In Catalan below
English below
What is the point of talking about the memory of shanty towns (of the informal city)? How are shanty towns part of European heritage and the city? How to think of a heritage of which there are no material remains? What can we learn from the shacks to better understand the contemporary city?
These are some of the questions that run through where the city loses its name, a project involving three European partners:
LaFundició
(L’Hospitalet),
AltArt
(Cluj, Romania) and
Binaural/Nodar
(Nodar, Portugal), who are developing work processes around the past and present of the informal city to analyze the current manifestations of “the urban” and think about its future.
We can understand the city as a palimpsest on whose surface the marks of countless human (and non-human) actions throughout history can be seen and in which multiple strata slowly sedimented over centuries accumulate and intersect.
In recent decades, European cities have undergone profound transformations that in many cases respond to the spatial needs of global capitalism: tertiarization, the construction of large logistics infrastructures, the touristification or gentrification of their historic centers are some examples.
Shanty towns, as well as their inhabitants, often occupy no more than a footnote in the history of cities (when they are not completely ignored). However, informality, in its multiple manifestations, has not only played and plays a fundamental role in the evolution of the city, but can also offer us keys to imagine another city:
Faced with the business-driven government of the city and its commodification (as an investment, brand or product to be consumed), can shanty towns and their self-organized ways of living and making the city be a reference for building alternatives? Can the community networks of the shacks serve us to build alternatives to a society in which each individual thinks of himself as if he were not dependent on the rest?
Finally, it is also worth remembering the struggles of the inhabitants of the informal city (moving away from the stories that represent them only as victims without agency) and denouncing the forms of material, and also symbolic, exclusion that they have historically faced.
Tuesday, June 11 — 6 to 10 p.m.
Ana Díaz Rico Municipal Center
Workshop
The Bloques Florida were built in the late 1950s to relocate, among others, people from some informal settlements such as Somorrostro or Montjuïc. Can we still find the echo of those neighborhoods in the uses of public space and the forms of relationship that occur in the blocks?
The Ultra–red collective proposes an experience based on listening to understand a neighborhood as overrepresented as it is the opposite.
—————
Wednesday, June 12 — 6 to 8 p.m.
Bellvitge-Gornal Cultural Center
Round table
Shantyism can be understood as an emergency housing solution to which social groups such as migrants or the Roma community have historically been forced. Housing estates such as Bellvitge, Gornal or Bloques Florida (originally Bloques Onésimo Redondo) were built as an alternative and introduced a new landscape into the urban fabric. Was it the best solution for everyone? Were other alternatives possible? Can living conditions in informal settlements be dignified?
With Santiago Cirugeda (Recetas Urbanas), Juana Fernández and Mercedes Gómez (Assoc. Lacho Baji Cali), Istvan Szakats (Fundația AltArt) and Luis Costa (Binaural/Nodar).
Collective construction of the Cañada Real Socio-Community Center. / Construcció col·lectiva del Centre Sociocomunitari Cañada Real. / Collective construction of the Cañada Real Socio-Community Center. Recetas Urbanas, 2018.
—————
Thursday, June 13 — 6 to 8 p.m.
Ana Díaz Rico Municipal Center
Documentary
Entrevías. Squatters in L’H is a documentary directed by Sheila and Bibian Escudero that reviews the history of 25 years of occupations in L’Hospitalet with the aim of preserving the memory of the movement. Occupation is one of the possible manifestations of the informal city. What connections can we establish between the squatter movement and the occupation of flats by evicted families or without the possibility of accessing housing?
Debate with members of the Assemblea de Vallcarca.
—————
Friday, June 14 — 6 to 8 p.m.
Bellvitge-Gornal Cultural Center
Round table
The informal city is built taking into account only the use value of the land, the need for a roof as a priority. On the contrary, the exchange value governs the transformations of the contemporary city: the land becomes another commodity at the service of accumulation. What role do culture and heritage play in the processes of urban renewal and gentrification?
With the Can Trinxet Viu platform, the Ultra-red collective and Rubén Martínez (La Hidra Cooperativa).
—————
Saturday, June 15 – 12 to 6 p.m.
Plaça Blocs Florida
Day of activities and popular food in the Plaça Blocs Florida organized in collaboration with neighbors of Bloques Florida. Mural intervention in the physical space with Cristina Fraser and Julia Portal.
