INTRODUCTION
Macarena Magazine
The cities are alive. They are entities with their own odor, color and texture. Their life is delimited by ours and it gets out of control while it represents us. The cities are the reflection of their inhabitants; they reflect our brightness and darkness. They are the land that keeps our footprints after we walk on them. Everywhere, in Bogota as in the other side of the world, there are thousands of aspects with which we can identify ourselves. Thus we can belong to different places and recognize ourselves in many spaces, even if we were not born or have not lived in them. However, our place of birth has its special value. It is hard to replace it as it is the place where we have molded, shaped and defined ourselves. I feel that I belong to Bogota and I cannot detach myself from its chaos and routine.
I personally believe that the designer must get involved in urban projects. The communication, product, experiences and services design, along with the graphic and industrial design have a lot to contribute to the city. In order to make of Bogota a better city, we must begin to propose and execute projects involving different study areas. In my opinion, the Macarena magazine project is a starting point in this perspective. The neighborhood La Macarena has particular urban features regarding the scale, the architecture and its privileged proximity to the downtown area, which connects it with the main urban landmarks. Inside, the neighborhood has an infrastructure consisting of restaurants and art galleries, among other services provided for the city. These characteristics, combined with the qualities of the audience living in this area, are the elements that make me consider La Macarena as the appropriate place to undertake this project.
Once the intervention area was defined, I started the neighborhood study and analysis via the observation of the physical and structural details, its inhabitants, timetables, routines, resident and pedestrian recognition, until the strengths and weaknesses of the sector were identified in order to define its identity. I propose to produce a magazine that works as a means of communication to reinforce the identity of La Macarena. The magazine is made for the community and it is born out of its initiative. In all community projects, it is vitally important to have the inhabitants of the intervened area in the foreground. This kind of projects needs the residents’ approval. It is needed that the inhabitants of the place feel they are part of the project and that it belongs to them. They must understand that it is necessary to look after the project, as its durability depends on their participation, initiative, unity and engagement.