Photo: iVB photo archive
The 3rd edition of the urban art festival Vulica Brasil happened from August 25th to September 27th 2016. There were art interventions, the creation of the largest mural in the world, seminars on art, urbanism and sustainable development, cinema, a visit to Zhodino orphanage and a closing party for thousands of people in the center of Minsk.
The festival gave the city the largest individual mural in the world that year ("Kaleidoscope of Belarus", by Ramon Martins, 2016-17), a sustainable urbanism plan for Oktyabrskaya Street and a message in defense of the environment through art and education.
The following artists represented Brazil: Luis Martins (L7M); Ramon Martins; Raphael Sagarra (Finok); Paulo Cesar Silva (Speto), Yuske Imai (Yusk) and… for the 2nd consecutive year, brothers Gustavo and Otávio Pandolfo, OSGEMEOS, attended as special guests who painted a deactivated tram car, an old school collective mural and had a public chat with Belarusian fans. Alongside the Brazilians, the main names of local urban art took part, in alphabetical order: Bazinato, Busel, Cowek, Grino & Ivan Tame, Hade, Izum, Kontra, Marat RGB, Mutus and Pisliak.
vULIca braSIL III
2016
Conceptually the 3rd edition developed the idea of sustainable urban development through art, moved by the energy of volunteers from both countries.
Independent architects from Belarus and Brasil developed a complex urban project for Oktyabrskaya Street, which is the festival's main venue, nicknamed "Brasil Street". This authoral urban project comprising 23 items was able to rethink that street entirely and offered solutions like: leveling asphalt and curb, installing benches in strategic locations for art appreciation, expansion and revitalization of green areas, reorganization of parking areas to improve pedestrian traffic, creation of a bike lane, development of multi-use modules with solar energy panels.
Watch below with subtitles in English, Portuguese, Belarusian or Russian.
SUSTaINaBLE URBaNISM
Photo: iVB photo archive
The festival's artistic branch was also permeated by the idea of environmental sustainability, reflected in part of the interventions, summarized as follows: 7 individual murals and 1 large-scale collective mural in the city center; paintings on 2 deactivated "vintage" municipal trams (incentive to non-polluting transport); and 13 smaller murals, in addition to various cultural, musical and dance performances at the closing party.
Among the monumental murals, we had the outstanding "Kaleidoscope of Belarus", by Brazilian artist Ramon Martins. The artist featured endangered animals of the local fauna. It was later known that it was the largest mural in the world created by a single artist until that time, with 3,456 m2 (the previous record lasted less than a month and belonged to another Brazilian, Kobra, with the 2,550 m2 mural "Ethnicities", commissioned by the organizers of the Rio 2016 Olympics); and one "green mural" using native vegetation, by Belarusian artist Evgueni aka Cowek, in partnership with the landscaping studio "Moss Town".
The 3-week program started with the arrival of Brazilian guests from August 25, followed by a press conference on August 30, open-air cinema exhibition "Wanderkino" on September 4, public debate with the artists of "Vulica Brasil" on September 7, public debate with the urban planning team of "Vulica Brasil" on September 9, visit to the Zhodino orphanage on September 13, public debate with OSGEMEOS on September 15 and, finally, the closing commemoration on September 17.
CLOSING PaRTY
On that day, Oktyabrskaya Street (or "Brazil Street") was turned into a pedestrian street, with two stages for musical performances, an organic food court, live painting, popular dance sketches and elements from the Brazilian carnival, including the participation of singer Ju Moraes, from Bahia state, and her repertoire dedicated to the 100 years of samba - "because samba was born in Bahia...". During her performance, she was accompanied by the percussion of "Batucada Vulica Brasil", formed exclusively for the event by 50 musicians from Belarus and Russia.
News of the festival spread widely in the media and social networks. Special thanks to: UNDP; Belavia; Keramin; Moby Dick; Ultrabar; Donarit; MTN94; Condor; Enzo/Depo/Lauka; Space; Renaissance Hotel; VIP Apartments; Delay Sound System; Stepanovsky, Papakul and partners; Hooligan; MZOR; Minsk Festival; 34MAG; Jam Market; Goethe Institute; Birdlife Belarus; Green Network; Ecoidea; and all the 200 volunteers without which the festival would not be possible.