The Pomezia school in the Florida blocks (60s). / L’escola Pomezia als blocs de la Florida (anys 60). / Pomezia school at Florida blocs (60s)
Ultra-red
: Sound art collective founded in 1994 by AIDS activists. Originally based in Los Angeles, it has expanded with members in North America and Europe: artists, researchers and organizers of different social movements, including the struggles of migration, anti-racism, participatory community development and HIV/AIDS politics.
Santiago Cirugeda (Recetas Urbanas)
: Architect and activist founder of the Recetas Urbanas studio, his work is characterized by promoting collective construction processes. In his practice he often takes advantage of legal loopholes to intervene in the built environment, self-construction and the reuse of materials.
Associació Lacho Baji Cali: Association based in the Gornal neighborhood (L’Hospitalet), founded more than 25 years ago to support the Roma community of L’Hospitalet and promote its culture. Juana Fernández and Mercedes Gómez, two of its founders, participate in the Municipal Council of the Roma People of Barcelona.
Fundația AltArt
: Organizes innovative artistic projects based on new technologies, urban exploration, exhibitions, courses for artists and cultural managers, animation and film workshops, public screenings and debates. AltArt projects address issues of contemporary urban life: identity in the virtual environment, public space, collective memory and mentality, urban social rituals.
Binaural / Nodar
: Founded in 2007, it is an association dedicated to field research of sound and video, to situated residencies of sound and multimedia artists and to social research, most of its activities took place in the rural areas of the Gralheira and Caramulo massifs.
Can Trinxet Viu
: Neighborhood platform created in 2018 to demand the conservation of the old Can Trinxet factory in the Santa Eulàlia neighborhood (L’Hospitalet) as industrial and working-class heritage, and its rehabilitation as a social, cultural and community-managed memory center.
Rubén Martínez (
La Hidra Cooperativa
): Doctor in Political Science and Public Policy. He investigates the relationship between community practices and public policies. La Hidra Cooperativa is a political company that dedicates its work to urban transformation, with the aim of joining the set of professional and social practices that want to guarantee the right to the city.
What is the point of talking about the memory of the shanty towns (of the informal city)? How are the shanty towns part of the European heritage and of the city? How to think of a heritage of which there are no material remains? What can we learn from the shacks to better understand the contemporary city?
These are some of the questions that cross
where the city loses its name
, a project in which three European partners participate: LaFundició (L’Hospitalet), AltArt (Cluj, Romania) iBinaural/Nodar (Nodar, Portugal), which develop work processes around the past and present of the informal city to analyze the current manifestations of “the urban” and think about its future.
We can understand the city as a palimpsest on the surface of which the marks of countless human (and non-human) actions are appreciated throughout history and in which multiple strata slowly sedimented over centuries accumulate and intersect.
In recent decades, European cities have undergone profound transformations that in many cases respond to the spatial needs of global capitalism: tertiarization, the construction of large logistics infrastructures, the touristification or gentrification of their historic centers are some examples.
The shanty towns, as well as their inhabitants, often occupy no more than a footnote in the history of cities (when they are not completely ignored). However, informality, in its multiple manifestations, has not only played and plays a fundamental role in the evolution of the city, but can also offer us keys to imagine another city:
Faced with the business-driven government of the city and its commodification (as an investment, brand or product to be consumed), can the shanty towns and their self-organized ways of living and making the city be a reference for building alternatives? Can the community networks of the shacks serve us to build alternatives to a society in which each individual thinks of himself as if he were not dependent on the rest?
Finally, it is also necessary to remember the struggles of the inhabitants of the informal city (moving away from the stories that represent them only as victims without agency) and denounce the forms of material, and also symbolic, exclusion to which they have historically faced.
Tuesday, June 11 – 6 to 10 p.m.
Ana Díaz Rico Municipal Center
Workshop
The Blocs Florida were built in the late 1950s to relocate, among others, people from some informal settlements such as Somorrostro or Montjuïc. Can we still find the echo of those neighborhoods in the uses of public space and the forms of relationship that occur in the blocks?
The Ultra-red collective proposes an experience based on listening to understand a neighborhood as overrepresented as it is the opposite.
