Collective
project. A production process is performed during the year completed
with an installation of elements produced in the public space of
Valverde de La Vera, a small town in Cáceres. We started the activity in
2013, and we continue preparing a new edition.
We produce solar protection by crochet technique to be installed in the village streets.
“The
act of weaving becomes a metaphor for daily life, and also a tool for
building space, build groups and communities, activities and ideals that
would otherwise remain hidden, forgotten or lost”. Hemmings, Jessica. In The Loop, Knitting now (2010). Londres: Black Dog.
Valverde
is a town of around 500 people located in Sierra de Gredos, in the
region of La Vera, Cáceres, Extremadura. It has been declared a
Historical and Artistic place, with traditional architecture in stone,
adobe and wood houses with courtyards and narrow streets with balconies.
One
goal of the project is to improve the environmental conditions during
the summer on the streets of Valverde. We generate shaded areas during
the summer.
The
solar protectors are also used as elements of festive expression. We
welcome in this way to family, friends and visitors who return to the
village at that time.
We
produce the solar protectors reusing plastic shopping bags. We
transform them into long strips that we weave. So, they are lightweight,
waterproof and allowed to be stored in a space from year to year.
The
organization of the activity is conduced by the Youth Cultural
Association of the town. Once a month we meet in the town square to share
experiences and knowledge.
We
work about 40 people of all ages, women, a man for the time, and we
have also had the participation of children in the village. The call is
open to all who wish to participate, regardless of their prior
knowledge. More experienced teach gilts.
The
technique we use is the traditional crocheting adapted to a larger
scale. Patterns are the typical ones of the work done in the area, it is
already in the drawings collective imagination of the place. Likewise,
the weavers make their own new personal designs.
It
is important to recognize the value of traditional tasks historically
performed by women for self-management of their own homes. In Tejiendo la Calle these self-produced household items become a collective work for the whole community.
