Transformem el plom. Moments plata
Installation exhibition of textiles made from foscurit and raw-cotton fabric (different sizes).
Process photos, films and materials.

Description of the work
Moments de plom [heavy or lead moments] are those instants when individual freedom is put on hold, the times when we lose confidence in ourselves, in others and in the future. And yet, as the texts from the posters explained, “It is through knowledge of the other, sharing emotions and interests, that we can find a space for transformation, where restitution is made possible. These moments, probably shared, are often fragile and ephemeral but always bright, what we call moments plata [silver moments].
The pieces produced are the result of working together in spaces shared by our bodies, where we is the starting point and the temps de plom [heavy or lead times] are pushed aside by the force of the collective. A soft material, it appeared ideal for finding confluences. The colour silver and sewing, metaphors for light and healing.”

Different textile elements were exhibited:
A “pouffe” to be enjoyed in company
An overcoat to protect us without losing our identities and colours
Trousers that shout gender equality and freedom
Hats and cushions that unite us filling in shared spaces
A jumper we turned inside out
A chair that is fragile and strong and at the same time offered to the person observing it.

Some of the patterns created by the work carried out were displayed on the wall itself, as well as photos, notebooks, sketches, life journeys on maps, and even models on paper of pieces that were eventually produced.
As well as some audio-visual documents and photographs.
The exhibition’s introductory text is as follows:
“The project carried out reflects on migrations and their life consequences, on the small stories that define the framework between individual journeys and collective events, and where the perspective of the other becomes the starting point for understanding shared realities.”

Presentation
The exhibition was presented on Tuesday, 21 May at 7 pm at the Arts Santa Mònica, in the Espai Balcó. Students at the presentation explained the work process they had carried out over the course as well as the work created. Later on, the teacher and the creators explained the experience.

The presentation was attended by friends, family members, teachers and representatives from the ICUB, the Education Consortium and people from the world of culture, as well as managers from Arts Santa Mónica.

The exhibition could be visited until Sunday, 26 May.

To introduce the exhibition and the work carried out throughout the course, the students prepared some presentation texts. Some students offered explanations while the others pointed out the exhibition's various features. The full text is provided below:

“Good afternoon everyone, and many thanks for being here with us.

We are 2nd-year compulsory secondary-education (ESO) students from the Institut Escola Antaviana. Helped along by Marga Ximénez and Nora Ancarola we now present you with our work, which is called Transformem el plom, moments plata. [Let's turn heavy times into silver times] It gives us great pleasure to offer this exhibition in such an important place as the Arts Santa Mònica.”

“Hi, I’m Hajar. First, we would like to thank our teachers, Jorge Carrasco and Carme Salinas, who have been with us throughout the process. We would also like to express our thanks to our creators, Nora Ancarola and Marga Ximénez, for having helped us to make and create our works, and to Coco and Agnès, from A Bao A Qu, for having guided this project; to the Education Consortium and to the ICUB for making this learning possible, and finally to the dressmakers from the Roquetes neighbourhood's “Més amb menys” project. Our classmates will afterwards tell you a little about the process of this project.

We wanted the word plata [silver] to be part of the title, given that it has accompanied us throughout the project. Silver, for us, represents the good times in our lives and it is also what unites all our works, although we didn’t want to leave out lead either, which, by contrast, represents the bad times. We wanted both words to be in the title because there are no good times without the bad and, whether we like it or not, such times are part of our lives and have taught us to be who we are.”

“I’m Mercè and I’ll now tell you about the whole procedure we went through to get to where we are today. Well, our project is based on three areas: heteronyms (an identity with its own personality). Followed by lead and silver itineraries and times, like an everyday thing, we reached a point when we didn't understand what it was that we were doing and what would come from it, as a result of which we dedicated a couple of sessions to reflection so we could find the mysterious missing thread.”

“All the pieces reflect silver times, times that we experience alongside the other. Times that are experienced through the self and the other. A pouffe that enables you to be in tune with the other. A layer that makes the difference between three fabrics visible but [accommodates] the other’s need for cover and therefore the need for equality in society. A chair that offers space for sharing.”

“A piece that reflects the sexism in society and which asks us what we really are and what a society full of stereotypes does to us. Hats that highlight not only individual differences but also the heat and embers that respect towards others gives us, to cover us between ourselves. A work that reflects on what makes silver times possible. Being able to be yourself and thereby recognised by the other.”

“Hi! I’m Iker. There has been a cross-cutting group in this project, tasked with gathering the whole procedure of this work to view it from another perspective, hence its name. To begin this creation, we were divided up into two parts: half of the group wrote up the process for each piece, while the other half asked all the In Residence students to fill in a small questionnaire, answering questions on their lives, special memories, experiences etc.. The idea behind this process was to find the personality of each of us, through the questionnaire we filled in, resulting in images that showed what had been explained. Thanks to this process we discovered that a person is always much more than they seem and that you must never draw conclusions about a person before you make the effort to get to know them.”

 “Running in parallel, there was a performative group. We believe it is very important to be aware of the transformation of lead to silver, as it is not just about the silver as such, but rather the fact that, before this, there have been many other moments, the lead has undergone a transformation. The video shows the process that takes you from lead to silver; how hard it is, when you don't feel great, to find that thing that brightens you up and makes you move forward towards good times those times that are 'the silver'. Our piece is focused more on this journey which we all go on, showing the process from the start.”

“The video is based on three emotions: anger, sadness and hope. A jumper lined with a silver-coloured fabric; the reason it is lined with this colour has to do with the lead (heavy) moments and the silver moments, and the way lead can turn into silver. The video shows how each of us expresses our emotions and how we transform them when we turn a jumper inside out, little by little. We see the silver-coloured fabric and this means that we are gradually seeing the way out of the adverse situation and the way towards a more positive one.”

“This project was an experiment for everyone, both for Nora and Marga and for us; we were all new to this project. We hope you enjoy the work as much as we have ourselves, because we and the creators have put our body and soul into it. Our work talks about silver times and right now is one of them, definitely, as we were really lost and anxious at the start but now we are here. We have transformed what was lead to enjoy silver times. We hope with all our heart that you like the work!”