Windows on a fragile world
For four years, Prestes Maia 911 in São Paulo, Brazil, was probably the biggest squat in the world. At 22 storeys high, the building had once housed a variety of failing businesses, but stood empty for six years. In 2002, 468 families moved in, with the help of the Homeless Movement of Central São Paulo. They created a library, with books found in skips, a cinema and workshops. They were repeatedly threatened with eviction, and in March 2006 were finally given 28 days to leave.
While it lasted, the mass squat was a hub for artists. Many of them are migrants from the north-east of Brazil, which is the poorest region of the country. They all have stories to tell. The building consists of two towers, and Bittencourt photographed the inhabitants framed in their windows, from the windows of the adjacent tower. more
Julio Bittencourt, photographer
Wile E. Coyote says: "It's funny though...In life you really are crushed by your mistakes..Whether at 50 or at present, that anvil IS falling..if you're smart enough you'll learn from your mistakes, be the Road Runner and: MOVE OUT THE WAY."
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