• Within the framework of the Open Power to Art Santiago project, the walls of the La Reina substation have come to life with a 690 m2 mural collectively designed and painted to represent the neighborhood and community.
  

It offers a journey through history, from the first indigenous settlements in the area to the development of urban migration, with an optimistic look at what the future will bring. That is the essence of the art infused in the perimetral wall of the La Reina substation, which is now home to a colorful masterpiece representing the community's cultural identity.

At the intersection of the communities of La Reina and Peñalolén, the surrounding walls of the Enel Distribucion facility offer connection with the neighborhood through the “Tales from history: From origin to community,” a mural painted solely with environmentally-friendly materials and represents a true example of the recovery of spaces with particular attention to the environment.

Inaugurated in December 2020, this mural is framed within the Open Power to Art Santiago project, whose goal is to bridge the gap between culture, art and environmental sustainability, and the people, in order to contribute to community development.

Tales from history

A total of seven artists made this mural come to life, which they designed based on the memory of the neighborhood’s residents themselves. Fernando Cifuentes, Felipe Morales, Gonzalo Sánchez, María Fernanda Gómez, Rodrigo Cristi, Edgard Gutiérrez and Cristián Aravena were commissioned to learn about the neighborhood’s collective story and interpret it through their paint brushes.

With an extension of 690 m2, the journey begins with allusions to the area’s first inhabitants, marked by the presence of indigenous communities and their work on the land, and over time, the division of the land into small farms responsible for the area's agricultural development. It then shows the first squatters to set up their homes alongside the canal, representing the birth of the first settlements and, with it, urban migration, land takeovers and new industries. The experience culminates with the image of a dream of what the future has in store, based on the lessons learned from the past, full of color and life, representing the harmony, prosperity and abundance of our country.

“Along with Enel Distribución, we proposed a very quick turnaround, and in just three weeks, we were able to carry out this project with the community. We wanted to reflect what they wanted for the future, especially the children,” says executive director of the Fundación El Colihue Felipe Pizarro, with respect to the collaborative project with special attention to protecting the environment. The mural was painted with graphene, an ecofriendly alternative that absorbs 20 grams of CO2 per square meter, equivalent to 83 kilograms absorbed throughout the facility. The artists also used natural ox-hair paint brushes, natural wool rollers, and wooden supports.

Moreover, the activity offered an educational space with art and muralism workshops to inspire the history, culture, art and unity among the neighborhood associations of both communities, and a waste management program that integrated environmental sustainability within the community. 

Recovery of public spaces

Within the UN Sustainable Development agenda for 2030, its goals include the importance of culture and transformation of cities in increasingly sustainable areas. Within this context, Enel Distribución Chile, through the Open Power to Art initiative, seeks social inclusion through the recovery of the public spaces shared by communities through art and culture, including the community mural found just outside the La Reina substation. But the project did not stop at art.

The Enel Distribucion facility, located on the edge of two communities, also borders a city park that offers the space for outdoor activities and to bring together the neighborhood and community. The scarce public lighting made such a valuable space by day, one marked by a lack of safety at night. This is how the complementary project came about within the framework of energy efficiency, offering the installation of LED lighting to illuminate the mural and park and recover this public space for the community.