This morning it went viral social networks a video showing a monument to the prominent lawyer and pioneer of women’s suffrage in Chile, Elena Caffarenain the middle of the Baquedano Square. The initiative is part of the campaign “Monumental Chileans”an intervention artistic and technological which seeks to make visible the scarcity of monuments dedicated to women in Chilean public space.
The initiative arises after the Study of Public Monuments to Women in Regional Capitals of Chile of the National Monuments Councilwhich reveals that of the 621 public monuments in the country, only 29 are dedicated to womenwhich represents 4.7%, in contrast to the 57.3% dedicated to male figures.
The video, shared by Santiago Adicto and the influencers @soylam11, @labusquilla, and @mariaisidoracardemil, generated a debate about the representation of women in public monuments. According to the Chilean Memory site, Caffarena died at the age of 100 without receiving public tributesand actually It does not have any monument in its honor.
The “Monumental Chileans” campaign was launched by Brave Girls Foundationin collaboration with the communications consultancy Extend and the agency Icreate, on March 8, 2024, with the aim of generating awareness and action regarding the lack of female representation in public spaces. The executive director of the Brave Girls Foundation, Carla Ljubetichighlights the importance of these monuments as tangible symbols of gender gaps and inequalities.
Using artificial intelligence and film technologythe bell has digitally recreated monuments of five historical Chilean womens, including Elena Caffarena in 3D. These creations have been integrated into the real world through Fake Out of Home (FOOH) videos, allowing viewers to experience the fusion of physical and digital elements.
Within the framework of Heritage Day, celebrated on May 25 and 26Brave Girls Foundation will install a sample of Chilenas Monumentales on the front of the Palacio de La Moneda. Attendees will be able to use instagram filters to erect virtual monuments of inspiring women like Anita Lizana, Teresa Wilms Montt, Graciela Contreras, Juana Gremler and, of course, Elena Caffarena. “With this, we want all people to be able to continue disseminating their monuments in augmented reality from wherever they want, allowing them to be positioned in any public space in the country that we want,” comments the executive director of the Foundation.
Ljubetic highlights the choice of Caffarena as the central figure of this intervention for her fundamental contribution to the economic independence of women and her crucial role in the establishment of the female vote. “We chose Elena Caffarena for the important contribution he made to the country and to women. She was a pioneer in talking about alimony and economic independence of women, later establishing the female vote. That is why we thought that she was an iconic woman who deserves a monument,” adds Carla Ljubetic.
With these actions, “Chilenas Monumentales” not only seeks to honor the historical women of Chile, but also to encourage a deep reflection on gender equality and the importance of recognize the legacy of women in it public space.
