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Work In Progress.
Impressions of Humanity is actively looking for new funding to finalize our next national flag.
Our team is ready to answer any questions how your nation can join this global movement.
Reach out to us,
History.
Evolution of Impressions
of Humanity.
Marcos Antonio, the founder and artist of Impressions of Humanity, began his artistic journey at the age of 44. Raised in a struggling family in the Dominican Republic as one of 11 siblings, he started working as a laborer at just 5 years old to help support his family.
After immigrating to the USA in 1971 at 17 he dedicated himself to hard work, obtaining a business degree and owning a cosmetics line.
In 1994 he decided to chase his dream to become an artist.
For the next 10 years Marcos created stunning artwork, he also became the director of the Providence Festival of New Latin American Cinema and founder of the Anthony Quinn Lifetime Achievement Award in Film and the Arts.
Marcos felt a deep gratitude for his life's opportunities and wanted to give back somehow. In 2009 Marcos established the global movement - Impressions of Humanity, focused on helping those without a voice and celebrating our shared humanity.
Evolution of
Impressions of Humanity.
In 2009, Marcos returned to his birthplace, the Dominican Republic, with the help of local volunteers and a logistics team. He collected 1,888 hand impressions and created two artwork panels.
At the outset, each participant submitted their name, hand impression, and a photo. Subsequently, Argentine filmmaker Fernando Birri and Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez proposed including a film clip to capture each participant's appearance, mannerisms, and speech. This enhancement enables future generations to recognize the individuals behind the hand impressions
The Change to
Nations Flags.
Instead of standard hand impression panels, the project evolved to create national flags using hand impressions.
Due to the technical challenges involved, the first flag (Norway) was made after collecting 25,000 impressions. This flag required numerous adjustments.
Overtime, with experience gained from 40,000 impressions and five additional country flags, the process was refined to be what it is today.
Challenges Collecting Hand Impressions.
1. Adhering to Flag Measurements: Each country's flag has specific dimensions that must be adapted to a standardized 5x9 ft canvas.
2. Mathematical Adjustments: The flag proportions must be meticulously adjusted to fit the larger canvas while maintaining accuracy.
3. Designing the Flag Layout: Sketching the flag in pencil takes approximately 2-3 weeks
before commencing work.
4. Selection and Procurement of Paint: The colors must be chosen, acquired, and shipped to the destination country. The number of paint tubes required must also be calculated in advance.
5. Hand Impression Placement: Each hand impression must be strategically positioned
and angled to maintain the integrity of the flag design. Training artists on this technique is essential.
Participant Distribution.
Each artwork aims to gather 2,000 participants per country. The number of participants will be divided based on the countries cities, states, or administrative divisions.
Examples of Distribution
1. Spain: Divided into 17 autonomous communities. Each community will have 117 participants (2,000 ÷ 17 = 117).
2. England: Divided into nine regions. Each region will have 222 participants (2,000 ÷ 9 =222).
3. Australia: Divided into six states. Each state will have 333 participants (2,000 ÷ 6 =333).
4. China: Divided into 34 provinces. Each province will have 58 participants (2,000 ÷ 34 =58).
