Venezuelans are hungry, and the evidence is beyond anecdotal.

A survey released in February by Simón Bolivar University, Andrés Bello Catholic University and the Central University of Venezuela found that 64.3% of those surveyed had lost 11 kilograms in 2017. And 61.2% of those surveyed said they were going to bed with an empty stomach.

Venezuelans are also scared. In June, the once thriving, oil-rich nation was named the most dangerous country in the world for the second year in a row, according to a Gallup survey. The survey found that almost 25% of Venezuelans had been assaulted, and 42% of those surveyed had had money or property stolen in 2017.

This is all happening against the backdrop of what could become one of the worst cases of hyperinflation in modern history.

In July, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that the country’s inflation rate could top 1,000,000 percent by the end of the year, and recent reports show that the country is well on its way, with its annual inflation rate accelerated to 833,000% in October, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“In July last year, we were set to celebrate Caracas’ 450th anniversary, but we couldn’t, because of the very serious conflicts in the streets,” Peña recalls. A 2017 report by Human Rights Watch and Penal Forum – a Venezuelan group – found that Venezuela “systematically” abused anti-government protesters during last year’s demonstrations, including through beatings and firing tear gas canisters in closed areas.

The climate of fear was further exacerbated by a self-imposed curfew, of sorts. Most caraqueños wouldn't leave their homes after dark.

Once the protests subsided, some Venezuelans ventured out post-sunset. Cautiously, of course. In the industrial neighbourhood of Los Cortijos, architect Josymar Rodriguez discovered an intersection where some youth liked to park their cars on Friday nights and listen to music.

But even then, their presence on the street was limited.

“We found this dynamic very powerful, but at the same time, we thought that it could be immensely improved,” Rodriguez said. “The typical caraqueño remains anchored to his or her vehicle. We wanted to somehow move that activity to the street, right at that intersection.”

As part of CCSCity450, Rodriguez and a team of architects designed a one-day intervention in July that transformed the street for a day.

They worked with authorities to block off the street for pedestrians. They organized a free tour of El Nacional newspaper’s building – an iconic construction, right at the intersection – and then made the sidewalk a fun place to hang out. They set up chairs, lit up the area, and brought in a local band and street acrobats to perform for the community. Here's a video of the intervention:

By doing so, Rodriguez hoped they could shift the dynamic, even just for one night.

“We tend not to occupy public spaces, and this generates a vicious cycle,” Rodriguez says, “We get scared, we stay in, and the streets become increasingly empty and more dangerous,” she adds. “This is why we must break the cycle by occupying the streets.”

Just ask photographer, graffiti and mural artist Fabián Solymar, also known as Dagor.

The Caracas local was asked by members of CCSCity450 to create a mural in honour of Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, most known for his design of Parque del Este – an 82 hectare park that is arguably one Caracas’ most famous landmarks.

Solymar’s mural was to be painted on a wall that locals often referred to as “la pizarra de Caracas” – Caracas’ chalkboard.

It ranged from a canvas on which anonymous love declarations were made, to an unruly landscape of protest slogans and expletives.

Solymar initially started painting the wall in bright colours, in a true homage to Burle Marx’s style. But locals soon started to approach Solymar, reminding him that the wall was much more than “Caracas’ chalkboard”. It was also witness to the 2017 protest movement.

According to Human Rights Watch, officials initially blamed Pernalete’s death on other protestors, until an investigation by former Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz found that a GNB officer, had, in fact, fired the projectile.

The perpetrator has not yet been brought to justice.

A 2018 report published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) states that “...the GNB systematically refused to provide the list of names of GNB members who had participated in the security operations resulting in the killing of protestors,” among them, Pernalete.