Debajo del Sombrero - the organisation

On Tuesday I had a meeting with Maria Sol, Lola, Luiz and Liz at MATADERO about the history, structure and future missions of Debajo del Sombrero. For a Dane like me it can be difficult to understand the structure of an active and well-presented organisation that does not have a permanent space to run its activities. So they outlined - step by step - a map of how the different programmes started and developed into the multi-faceted project as it is today.

AL MATADERO SIN MIEDO (slaughter without fear) started in 2007. The team of Debajo del Sombrero started to work in one of MATADERO's buildings together with 17 people with learning disabilities. At first they were showing up like squatters believing they were suitable for the new cultural and innovative aims of Intermediae - the institution of contemporary creation supported by the Council of Madrid, based at MATADERO. The following year they were given a space to have the workshop every wednesday as it is today. This acceptance of the project was of great importance for the beginning of Debajo del Sombrero as they were regarded as a group of artists working in an emerging cultural institution for contemporary art and culture. 

Essential for the practice at AL MATADERO SIN MIEDO is the collaboration with professional artists from different areas (visual arts, music, dance, performance, art therapy...). In a period of 1-3 months the artists come and take part in the workshop carrying out their own projects as well as supporting and working together with the artists from Debajo del Sombrero. The main areas of the workshop are; painting, video, construction and sound and movement. I will visit and observe the workshop at MATADERO Wednesday next week. 


La Casa Encendida
Tomorrow I will visit another programme of Debajo del Sombrero which started in 2008. It is based at La Casa Encendida - an important dynamic centre for cultural and social activities in Madrid. Debajo del Sombrero has been given a space for a course directed specifically to people who has the ambitions and talents to work as an artist. The course runs every Friday and at present there are 13 people with learning disabilities working in the studio. 


University of Fine Arts
Followed by the course at La Casa Encendida the Director of the sculpture department at the University of Fine Arts in Madrid invited 2 of the participants to come and have a work space at the university 1 day a week. In this way they could work with sculpture as a medium side by side with the university students specialising in sculpture. It was not only to give the artists from Debajo del Sombrero the opportunity to work in an emerging artistic environment, it was also a way to encourage the university students to observe and learn from expressions of people coming from a different reality from the norm. Today there are 5 artists from Debajo del Sombrero working at the University every Thursday, supported by 4 professionals.


El Ranchito - intensive workshops
El Ranchito is an example of another programme of Debajo del Sombrero which is financed by La Casa Encendida. It offers 3 months intensive workshop for a selected group of artists. See description below...


Artists Studios
The last programme of Debajo del Sombrero is the Artists Studios which also is financed by La Casa Encendida. The programme allows Debajo del Sombrero to set up workshops at different professional artist's studios for a selected group of artists with disabilities.