In 2006, the format “X Wohnungen” (“X Homes”) was invited to Caracas for the Festival International de Teatro. A part of the segment “Apartamentos Equis” led a tour through the barrio (slum) of La Cruz. The police no longer set foot in most of the barrios, and several informal structures have developed there. Barbara Ehnes produced two works in La Cruz: “In the course of preparation I realised that I simply didn’t know enough about Venezuela. So I decided to ask people if I could follow them around for a day with my camera. Maria, who lives in the La Cruz barrio, immediately agreed to let me share in her everyday life. Her work day begins at four in the morning: In her extremely small kitchen and with the help of couriers, she has succeeded in establishing an empanada (pasty) empire that delivers to all of the companies and office buildings in the barrio’s surrounding area. Maria also introduced me to further networks and helped me understand what autonomous life in the barrio is like. Accompanied by her singing, I presented a cinematic portrait of her and her everyday life on a screen on the roof of her house. The second work was developed in collaboration with José Gregorio, a 16-year-old boy from La Cruz. We visited him at his home, too. He explained the typical, informal construction style of the houses and huts in the barrios to us. Using a model of his house that he and I built together, he illustrated the special structure and self-sufficiency of the houses in the barrio to the audience as well as his own personal vision of future development possibilities.”