Thursday, January 25, 2007

bared walls medianeras

from 2008:
"Unlike those bared walls that remain standing after a war, medianeras have been carefully undressed by bulldozers. Once exposed, they do not bother to hide their intimate parts—bathroom tiles, children’s scribbles, severed pipes and wooden beams, a kitchen cabinet, a division between the bathroom and kitchen, a peeling sheet of wallpaper. All are exposed to the sun and rain, made visible to the public, and eventually adopted by strangers as their new and indifferent family (passers-by). The interior, once heated, echoed someone’s private thoughts, words, and gestures.[1] Medianeras are harmless, ephemeral, in-transition, unpolished, and unintentionally and visually disruptive to the nicety of the city’s exclusive image. They are embarrassing for speculators, because they detract from the city’s aesthetic harmony and could trigger disturbing historical questions such as “What happened here?” Translating medianeras to generate democratic discussion about urban policy is urgent because soon they will be re-dressed, and forgotten."




[1] These bare walls have also become a canvas for social resistance.
With the exception of the last photo of Ernest Pignon´s work, the following are pics I took between 2005 and 2008 in the historic quarter of Barcelona.

































En el 2005, esta instalación artística (abajo) criticaba los derribos en la Barceloneta.  Hoy no está, pero la descubrí en una tienda de souvenirs en el Raval. Valía 1 euro: