Mathare is the second slum of Nairobi, whose residents have developed an informal but effective strategy of small-scale economy that takes place mostly in precarious shop-houses and in unhealthy places.
Here, every day, the tide deposits the infinite waste discarded from the capital: wooden boards, advertising signs, tables and sheets, and above all bins, the basic element of an ingenious and effective recycling project.
These objects are part of an internal economy born to satisfy the needs of people living in the slum and who do not have access to consumer goods offered by the market.
Simple things, however, necessary to carry out normal daily activities: pots, mousetraps, shoes, pallets, ladles, stoves, buckets, lanterns.
Invariant forms, always motivated and improved according to their functionality, yet with a mysterious force that makes them difficult to classify: they are contemporary, but with an ancient character; serial, but heirs of a tribal tradition; poor, but rich in inventiveness.
The objects and everyday tools were selected by Francesco Faccin during a research carried out by Liveinslums.
Concept and coordination: Gaetano Berni - Maria Luisa Daglia - Silvia Orazi
Photo: Francesco Giusti and Filippo Romano
Video: Silvia Orazi and Fabio Petronilli
Search and selection of objects: Francesco Faccin
Set-up: Maria Luisa Daglia-Luca Astorri-Francesco Segre Reinach
Graphic design: Claude Marzotto
Curated by Fulvio Irace, "Made in Slums" is a tribute to this project culture that transforms poverty into wealth for everyone
