Lucky

A microcosm of Venezuela's social crisis. The reality of homeless people living in a shelter inside the iconic Caracas Hippodrome intertwines with that of those who attend for fun, both seeking the blessing of chance to overcome their situation.

During 2010, heavy rains left many families throughout homeless in Venezuela. For this reason, as an immediate measure, the Hippodrome "La Rinconada" in Caracas, as well as many other architectural jewels, became a temporary shelter, with the promise of a new house that would be granted to them through the Government's housing construction project: “Gran Misión Vivienda Venezuela” (Great Housing Mission Venezuela). Around 2,400 people lived at the hippodrome until 2014, in parallel with regular activities of the racecourse.
The socio-cultural particularity that this project intent to evidence through this new scenario, apart from the contradictions inherent in the decontextualization of space, lies in the ambiguous relationship structured by the search for the fortune of chance and the vicious circle that this generates. As in any betting game, taking a leap into the void as a shortcut to get some material good, and the consequences of not succeeding can disproportionately worsen the initial situation; the "horse game" and the "search for a home" are in the same space created to test their own luck.