According to the United Nations (UN), half of the world´s population currently lives in cities. This number is expected to continue to increase which means that sustainable development and solutions to global problems such as poverty, climate change, among others, will take place in urban areas. Therefore, we must improve our planning and management to make the spaces occupied by the world´s inhabitants more inclusive, secure, and resilient.
Building sustainable cities means that their inhabitants become part of them, that they can enjoy their advantages while, at the same time, respecting their duty to create an environment of social and environmental prosperity. Public spaces are, therefore, crucial both in relation with communal aspects (coexistence, socialization, and territorial belonging) as well as individual aspects (security, comfort and well-being).
In this context and based on the importance of culture and art in people´s quality of life, Enel Chile has launched the Open Power to Art project, which seeks to promote spaces of interaction and participation for local residents. The project involves painting community murals, which highlight and represent the identity and essence of different neighborhoods in the Metropolitan Region.
Our electrical substations are the meeting point between this project and the community, where the perimeter walls become the canvases for the works that, stemming from the dialogue with the neighbors who live around these facilities, reflect the identity and cultural characteristics of the sector. Local artists are one of the fundamental pillars who implement this initiative . Taking advantage of their experience and trajectory, they guide the creative process that makes it possible to create each mural and its contents.
Open Power to Art Santiago began in 2019 with community murals painted in two electrical substations located in the municipalities of Cerro Navia and Independencia with the participation of more than 140 neighbors who collaborated in the design of the works of art, together with eight local artists who designed and painted the most iconic stories of the neighborhood.
The boroughs of La Reina and Peñalolén were part of the Open Power to Art Santiago in 2020, where, with the support of the El Colihue Foundation, a large 690 m2 mural was created in the La Reina electric substation. Seven local artists and 50 community members took part in the project.
On that occasion, the Open Power to Art project sought to reach its full potential incorporating the use of sustainable materials and the management of waste generated in different stages. The artists who took part in the project used for the first time graphene paints which absorb CO2 particles.
The project is an opportunity to find new and young talent within a neighborhood. Therefore, an art mural workshop was offered to residents in which, through theoretical and practical learning, local artists transferred their knowledge of design techniques, layouts, sketches, and paint mixing methods to participants, allowing the community to develop their artistic and cultural skills. Similarly, once the whole process was completed, a waste management program was implemented which included the classification of materials, the delivery at recycling points, donations of materials to social craft organizations to give them a second useful life and the transformation of some waste into flowerpots with native plants and composters that were presented to the residents who participated in the initiative , allowing the community to develop environmental care aspects.
Open Power to Art, apart from permitting a social encounter between the muralists and the community, is an integral part of the line of work that the Company carries out in in relation to the recovery of public spaces. It is a project that promotes alliances and synergies for collaborative work in the areas where we operate. The entire process requires a close collaboration between the participating parties, improving the relationship between the community and institutions, between Enel Distribución Chile and the different municipalities in its concession area.
This initiative contributes to SDG 8 "Decent Work and Economic Growth" by providing work opportunities for local artists and their respective teams. The project has so far benefited 15 local artists, at the same time rehabilitating spaces with three murals and over time, included the participation of 194 neighbors.
