#8 of my Top 10 “Road Less Traveled” Things to do in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is visiting the Escada de Selaron.
Lapa is Rio’s Quintessential party spot. Droves of tourists from all over the world as well as packs of locals flock to Lapa on Friday and Saturday nights to drink, party and dance, bumping and grinding late into the night. Vendors selling hotdogs, corn on the cob, caiparainas and pop corn, pepper the sidewalks and the scene is packed with a diverse, but predictable crowd made up of bearded backpackers, tanned hippies in yoga pants with dreadlocked hair, pretty surfer boys in Havaianas on the prowl, girls of every shape and size squeezed into skinny jeans or skin tight, spandex dresses with push-up bras, tottering drunkenly, dangerously over the uneven cobblestoned streets in brightly colored stiletto heels. Security is never far. They linger on the sidewalks of nearly every corner, waiting for booze fueled fights to break out or for that opportune moment when a hotdog cart sets up in a no-vending zone.
A crazy Lapa street party
However, just around the corner from the sticky streets that sit at the base of the famous arches is a special, enchanting place filled with color that attracts the more bohemian crowd of Rio. This is the Escada de Selaron, a gorgeous staircase made from mosaiced tiles from all around the world. Here on these stairs people strum guitars and gather around to sing and sway late into the night hypnotized by sound and the magical atmosphere.
Escada Selaron stretching up over 400 feet.
Selaron’s signature “Pregnant African Woman” painted on tile at the edge of the stairs.
Selaron beginning the stairs in 1990. (Photo courtesy of EyesOnBrazil.com)
Jorge Selaron, born in Chile began his masterpiece in 1990 and declared it to be “a tribute to the Brazilian people.” The staircase, comprised of 215 steps, thousands of tiles and mirrors as well as ingenious planters made from old bathtubs that house vibrant tropical plants, creates an atmosphere that attracts spirited musicians, entranced lovers, lots of artists and art enthusiasts.
In the hand-done sign at the bottom of the staircase, painted once in Portuguese and again in English, Selaron tells his story. Shortly after tiling the entire staircase in blues, green and yellows (the colors of the Brazilian flag). Selaron discovered a little shop that specialized in Italian tiles. He was mesmerized by the unique pieces and was compelled to buy them. He returned to his work of art with a large amount of the tiles and found no room left in the staircase in which to put them. He began the new work of digging out old tiles and replacing them with the new ones. The staircase became an ever-changing, ongoing work. People started sending him and giving him tiles that came from all around the world and Selaron continued to remove the original pieces and insert the new tiles in their place. He wrote, "I will only complete this crazy original dream on the last day of my life.“
Last year when I was in Rio I saw Selaron as he could usually be found, toiling away on the stairs, or painting tiles or little canvases for people to buy. He was such a character with his big handlebar mustache and twinkling eyes. He was never far from those stairs.
Upon visiting the stairs again for the first time this year I noticed a sign that hung at the entrance. It read that Seleron passed away early this January. My heart sank with a sense of loss. I never knew him, but when you know an artists work, its as if you know him or her. You have experienced part of their spirit. Selaron’s essence is reflected in every shiny piece of tile in his beautiful staircase. Selaron was a true artist, his life fully dedicated and immersed in his work, a "crazy passion” as he called it. Now, all the correct tiles are in place and the staircase of Selaron is finally complete.
