Sanity or Madness

When it comes to the human mind, all concepts are open to interpretation. Today, I want to ask you about the concepts of madness and sanity.

What does sanity mean to you?

And

What about madness?

Let me know in the comments.

When it comes to art, these two words seem less clear than in other areas. Thanks to Estilo Viajero, I’ve had the chance to meet several artists, and in my eagerness to delve into both concepts, I’ve come to the conclusion that NOBODY has the answer. Rather, everyone has their version of the facts.

In our latest discovery, these concepts became even more confusing.

We don’t know if sanity or madness led us to this place. Well, our feet took us there (that much we know).

Two minutes was all we needed to be invited in. It’s incredible how, upon passing through the door, we went from Old Havana to the mind of an artist.

As soon as we entered the "physical mind" of the artist, it felt like stepping into a different reality. Everything was "scattered."

The first thing that caught our attention in this place was that the suitcases were hanging from the ceiling, decorated with different themes. What do you think they mean?

According to the artist, everything is where the mind leaves it. We wouldn’t be able to find anything here; however, we tried to see if the artist could find something in this "mess."

He got it right on the first try (we thought: it was just luck), then he got it right on the second and third tries, and it became clear that we were in his mind.

For us, it was a hidden studio, something unique. The owners of this space don’t like that word; for them, this is an Art Laboratory.

We continued exploring the Laboratory, detailing everything. 

These tools brought to life the Sancho Panza of Obispo: the first work that came out of this place.

Until this little cat appeared. That was the moment I lost my girlfriend. No wonder, the kitten was beautiful and super affectionate. María couldn’t stop petting him, and the little cat was looking for her. If they let her, she would take him away.

Love at first cuddling

Back to the place, from here multiple works that adorn our city have emerged. The most famous tango project in the country has its headquarters in this laboratory, but more importantly, there are multiple workshops that introduce neighborhood children to art, pulling them off the streets.

Suddenly, this "mess" turned into an artistic journey we had never experienced before.

In every corner, Cuba could be felt. Today, when the situation in the country is more difficult than ever, this place seeks to demonstrate that Cuba is the people born in this land and not those who govern it.

The bottle with butterfly flowers -this is the exact translation to spanish- (one of the symbols of the nation)  gives a very particular aroma to the place; just upon entering, every Cuban recognizes the smell.

There are so many details that it’s impossible to cover them in a single post. Madness cannot be summarized in so few words.

There we were, each photo, each work, each space tells a story.

We went from being visitors to being part of the laboratory. They sat us on some old chairs (half the world must have sat here). There, we began to talk about TravelFeed, about how a young Cuban was introducing his city to the rest of the world.

Our guests were surprised that in the age of TikTok, where attention is so scarce, this alternative still exists that keeps the written word alive.

We talked about a lot and so little at the same time.

Time flew by. We still had the second floor to visit. We have much more to discuss, but we’ll have more opportunities to return to this madness, to the sanity of Leo D’Lazaro.

From the door, you are greeted—or bid farewell, depending on how you look at it—by the silhouette of the sleeping caiman, from our island frozen in time.

This Laboratory is one of the discoveries I’ve enjoyed the most in recent months. We’ll return in a few days to tell you all about the ideas behind it, some stories, and the reasons for the birth of this place so necessary for the community.

We’ll read each other soon.

[dahpilot]


I no longer know what sanity or madness is. Do you think you can know? Let me know in the comments.


All photos are mine


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