Near the famous Puente de Hierro (Iron Bridge), in Havana, stands an imposing building where stood at a time the El Cocinero oil factory. The place is now undergoing multiple changes and by the end of the year it will become a company of dreams: An Art Factory.
So says its creator, the artist X Alfonso. “This will be a cultural center to display art in all its manifestations. Our intention is to promote the exchange and enriching interaction between the public and the creators.”
“The project is designed mainly for university people and also for anyone who can not access these new points-mostly bars and restaurants- that have opened in Havana and that exceed the actual monetary possibilities of many people.”
Admission costs 50 Cuban pesos (CUP) and once inside you can enjoy photography, plastic arts, music, theater, dance, cinema…
“We are also thinking of creating a WiFi system with a database of art, where people can buy some cards in CUP and download what they want.”
The cultural center will feature several rooms. The ground floor will have a plastic arts gallery with a bar, a small stage in the middle for acoustic performers and multiple spaces for exhibitions of interior design, which will have a monthly frequency.
The upper floor is divided into two zones: one is permanently devoted to Cuban contemporary photography, and the other one will be linked to theater, dance and cinema. Meanwhile, live concerts will be carried out on the nave that exists in the rear area.
The author of songs like ¨Angeles¨ and ¨Santa¨ explains that “the Art Factory will become the ideal place for young artists to display their work.” We will receive all works; we will analyze the proposals and assess their exposure. To all this we have a working team with specialists in each of the art sections “.
Another highlight of this task will be devoted to children through community work, workshops and cultural and sport activities.
“We expect having everything ready for the upcoming Film Festival. We intend to share with all artistic events to be made in Havana. When dealing with cinematography, the Factory will be an ally, a supplement that will include film screenings, lectures, discussions, concerts, etc…
“I would like to make a kind of closest exchange between artists and the public, a searching for that rapport as a different way of accepting and incorporating art”.
X Alfonso is an unrepentant artificer, a tireless seeker. He is constantly creating, is a kind of illusions engineer who does not stop until seeing his aspirations and dreams become true.
“I want to go together with all the arts, give them a push. I want to help raising awareness of contemporary production, helping young designers to have another space and always going forward. And if something negative appeared in the path, there won’t be another that going forward again”.
So thinks the renowned musician, who will perform at a big concert-which will feature BJoyce DJ and an audiovisual technology deployment with the support of PMM and IMG projects – on Saturday August 31, at 9:00 pm, in the staircase of Havana University to say goodbye to summer and welcome the upcoming World Festival of Youth and Students.
