“The cooperative gave us a chance to express an art, to express something that we are trying to say in a big way, so that people could see from afar what we are trying to convey. Sometimes, a drawing, the person sees – “Wow, how beautiful! What you mean?" – and seeks to understand, to know what is written on our bomber or our graffiti. In her trying to understand, she ends up absorbing something she didn't know without wanting to; she ends up even preserving nature from that drawing. Graffiti gives another face to a smooth wall, which is sometimes a lifeless wall, the graffiti artist comes and gives life to the wall. That's what we did here at the cooperative, we gave life to the walls here. With this graffiti, we wanted to convey the message of preservation. Show people that we can do better; it tried to teach both adults and children, the elderly, all ages that we invited children, adults, young people to participate in the project.”
“The inspiration was recycling, right? Nowadays, we see a lot of people drinking beer, putting away the cans and stuff... it's an income, right? An extra income for the person. Then we started working on it, right? Well, I think people are reusing everything nowadays, right? I think people have already become aware of recycling issues, of what can be reused, right? The part of the trash that we made there with the flower on top, we had a little inspiration through the music of ‘Racionais’*, which says that even in the dump, flowers grow. It sort of inspired us. I think the drawing says it all, right? The trash and recycling issues...I think people can capture a little bit from there what we want to pass on with graffiti. The community has to help; I believe that, especially the part of the stream, not littering in it again, because the water is clean and I think it's the only place close by that already looks like this – like a new river, right? And not like an old one.”
*Translator Note: Racionais MC's is a Brazilian rap band.