“Human Heritage ”,is a project conceived by Paola Schmitt and brought to reality thanks to collaboration of twenty six artists (photographers, publicists and artists working in plastics).Its objective is to highlight, using the well known historical and architectural value of the Casco Viejo, the human values that have been forgotten but that in fact made possible the existence of these ruined buildings and historical monuments,which are today the object of such appreciation and publicity.

When we mediate on the innumerable accidents,such as fires or earthquakes,that forced the inhabitants of this old quarter of San Felipe to become men and women who were indomitable in their tenacity,their ability to withstand,to rebuild as well as to better themselves over time; when we remind ourselves of the controversial political or historical events that shaped the inhabitants,forcing them to take decisions that brought about the establishment of the “patria ” and demanded fundamental changes that created worry and distress to those who risked their future and prosperity on the basis of such changes;if we remember these human histories that reemerged between the ruins and the earthquakes,that came back to life beneath the rubble of fires or that were re-born within history ’s weave and political confusion,risking future and life itself;only then will we be able really to understand this project called “Human Heritage.”

In the face of these considerations,the people of San Felipe become a testament to a community ’s existence,the reason for its conservation in time and a continuously renewable source for its development or evolution.The strength of the men and women who lived here and live here today,each human pillar,has sustained this architectural structure that we call “Casco Viejo.”

However it is the strength,bravery and persistence of the people of the quarter which is commemorated in “Patrimonio Humano,” a type of artistic event that is known by artists as an urban intervention.Like all expressions of contemporary art,it seeks to reach out to the ordinary people who walk the city ’s streets or squares,who live out their routine in the city or who enjoy the urban space as part of their daily lives.In other words it is an event aimed at everybody on equal terms, without exception.It is a project that shows exhibits in streets and squares,so that passers by,the public,can absorb the artists ’ ideas or,,in a more effective way,a new awareness can be awakened in the ordinary people,thanks to this urban intervention.

Urban interventions therefore become part of a process of construction and reconstruction of the image of a city or,in this case,of a quarter.They provide artists with creative opportunities to intervene in the everyday lives of others,either through sculpture or conceptual presentations,so that through these interventions,contemporary spaces and attitudes can be assimilated into the landscape.

One piece of information of great interest in the analysis of this project is the differences between the various participants and collaborators in “Patrimonio Humano,” arising from the fact that they are a select group of twenty six creative artists which include photographers,publicists and artists working in plastics.Their propositions arise from the multiple variants of these different activities and may be provocative and may instigate new things,such as are the case with publicity;true or critical,subjective or poetic as with photography;or subtle and revealing of the human condition as may be the case with the message of an artist working with plastics.A curious summation of matching identities with a common purpose:to value the human dimension of the women and men of this quarter.

Thanks to the novel and contemporary focus of this project,during January of 2006 we can observe a universe of artistic understandings and feelings which will allow the public in general,and more specifically,the people of a quarter,to live with a new image of their reality, which may be revealing,and possibly intriguing.Walking through old,familiar streets,these images stimulate us to reflect and to feel,as part of an event whose objective is exclusively artistic.In this sense,art is almost forgotten by the person who senses an inexhaustible source of thoughtful possibilities and sensitive values,allowing the passer by – now the viewer – to become involved in the artist ’s experience.