Breaking Patterns (The Game of Building Community), 2016

Breaking Patterns began with a fresh look at traditional Andalusian patterns to create four wooden board games, where the cut out shapes become free tokens to create new designs. Part structure, part play, part object, I invited a group of mixed-gender volunteers to play in public cafes to challenge the predominance of male presence in public space.

The subtitle of this piece is The Game of Building Community, because the game and its made-up rules constitute a metaphor for relationships. Setting the rules was a collaborative process and, unlike most games, the goal was not to win, but to work together, try new things, and have fun.

The act of playing in public served as an opportunity to break social patterns and stereotypes. By inviting a mixed-gender group of players, and players of all ages, the piece suggests a future where working together across boundaries creates the basis of a renewed understanding of social relationships and the community itself.

Here, I see 'pattern' as a badge of identity and an agent of change.

This work was completed during the Convergence Residency at Green Olive Arts in Tetouan, Morocco in 2016.

Media: lasercut wood.

Dimensions: 15 3/4 L x 15 3/4 W x 3/4 H IN (each board).

Photo credit: Luke Jordan

Cafe Bertuchi, Tetouan, Morocco.

My sincerest appreciation to my project managers Abir El Marouani, Kaoutar Sbai, and Yassine Robocop.

Green Olive Arts, Tetouan, Morocco.

Open Studios

Players are tattooed with traditional leather embossing tools dipped in an ink pad and stamped on their skin as a sign of agreement.

Texture of Time is an art residency in Tetouan, Morocco, inviting a convergence of artists from around the globe to create, collaborate and exchange ideas. María Velasco's work featured at 00:47 sec. marker.