every year at augustfirst, we treat ourselves to a creative business trip to visit the offf festival in Barcelona. on the lookout for new subjects and interesting neighborhoods, I always get up early and go off to explore with my camera.
compared to earlier years, barcelona’s downtown area has become less interesting. it has been cleaned up/renovated and some artists are deterred by the “zero-tolerance policy”. but since the offf conference took place on the edge of the sant marti quarter, I had a good alternative here. during the day it seems a bit deserted – after all, this is an old industrial quarter in which the number of apartments is – still – quite low. there are only a few local restaurants, but a lot of warehouses, many of which appear to be locked up. others accommodate studios or creative agencies. but in the evening, the rhythm of the neighborhood changes. people start getting ready for the night, and behind the facades, which are closed during the day, numerous clubs are preparing for a long night.
these days, the quarter is undergoing change on all sides: in the south, chic clubs are opening on the beach promenade, and in the north, the charming quarter has had to make room for modern, sterile high-rises.
the many corrugated iron fences in this neighborhood reminded me of the protective walls in china. behind these fences, you can also find many interesting subjects and remnants from art actions. often however, people don’t want you to take photos, as apparently the dwellings here are mostly illegal.
walking through the lanes of the “el barri gòtic” was a truly special moment. someone shouted something unintelligible to me in spanish on the subject of graffiti. it was a spanish tour guide in her mid-50s. when she saw that I was taking photos of street art, she left her American clientele for 5 minutes so we could chat. since watching “exit through the gift shop”, she has also been fascinated by the street art she discovers on her tours… and as I was leaving, she revealed there was a space invader around the corner.
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