The building-complex of le vele (italian “the sails”, called like this for their triangular form) is one of the biggest public-housing complexes in the heart of Scampia. After the big earthquake in 1980 the shortage of houses in the Naples region was so dramatic, that a lot of desperate persons moved in and occupied the unfinished buildings of le vele. Today, more then thirty years later, the buildings still have not be completed – actually some of them have already been torn down.
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For the many families that inhabit le vele the living conditions are almost unbearable – leaking water pipes, stairways that break down, constant police reprisals – some even blame the asbestos in the fabric of the building for cases of cancer and tumors in their family. Besides material discriminations the inhabitants of le vele have to deal with stigmatization arising from the media discourse about the building in the last decades. At the latest since the film ‘Gomorra’, part of which is set in and was actually shot in le vele, the complex has become the symbol for organized crime in Naples.
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Since some components of the ‘n gopp ‘o mur’ group live in le vele we decided to spend some days there to put colour on the run-down concrete. Most of the inhabitants were really happy about this. They joint us to observe what we were doing, to chat with us and to do some painting themselves…
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Quartieri Spagnoli – exhibition of Cyop&Kaf
Besides the ‘theoretical’ discussions about graffiti, street-art and art in the public sphere in general that we do with the group in regular meetings and in which we use photos and videos of other artists to transmit a feeling for the possibilities of creative activity in the city, we think it is really important to experience pieces of public art in their actual environment.
Two of Naples’ most active writers and street artists are Cyop&Kaf. In the beginning of this month they presented a work they did in the last years in a popular neighborhood in the center of Napels, the so called Quartieri Spagnoli. We used this occasion to make a excursion to the city center, to get to know some places that the kids had never been to before and of course to see hundreds of paintings of Cyop&Kaf spred all over the Quartieri Spagnoli.
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San Gaetano – sotto il ponte
The extension of Naples’ subway system does not seem to proceed a lot in the last years. In Piscinola were the Line 1 ends until now there are some big construction sites surrounded by concrete walls. Since those of the group who live in Piscinola pass by this walls every day, we decided to paint on them. While we were painting a lot of cars passing by stoped for a minute to see what was going on, to make comments and compliments. For the kids it was a good experience to feel that with some paint one can change, at least visually, the own environment and even get respect for it from other inhabitants of the neighborhood.
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For more information about the project visit www.thegoodhand.net page.
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