Maskbook at COP25!
Maskbook visited Madrid for the 25th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) at the end of 2019. It was held in the Spanish capital between the 2nd - 13th December following its cancellation in Santiago, Chile.
Two Maskbook workshops were organized and led by Agathe Chebassier and Lorena Hernández (Colombian eco-artist) from the Art of Change 21 team. The preparation for the workshops began with the collection of waste from grocery stores, florists, fablabs, printers, local framers... to be used as creative materials.
The first workshop was organized at the CENIT school, in collaboration with the Inland-CAR cultural center, an open, dynamic and inclusive space dedicated to training, research and cultural production for the area, in order to foster cultural and social change. The school is led by the Spanish artist Fernando García-Dory, who is a pioneering figure who recognises the link between contemporary art and the environment in his work.
More than 20 students between the ages of 11 and 12 created masks and discussed air pollution, the importance of preserving the environment and about raising awareness regarding the impact of our daily acts. The second workshop took place at the CaixaForum Madrid museum, an important landmark in the city that exhibits many international artists. This Maskbook workshop was part of the larger program ¿Más grados ° más arte? which revolved around art, innovation and climate change, organized by Art of Change 21 within the CaixaForum.
As part of this workshop, Art of Change 21 called upon the Spanish photographer Mónica Sánchez Robles to take the masked portraits. Mónica is a multidisciplinary artist whose work has been exhibited in numerous art fairs and spaces in Miami, Florida; London, England; Basel, Switzerland, as well as throughout France and Spain. The artist brought her own personal touch to the Maskbook portraits by using large fabrics in natural and handmade materials for the mise-en-scène of the photographs.
This workshop brought together highly motivated young people from Madrid; creatives and social entrepreneurs - including Romina Belén Puglisi - as well as environmental activists and socially aware civilians.