the houses of Rocinha on the hillside under a grey sky
vista da curva do s — the view from Curva do S
vibe da rocinha, 2024 — photo by the young people of the residency
o céu — the sky
vibe da rocinha, 2024 — photo by the young people of the residency
rua 4 — Rua 4
a child on a bike in front of a mural spelling ROCINHA in sign language
vibe da rocinharealidade daqui
Thirteen young people, one residency, three tools — photography, the map, the interview — and a first exhibition in the alleys of Rocinha.
a first residency
In 2024, mOst led its first residency in Rocinha, with REF Rocinha. Thirteen young people learnt to frame a picture, to walk with a camera, to draw the map of their neighbourhood and to interview their neighbours.
At the end, each of them chose their photos and gave them a title and a sentence, and the group showed them where they had been taken: in the street.
REF Rocinha
Partner of the 2024 residency in Rocinha.
Alan, Bernardo, Eloah, Ester, Gabriel, Giovanna, Guilherme, Guilherme Silva, João, Laila, Larissa, Léo and Maria Alice
realidade daqui
“Rocinha is the biggest favela in Latin America. There is a lot of culture and diversity here. It is easy to find opportunities: sport, studies, foreign languages. Rocinha has many religions: Catholics, Afro-Brazilian religions, Protestants, and atheists too.
In Rocinha there are lots of restaurants and, now that there are more gringos, prices have gone up. A lot. There is a shopping centre, supermarkets, plenty of choice, lots of houses, gyms, places to do sport, lots of nature. Here, you don’t pay for the hospital. The beach is close by.
We like riding up Rocinha by motorbike, we like the sports complex and the really good food in Rocinha. We like the atmosphere here. We don’t like the drug trade, the police operations or the traffic. If we could change something, we would change the houses, the stairs, fewer parties so we can sleep, and we would change the water shortages and the rubbish problems.”
vibe da rocinha, 2024
read the original text in Portuguese
Rocinha é a maior favela da América Latina. Aqui tem muita cultura e diversidade. Aqui é bem fácil encontrar oportunidades como esportes, estudos, línguas estrangeiras. A Rocinha tem muitas religiões: católica, axé, protestantes e ateus.
Na Rocinha tem muitos restaurantes e, agora que tem mais gringos, os preços aumentaram. Subiram muito. Tem shopping, supermercados, tem escolhas, tem muitas casas, tem academias, tem lugares para fazer esporte, tem bastante natureza. Aqui não se paga o hospital. Tem praia perto da Rocinha.
Gostamos de subir a Rocinha de moto, gostamos do complexo esportivo e da comida bem gostosa que tem na Rocinha. Gostamos do ambiente daqui. Não gostamos do tráfico, das operações da polícia e do trânsito. Se pudéssemos mudar algo, mudaríamos as casas, as escadas, menos festa para podermos dormir, mudaríamos a falta de água e os problemas do lixo.
what we like
riding up by motorbike, the sports complex, the good food, the beach nearby, the atmosphere
what we don’t like
the drug trade, the police operations, the traffic
what we would change
the houses, the stairs, the water shortages, the rubbish — and a few fewer parties, so we can sleep
the neighbourhood, in eighteen photos
Each photo carries the title its author gave it, and the sentence saying why it was chosen. Titles stay in Portuguese; the translation is underneath.
This photo gives me an inexplicable calm, and nostalgia for my mother’s day.
A photo of the favela with lots of houses. I chose this photo because it’s beautiful.
A boy riding a bike. The photo is cool.
This is a tennis court. We see a man, a tennis player. He stopped for the photographer. I chose this photo because I’m really interested in this sport.
portão vermelho
Portão Vermelho, the “red gate”: the sports complex where everyone meets, young and old.
A place where children and adults come to do sport. I chose this photo because my friends meet there and have fun.
It’s a Flamengo flag — Flamengo is a football club in Rio de Janeiro. This is at the entrance to Portão Vermelho. I’m a Flamengo fan!
These are my friends who do jiu-jitsu at Portão Vermelho. I chose it because it’s friendship.
It’s a colourful building. You can see satellite dishes. I like the colours.
It’s an old park. I chose this photo because it’s our park, where we play and where I like to walk around with lots of friends.
A tall white building. I chose this photo because it’s near my house.
A place where you find lots of snakes and toads.
It’s a very well-known bar in the neighbourhood. Always full, and there’s always something to talk about.
Reina’s Açaí ice-cream parlour.
This landscape is very beautiful. I like the clouds.
In this photo we’re playing dominoes with friends.
People looking at the landscape. I chose this photo because the two people in it are my friends.
esporte é importante
sport mattersFootball in Brazil. The Seleção has won five World Cups. Great stars like Ronaldo, Pelé, Neymar.
everything that was seen
The residency’s contact sheet: thirty-five images taken on the walks, before the selection. Alleys, satellite dishes, faces, skies, film burning at the end of the roll. Click to enlarge.
And the other images from the selection, as they were arranged in the exhibition.
maps, walks, interviews
Before photographing, we draw. Everyone traces their own Rocinha on a large sheet: home, school, Portão Vermelho, the stairs they take every day, the places they avoid. The maps are compared and discussed; then they guide the walks.
Camera in hand, the group sets off. They photograph, they stop, they interview neighbours for sound recordings. Back inside, the prints are spread out on the table and the choosing begins.
to be added : the residency’s sound interviews will be added here.
realidade daqui, in the street
The posters were pasted on Rocinha’s walls, in the neighbourhood’s alleys. The authors pose in front of their images; neighbours stop to read.
at the bar, under the posters
ROCINHA, spelt out in Brazilian Sign Language on a neighbourhood wall.
project details
- dates
- 2024
- place
- Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro — Portão Vermelho, Rua 4, Curva do S and the neighbourhood’s alleys
- with
- REF Rocinha
- authors
- thirteen young people from Rocinha
- media
- photography, mapping, recorded interviews
- public showing
- posters pasted in the alleys of Rocinha, 2024
Photographs, titles, captions, maps and interviews: Alan, Bernardo, Eloah, Ester, Gabriel, Giovanna, Guilherme, Guilherme Silva, João, Laila, Larissa, Léo and Maria Alice.
The mOst team also photographs with the young people, in workshops, encounters and paste-ups: these images are part of the co-creation process.
Residency, workshops and exhibition: mOst — mon œil sur terre, with REF Rocinha, 2024.
