Exploring the Hangar

Last week, while making one of my occasional pilgrimages to the Poblenou neighbourhood, I stumbled upon an open gateway, beyond which I could see some murals. It’s a spot I pass by frequently, just off the northern exit of the Parc del Centre del Poblenou. I normally take this route as there are some walls of a partially abandoned building which get painted every now and again.

I’m normally not one just to enter an open gateway uninvited (one of the myriad reasons I’ll probably never move from taking pictures and archiving to creating urban art), but this time my curiousity got the best of me and I decided to wander in.

The name on the entrance said Can Ricart, but upon entering, I checked my phone location and noticed I was in a place called Hangar.org, which describes itself as “a centre for arts production and research, offering support to artists”. The website is here and the facebook is here. And here is some info about Can Ricart.

I didn’t have a chance to chat with anyone, as most of the occupants of the space seemed hard at work, but I did manage to take a stroll around the premises and get some interesting photos, including one of the huge pillar which is visible from the street outside the walls, and which I had photographed previously from afar.

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Poblenou, the new village

Today I decided to check out the neighborhood of Poblenou (literally, New Village). Once known as the Catalan Manchester, Poblenou boasts a number of old factories surrounded by a small cluster of buildings nearby. These buildings make up a labyrinthine mini-town, a stark contrast to the rest of L’Eixample with its large cornerless city block structure. Within the residential areas I didn’t find very much in the way of art, though it seems the neighborhood was either getting ready for or cleaning up after their summer festival.
As I hit the fringes of the small, squat homes, I found a series of gardens where old factories once stood, only a few crumbling walls remained. It was on these walls where I found some fantastic, colorful images, some partially eaten away or covered. The image presented here was found on a small side street near some factories which have been converted into offices or design studios. I look forward to taking more time to see what else lies hidden in this delicious example of urban decay.

This almost reminds me of the Mouth of Truth in Rome.