 families, or 1808 people, were affected by this project, resulting in violence among youths being entirely eradicated.
This beautiful piece of street art has not only demonstrated how graffiti can be used as a means of social change by the public sector, but also what an important influence one’s living environment and its appearance is for one’s living conditions and way of life.
In an interview translated and paraphrased from “The City Loves You,” Luis Enrique Gómez Guzmán, a “Germen Crew” spokesperson, explained that the mission was to create a mural on an irregular surface, on houses in a place that’s gradually built based on the popular materials, economy, and architecture.
Guzmán also noted that the project was one of their biggest challenges; to create a language that homogeneously blends together community, architecture, history, and art by experimenting with alternate ways of relating to the public.
The project followed a mission similar to a mural the street art group painted last year, which covers two blocks outside a flower market in Mexico City.
“Graffiti, art and its history have transformed us and allowed us to avoid falling in perdition and make bad decisions,” Uriel del Rio, a crew member, further explained. “From of our experience, we propose it can change the lives of others.”
Before the colorful transformation:
Photo Credit: German Crew via art-sheep.com
And after:
