The Tank

About This Project

Tracing Spaces, in partnership with two other organizations, Alimenta La Solidaridad and Caracas Mi Convive, transformed a meeting place in San Miguel de La Vega. The Tank, a space that was being used as a parking lot, was intervened and transformed with the addition of planters and a chalkboard, and now functions as a learning and play area for the little ones of the community.

A team of 54 people, made up of 23 children between the ages of 3 and 14 who live in La Vega; 8 community volunteers, and 7 members of Alimenta Solidaridad and Caracas Mi Convive among others, participated in this intensive workshop.

Through this workshop, Caracas Mi Convive was able to institutionalize the work they have been doing in this neighborhood for the past 10 years. Their objective has been to reduce delinquency rates in the area and transform The Tank into a nonviolent space.

This workshop was carried out in three phases during the months of June, July, and August 2017 and their activities included the germination of seeds, the measuring of the spaces to be intervened, preparing the wood to be cut and sanded, assembling the pieces of wood into planters, varnishing and painting, and attaching the planters to the wall.

Following the designs, the students built 28 planters, one chalkboard, and an alphabet made from recycled bottle caps set in the pavement, an idea that was proposed by a group of girls from a nearby neighborhood.  This resulted in the intervention of 80m2 on the ground surface, and 48m2 wall surface, recuperating a space that was used as a  garbage dump but now is a  multipurpose public space.  Although this space is still being used as a parking lot, it will also be used as a meeting place and a play and educational area for the whole community.