The mini-documentary Firmeza Total by Haas&Hahn draws inspiration from various aspect of modern city life and obsers the growing effects of urbanization,with the aim to ‘flip’ common reality inside out, and at the same time incorporating various artistic media to question the public perception

The second painting in the ‘Favela Painting’-series was festively opened last week October 18th. The first work, ‘The boy with the kite’, completed in early 2007, is situated prominently in the centre of in Vila Cruzeiro, a notorious Rio slum tormented by an ongoing war between the local drug gang and the police. Sparked by the warm reactions of both inhabitants as media, they returned the next year to start work on ‘Rio Cruzeiro’. a 2000 square meter mural depicting a river rendered in traditional Japanese style. These community-driven interventions draw positive media attention to a misunderstood neighborhood and instill a sense of pride and self esteem in the residents. They are created together with local youths, stimulating them to use their creativity and offering them an alternative to a life of crime.