Harbour.Space
Manifesto for young adults
Flowers have always been present in my life. I don’t know how it hadn’t occurred to me before, especially for the manifesto. I mean, the main composition in the first edition is a human figure standing on a tree trunk, holding a bouquet of flowers stretched upward. Obviously, this edition had to follow that path.
When I was little, there was a tree about ten blocks from my house. Just a regular tree, really, but I loved it because it had yellow flowers. I called it “my tree.” Every weekend, I’d ask my mom if we could go visit “my tree” because I wanted to admire its flowers again —and maybe sneak one (we weren’t sure if the tree belonged to the people living across the street). Every weekend, we walked twenty blocks just to see a tree like any other in Medellín.
Anyone who knows me knows I have to stop in the street whenever I see a flower that catches my eye, just to snap a photo. Flowers have been a part of my life for years, and even more so since I realized this manifesto would revolve around them.
I set aside an entire weekend just to go out and photograph flowers, hoping they’d inspire the illustrations. But when I got home, I didn’t even look at the photos again —apparently, my head and hands were already ready to start drawing. I made over 60 initial sketches, picked a few, and from there, started a new round of exploration that ended up in these ten illustrations.
I’m not sure all the flowers in this manifesto even look like flowers on their own, but my flatmate —who has no idea my pseudonym is Nebulosa Picante— told me they look like alien life forms, and honestly, I’m happy with that.
Well, I don't really like explaining what I do. On the contrary, I’m enthusiastic about hiding meanings in my pieces. However, I get frustrated when I can't find a description of a work that I really like, so here is a brief description.
The character is the human representation. I didn’t want to make a very physical representation because I wanted to appeal more to our spirit, to the breath of life experiencing materiality. But I did want to put more emphasis on the feet, which keep us standing. They are the support of our body, the bridge connecting us with The Earth.
Behind the character's right hand is an eclipse, which is strongly related to items 1 and 6. We must take advantage of our periods of light; to do so, we must first notice them, be present, and thank life with a good attitude. When we have moments of darkness, we must also embrace those feelings, but keep in mind that it’s only a transition. Someone once said that we shouldn’t shadow ourselves for more than five minutes. I have tried hard to find who it was, but I am still searching.
The character holds a bunch of magnolias in their right hand, symbolizing a calm and poetic view of life, which is where I am aiming personally.
On the left side, there is a dandelion, symbolizing the ephemeral nature of life, the importance of appreciating the moment, but at the same time, letting go and accepting what comes. It represents an act of becoming aware, but also surrendering.
The hula hoop represents the amount of tasks, activities, tensions, or indecisions that we can have at this stage of life, however, the character remains upright, maintaining -or trying to maintain- control.
Finally, in a general view of the composition, the character acts as a stem connecting the materiality of life with the light that it receives and transforms into creation.
say hola@nebulosapicante.com if you want a print :)
Risograph A3 (29.7 cm x 42 cm)