La acera/ The Sidewalk

2007-2015 18.8 x 88.5 in. Edition of 10            

$2000

Everyone walks in Cuba– often for pleasure and always for the necessities of life. A slow stride is needed when the Cuban sun hammers you into a red-eyed, burnt and sweaty puddle. But everyone walks in Cuba. You walk to the agro for fruits and vegetables. You traverse neighborhoods in search of the lowest prices on soap, coffee, Soya oil, or deodorant. Or you may stroll along the Malecón sea wall in the in the evening to cool off and take in the sea and cityscape.

La Acera is a is a walking map of Havana recording the daily lives of Red Trillium Press traveling to Havana for over 15 years. La Acera is printed on the 1979 Atlas National de Cuba in 2007 & 2011 and is accompanied by an essay describing artist’s family lived experiences in La Habana

The first printing in 2007  is an impression of sidewalks throughout Havana. The first page is the sidewalk in Plaza de Armas in Habana Vieja of beautiful limestone cut to expose the geology of sea. The second image is the sidewalk in concrete, with repairs and graffiti and footprints cast while the concrete was wet. The third is sidewalk in disrepair, worn down to the dirt with passing many feet and plants surviving at the edges.

Returning in 2011 to the Taller de Serigrafia Porto Carrero,  three maps of Havana recording the history of Daiber’s travels in Havana were printed. The first map is of Habana Vieja, the second map is of the city – La Habana, the third map is of Vadado the neighborhood.

Walking in Havana is a delight for the foreigner, who watches the city breathe change. For the Cuban, though, life in Havana more often remains la lucha.