I have promised myself numerous times, and have even stated in an interview, that I would post twice a month, no more, no less. That said, I have decided that this January 2019, I will make an exception and post three times. One of the reasons for this is that I have quite an archive of worthy images that is backing up in my cloud storage, impatiently waiting like planes on a runway, to take off into the blogosphere. So, without further ado, here are some images that come from a session in early November, a mix of locations including the Poblenou neighborhood and the more central Paral·lel area. The images speak for themselves, and I’ll save lengthy commentary for the following posts, which will come from this December/January’s visit to New York City. Happy New Year!
The artist Joel Arroyo has been decorating surfaces around my neighborhood of Gràcia (see the Frida Kahlo entry below) for nearly a year now, and just a few weeks back he painted the shutters of the “co-working” which is on the bottom floor of my building, and occupies the corner of Bruniquer and Montmany streets. The portraits are of Mandela, and two women, and appears to be a nod to activism, refugees and first nations/indigenous peoples. The other image is a bit more satirical in nature and is of ousted, disgraced Spanish president Mariano Rajoy with a clown nose, which was also found here in Gràcia, on Llibertat street. This one appeared not even a week after Rajoy lost a no-confidence vote provoked by innumerable corruption scandals and was forced to leave office by opposition parties in Congress, much to the delight of probably my entire neighborhood, which is decidedly left-leaning.
On another note, this blog was once again listed by the travel website Spotted by Locals as one of the best Barcelona blogs for 2018. Here is a link to the article.
In addition, Spotted by Locals has also developed an app, which puts their fantastic, tourist-trap free travel guides to various cities in your pocket. Here’s how to get hold of them.
Here are a few shots from the latest visit to the 3 Chimneys park near just off Paral·lel Avenue. While the work I find is sometimes hit or miss, I like the way the park itself has evolved into a sort of street art oasis in the middle of the city. It also seems to be attracting more and more tourists with increasingly professional photography gear, though much of it is being used to make skate videos.
The other shots come from the interior of the old city centre, where new work continues to become increasingly rare. I can only hope the summer will bring some surprises.
I’d like to start this post by giving a shoutout (do people still use that term? Is there an emoji for that?) to Barcelona Segway Tours, who have recently included this blog in the rankings of the best Barcelona travel blogs in English. Be sure to check out the link here, as I am in some fantastic company!
As for today’s images, they come from an artist who makes regular appearances here, none other than TVBoy. Whether it was intentional or not, the Italian artist this time seems to prove the multiple intelligence theory posed by Howard Gardner in his 1983 book. Without getting into too much detail and the debate which accompanies any theory of intelligence and learning (read more here), the two most recent works here in Barcelona, of Antoni Gaudí and Lionel Messi, show two examples of two very distinct types of genius. According to Gardner, Messi would probably be considered a genius in the body-kinesthetic type intelligence, which governs movement and agility. On the other hand, Gaudí would probably fit into the visual-spatial intelligence type, if his masterpieces that punctuate the Catalan capital’s landscape are any indicator. That’s not to say that Messi may not be a great painter, or that Gaudí couldn’t have scored a few goals in his time, but it does show that there can be more than one definition of genius. I have yet to find mine. Have you discovered yours?
Most of my search for interesting photos of street art take place off the beaten path, on small side streets, abandoned spaces, places that don’t (or didn’t use to) show up on the tourist maps. Add to this the fact that I live my day to day, my commutes, my trips to the supermarket, my dog walks in this city, and my view of Barcelona is literally quite limited.
I am usually only reminded of the true magnificence of the “Ciutat Comtal” when I am departing or returning via air, when the aircraft makes its customary circle around the coast, and pitches slightly from one side to another, allowing occupants of window seats to see the entire city from above.
Because Barcelona is tucked between the mountains and the sea, it’s possibilities for LA, or Madrid-style sprawl are limited, so it’s possible to see the highest point of Tibidabo, and the twin Mapfre towers which dot the coast in one glance. It’s possible to appreciate the peculiar order of the Eixample (Catalan for “extension) district, the expansion that took place once building was permitted outside the old city walls in the 19th century. It is this district with its cornerless city blocks which became a playground for the architects of the Modernist movement.
All of this was only visible to me, generally, the three or four occasions a year when I needed to fly. Or perhaps from a travel blog in my social media feeds.
Now, with Modern Map Art, I’m able to look up from my work and catch a glimpse of my adopted hometown, in all its oddly shaped, organically-expanded glory. It is incredibly detailed; I can see every winding street, every orderly block, and the way that Diagonal (Barcelona’s Broadway) cuts a well, diagonal, line through the city.
Modern Maps can be found here, and the list of cities continues to grow. Perhaps your favorite city, or your hometown (if they are different) are there. I’d definitely recommend it.
Barcelona Street Scraps 