Street He[ART]: Psylo Supporting Playa del Carmen's Calles Corazón

“Art is an evolutionary act. The shape of art and its role in society is constantly changing. At no point is art static. There are no rules.” ― Raymond Salvatore Harmon, BOMB: A Manifesto of Art Terrorism

If you’ve been to one of our shops, or read a little about us, you might already know that communities are integral to the Psylo family. This summer, we contributed clothes to a local Street Art community project in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. The project is called Calles Corazón meaning 'Streets of the Heart'. It’s a social and artistic project, aiming at rejuvenating the streets of Playa del Carmen. This young city in the Riviera Maya is a hot destination for anyone dreaming of a Caribbean holiday. The nearly-all-year-round sunshine combined with sea air might be what holiday dreams are made from. But it’s a terrible recipe for building preservation. Some parts of the city, especially those where the local community resides, are currently in a state of decay. The artistic community, the business sector, and the municipal government joined forces to revitalize the image of the municipality and encourage citizen awareness through Art.

The first stage of the project focused on improving the quality of life of the community residing on 4 Bis Street, between Avenida 25 and 30. It involved cleaning, installing street lamps, rehabilitating and healing through art. Street art. An international team of street artists collaborated in creating 15 new murals on the buildings of 4th Street. Breathing new life into the walls and new energy down the street.

We were honoured to be part of this project. For us, it symbolised a beautiful closure for Psylo’s design process this summer. Our summer 2017 collection was all inspired by a prehistoric manifestation of street or graffiti art. Found in caves all around the world, the mysterious Rock or Cave Art inspired Psylo’s summer 2017 clothing line.

The concept photoshoot for this collection, which was a collaboration by itself, took place in an abandoned theme park in Sanur, Bali. Unoccupied, overgrown by jungle, the place is covered by Street Art and graffiti, adding to the magic of the place. You can find out more about Taman Festival Park on Dazed Magazine's article. 

Or in the words of Dr. Seuss, “It is opener, out there, in the wide, open air”.

Street art, as an alternative to the art which is displayed in museums and commissioned by galleries, carries that same free-minded, underground spirit - which Psylo identify with. Being able to give back our designs, to help in creating new street art, truly feels like coming a full circle this summer. As conscious people striving for a life of awareness, supporting our local communities is also part of our vision and values.

A big thank you goes to everyone who participated in this project - from the artists to the local community and business partners.

Keep shining!

 Love, Psylo Team ღ

-> Find out more about Playa del Carmen's street art

-> Check out Psylo's Summer 2017 concept photoshoot video on our blog.