Many stories pass and intersect on this island, more stories than a person can possibly remember, so technology combined with internet connection now brings perpetuity to the island and its knowledge. When I met Raimundo, a very dear person to everyone on the island, it was clear that he had a lot to say about this place, speaking as someone that fell in love with both the art and landscape of Robinson Crusoe. More than thirty years ago, Raimundo moved to the Juan Fernández archipelago. Passionate about art, he has a great eye for understanding the genius and sensitivity of the artistic processes that are developed with the “aislamiento” (the Spanish word for an act of isolation – it is interesting to note that the word isla, in this case, island, is present in the act of isolating oneself). Since being on Robinson Crusoe Island, Raimundo started a new project – a creative house called Casa Isla, which both receives masterpieces and supports emerging artists.

Raimundo’s house has one of the most impressive architectures on Robinson Crusoe Island. It brings together natural elements and asymmetrical shapes, with large glass windows, an impressive view of the sea, numerous paintings and artistic objects scattered almost carelessly throughout the place. The coziness of the house and the resident’s good conversations are invitations to linger. Raimundo has collected paintings by Chilean artists whose works relate to the Chilean cultural movement that permeates stories of Robinson Crusoe. His collection includes a reproduction of a painting that shows a Spanish ship, the San Telmo, which disappeared in 1819. All 644 officers, soldiers and sailors met a tragic fate and became the first people to die in Antarctica. Months later, parts of the ship’s rubble were found by the first seal hunters to reach Livingston Island. Certainly, if anyone from San Telmo had survived, they would have been the first people in history to reach Antarctica.
On Raimundo’s walls you can also find a number of reproductions of Bororo. These belong to the so-called Advanced Scene or Generation of the 80s and can be characterized by their playful character of art, lost in previous years. With intuitive brushstrokes, expressive drops and direct stains, they are showcased in a very prestigious way throughout Raimundo’s collection. I was struck by the power of colour and elementary design in this very simple, almost childlike graphic, composed within a universe that transits between the abstract and the figurative. The artist’s intensity and passion flow into a subjectivity that shapes different dimensions and perspectives on the canvas, with blue being the predominant colour (which, coincidently, is very true to the shade of Robinson Crusoe’s sea). In the past, Bororo has actually visited the archipelago with other artists to seek inspiration from its geography, culture and history.

In its very essence, culture is related to knowledge and the exercise of thought – two things that are essential for the development of society. Culture is so important to the personal, moral and intellectual formation of the individual and in the development of their ability to relate to others. As part of the Work For Humankind project, I’ve dedicated time each week to volunteering with the local community on Robinson Crusoe Island. This has involved working with Raimundo to find a way to communicate his knowledge and art curation across social networks, with the aim of uniting the community through this common good (in addition to providing an immersion in the cultural universe of Robinson Crusoe for those who live on the continent).
Connecting with the community was the first step towards putting together a content production strategy for the island. We organized a workshop with the residents, where I shared my expertise and experience of more than 10 years in online business. I also shared training and presentation tools to help aid their storytelling. As the island has a great number of entrepreneurs, we talked a lot about how to set up a communication strategy between the brand and client, preserving the characteristics and identity of local businesses. The richness of this whole project is the rarity of everything that happens here.
After the workshop two young people were very interested and wanted to join the process of building the social networks of Casa Isla. Lorenza and Lukas were excited about the idea of continuing this project so we all got together with Raimundo to develop both a branding and communication plan for Casa Isla’s social networks. To make this possible, both of them received technological tools from Lenovo, the Lenovo Tablet P11 Pro and the Yoga 7i laptop. Both technologies will enable them to exercise their creativity and ensure that these young people, who are full of ideas, will be able to continue the project for a long time to come.
Now we have a team ready, trained, and excited to tell the stories of Robinson Crusoe, promoting its art and culture for the community and the tourists who cross paths here. Valuing these stories will generate inspiration and cultural accessibility for more people, as these are the pillars that brought us together and the pillars of the experience that is Work For Humankind.