Eighty artists have helped to transform a neighbor- hood in Montevideo, Uruguay, as part of a Human Cities initiative developed by AkzoNobel’s Inca
paint brand.
The eye-catching event saw muralists, graffiti artists
and painters take to the streets of La Teja to create murals
on more than 40 walls to help brighten up the lives of local people and make their surroundings more liveable and
inspiring. The walls were chosen jointly by neighbors and
the artists.
Staged over the course of a weekend, the event attracted artists from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Cuba.
All those who took part were from the Pintó artists group.
They used more than 700 liters of Inca paint to revitalize
the neighborhood through the use of essential color.
Commenting on the event – which created huge
excitement among the locals – one of the artists said:
“Working in the street means generating energy with the
people of the neighborhood, transforming the negative
into positive, having people identify with the work and
learning together. This is bringing love to the people.”
One of the local residents added: “Seeing the walls full
of color is different. We want to do things, care for the
neighborhood and improve it. Somehow we feel that this
is a starting point for making changes.”
Launched in 2014, AkzoNobel’s global Human Cities
initiative aims to help the world’s cities deliver a stron-
ger sense of community purpose, pride and happiness.
It channels the company’s three key strengths – essential
ingredients, essential protection, essential color – to help
energize cities and make them more liveable and inspiring,
AkzoNobel stated.
Thanks to Human Cities, many successful projects
have already been completed. For example, the initiative has helped to revitalize favelas in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, as well as creating jobs for young people in the
UK. It is also making sport more accessible to young
people and helping to restore historic landmarks, such
as Burkill Hall in Singapore and the Rijksmuseum in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
More recently, AkzoNobel co-founded the Human
Cities Coalition, which brings together a unique pub-lic-private partnership of similar-minded Dutch organizations from government, NGOs and business to focus
on realizing UN Sustainable Development Goal 11
on sustainable cities and communities. This Coalition
focuses on issues including land rights, public spaces, drinking water, sanitation, drainage, housing and
healthcare facilities. CW
AkzoNobel Human Cities Project
Transforms Neighborhood in Uruguay
More than 700 liters of AkznoNobel’s Inca paint was used to revitalize
the neighborhood.
