Ever wondered what your own grandparents get up to on a daily basis? I bet images of pottering around the house or enjoying a natter at the local cafe with friends. What about if you found out that they were part of a ‘gang’ that went around the town, spray painting walls and leaving their personal mark behind for all to see?
Well, that’s exactly what the group Lata 65 encourage their members to do… legally, of course. Providing the elderly with spray cans, masks, gloves and protective gear, members are set loose on free spots around Lisbon, tagging walls and creating their own street art pieces. This isn’t simply a ‘turn up and spray’ ploy, no, members are given workshops in the history of street art, how it’s done and how to create their own stencils for tagging. They are also given lessons in how to create large scale murals.
Founder Lara Rodrigues hopes that Lata 65 will connect the older generations and younger generations through the dynamic activity that is still popular among teens and young adults. She also wants to engage the elderly in contemporary art forms and methods, giving them the right environment to let loose and try something new without the fear of it gaining negative attention or criticism.
It was originally meant to be a one-off workshop but the enthusiasm and eagerness that the group’s students displayed inspired the program’s founder Lara Rodrigues to continue. Not only is she sharing her passion for street art, but she is introducing a new pastime to a group of people that, to some extent, have seen it all.
This isn’t the only elderly group that has been surprising social media of late, the Golden Girls are huge hits on the basket ball courts of Utah’s universities, and in February of this year, they went viral, much like Lata 65, with their own rendition of ‘Uptown Funk’ called ‘Oldtown Funk’. Their group ranges from ages 50 to 92 and all have joined for various reasons, just as the ladies that take part in Lara Rodrigues’ project.
So, what’s next for Lata 65? Well, in early July they took part in the Festival Aldeias Artisticas (Artistic Village), an exhibition in rural Portugal in the villages of Barbaido. So, you can expect that they’ll be turning their new found talent to similar activities very soon… once the heat has subsided perhaps.