Constanza Hermosilla

Direct appropriation of the city through ephemeral site-specific installations that take advantage of pre-existing architecture for the creation of a space of the commons; an interstice between the public and the private where it is possible to coexist outside the logics of neoliberal patriarchy and congregate the bodies of the city beyond the rigid barriers that separate them.
This softening exposes the hard nature of cities and at the same time reveals their susceptibility to be subverted and re-signified in a given time and space. In order to soften the city, it is convenient to work with soft materials that differ from the enduring and rough character of urban furniture; resistant but highly flexible materials that allow the development of light and economical works that can be installed quickly and can be carried in a bag or purse. But the resistance that gives flexibility to these installations is not only material, but also political. The proposed softening is not one of a 'soft' type, which disguises urban problems with a stucco of joy and distraction. What is sought in softening a city is to awaken the critical sensibility and sense of agency of citizens by encouraging the subversive potential of desire, play and affection.