Contra el miedo y la oscuridad. La fiesta colorida y feliz
Mexico City, MX. March-November 2024

During the workshops, we proposed opening up our work process.
We reflected on what it means to work together, emphasizing dialogue,
listening, and reaching agreements. We also asked ourselves: how can we
expand the process to include the children?

We placed symbolism at the core, sharing with the children how images can
trigger stories and meanings, where one interpretation does not erase another.
We embraced a polysemic approach to encourage multiple interpretations.
Our goal was to create a space of creative freedom, where children could
explore the use of color and strokes with autonomy.

To conceptualize the backdrop for the school festival, we aimed to balance
the interests of the school, the children, and ourselves as process facilitators.
The school chose the theme of La Guelaguetza, a celebration symbolizing
participation through cooperation. From our perspective, it was important
to highlight the idea of care, essential in a celebration honoring mothers.
Therefore, we selected three guiding verbs for the workshops: share, cooperate,
and care.

During the workshop process, key questions arose:

How do we create space for each child to express themselves?

How do we create space for each child’s vision inside the piece?

How do we guide and contain the process without forcing it?

To conclude the creative process, we held a group activity to name the
final piece. We encouraged their imagination by asking them to observe the
composition and identify the characters and actions represented. After a vote
and some editing, we agreed on the title: Against Fear and Darkness, the
Colorful and Joyful Celebration.