Award-winning Art Director, Cris Cordero, is an exceptional addition to the art community in both Europe and across the United States. Born in Switzerland, but a globetrotter across London, Madrid, Tel Aviv and New York, the Miami-based art professional has worked on magnificent installations and experiences for art galleries as well as creating high profile websites and designs for some of the world largest brands. One of her grandest moments was establishing Miami’s first non-commission-based art gallery for up-and-coming artists and performers, and an experiential design establishment, called TAKEOUT, a unique art show, during Art Basel in Miami.
Founded by gallerists in 1970, Art Basel is the leading global platform connecting collectors, galleries, and artists. Art Basel’s fairs in Basel, Hong Kong, Paris, and Miami Beach, as well as its Online Viewing Rooms, are a driving force in supporting galleries as they nurture the careers of artists. Our publication The Art Market, co-published with our Lead Partner UBS, is a commitment to increasing the transparency of the art market. Art Basel’s Initiatives strive to create unique artist-led experiences and strengthen local art scenes.
Cris recently wrapped a specialized week of Basel Braille, part of the multi-sensory pop-up, RAW, with over 5,000 visitors in attendance. We caught up with Cris to chat about all things Basel Braille.
Welcome Cris! Tell us about the project Basel Braille.
During Art Basel Miami, I created a show that was exclusively led by blind performers in an effort to include the community of the visually impaired in the highly visual and “see and be seen” world of Miami’s art scene.
Basel Braille was a room full of fun facts and two performers. The catch? All fun facts were written on the wall in the tactile writing system Braille that could only be read out loud by the blind performers from the National Federation of the Blind. As a result, visitors to Basel Braille were tricked into interacting with a blind person for the first time in their lives. Once the ice was broken with a fun fact, visitors engaged in genuine conversations that broke down the barriers between the sighted and the blind and changed their perception on blindness and the people that get to be and perform at a prestige art show.
What was your role in the project?
My role included everything from coming up with the original concept of Basel Braille to tearing down the show after its run. I had dinner with my dad and somehow started fantasizing out loud how crazy it would be to have a show during Art Basel for the blind. I wrote it down on a napkin and started researching blind communities around Miami the next day. Once I found out how large that community really was, I became hooked on the idea to find a way to include them in a prestigious art project. I created a list of “fun fact” or light-hearted jokes in braille and the design concept for a room in which blind performers could present them as an ice breaker. I met, casted, and worked with a selected group of incredible people from The National Federation of the Blind, produced their performance outfits, created the campaign around the show, led the construction of the showroom, wrote a directed the mini documentary and case study on the project and its key players, hosted the show, promoted the show, and ensured the comfort and safety of its performers and all visually impaired visitors and participants.
Do you have anything coming up next?
As an art director, I am increasingly getting into the world of cinema and the visual language of motion pictures. There are countless opportunities there and I am excited to be diving into this rapidly changing world, while also continuing projects, like the ones mentioned above.
What’s the best way to follow you online?
For all professional inquiries, please follow me at @pitusa1 or via my website criscordero.com