—–
Wednesday, June 12 – 6 to 8 p.m.
Bellvitge-Gornal Cultural Center
Round table
Shantyism can be understood as an emergency housing solution to which social groups such as migrants or the Roma community have historically been forced. Housing estates such as Bellvitge, Gornal or the Blocs Florida (originally Bloques Onésimo Redondo) were built as an alternative and introduced a new landscape in the urban fabric. Was it the best solution for everyone? Were other alternatives possible? Can living conditions in informal settlements be dignified?
With Santiago Cirugeda (Recetas Urbanes), Juana Fernández and Mercedes Gómez (Assoc. Lacho Baji Cali), Istvan Szakats (Fundația AltArt) and Luis Costa (Binaural / Nodar).
—–
Thursday, June 13 – 6 to 8 p.m.
Ana Díaz Rico Municipal Center
Documentary
Entrevies. Squatters in L’H is a documentary directed by Sheila and Bibian Escudero that reviews the history of 25 years of occupations in L’Hospitalet with the aim of preserving the memory of the movement. Occupation is one of the possible manifestations of the informal city. What connections can we establish between the squatter movement and the occupation of flats by evicted families or without the possibility of accessing housing?
Debate with members of the Assemblea de Vallcarca.
—–
Friday, June 14 – 6 to 8 p.m.
Bellvitge-Gornal Cultural Center
Round table
The informal city is built taking into account only the use value of the land, the need for a roof as a priority. On the contrary, the exchange value governs the transformations of the contemporary city: the land becomes another commodity at the service of accumulation. What role do culture and heritage play in the processes of urban renewal and gentrification?
With the Can Trinxet Viu platform, the Ultra-red collective and Rubén Martínez (La Hidra Cooperativa).
—–
Saturday, June 15 – 12 to 6 p.m.
Plaça Blocs Florida
Day of activities and popular lunch in the Plaça Blocs Florida organized in collaboration with neighbors of Blocs Florida. Mural intervention in the physical space with Cristina Fraser and Julia Portal.
Ultra-red
: Sound art collective founded in 1994 by AIDS activists. Originally based in Los Angeles, it has expanded with members in North America and Europe: artists, researchers and organizers of different social movements, including the struggles of migration, anti-racism, participatory community development and HIV / AIDS politics.
Santiago Cirugeda (Recetas Urbanas):
Architect and activist founder of the Recetas Urbanas studio, his work is characterized by promoting collective construction processes. In his practice he often takes advantage of legal loopholes to intervene in the built environment, self-construction and the reuse of materials.
Associació Lacho Baji Cali: Association based in the Gornal neighborhood (L’Hospitalet), founded more than 25 years ago to support the Roma community of L’Hospitalet and the promotion of its culture. Juana Fernández and Mercedes Gómez, two of its founders, participate in the Municipal Council of the Roma People of Barcelona.
Fundația AltArt:
organizes innovative artistic projects based on new technologies, urban exploration, exhibitions, courses for artists and cultural managers, animation and film workshops, public screenings and debates. AltArt projects address issues of contemporary urban life: identity in the virtual environment, public space, collective memory and mentality, urban social rituals.
Binaural / Nodar:
Founded in 2007, it is an association dedicated to field research in sound and video, residencies for sound and multimedia artists, and social research. Most of its activities take place in the rural areas of the Gralheira and Caramulo massifs.
Can Trinxet Viu:
Neighborhood platform created in 2018 to advocate for the preservation of the old Can Trinxet factory in the Santa Eulàlia neighborhood (L’Hospitalet) as industrial and working-class heritage, and its rehabilitation as a social, cultural, and community-managed memory center.
Rubén Martínez (La Hidra Cooperativa):
PhD in Political Science and Public Policy. He researches the relationship between community practices and public policies. La Hidra Cooperativa is a political company that dedicates its work to urban transformation, with the aim of joining the group of professional and social practices that want to guarantee the right to the city.
;
What would it mean to discuss about the memory of shantytowns (of the informal city)? How are the shantytowns part of European and urban heritage? How can we think about a heritage without material remains?? What can we learn from the shanties to better understand the contemporary city?
These are some of the questions that go through “Where the city loses its name”, a project involving three European partners: LaFundició (L’Hospitalet), AltArt (Cluj, Romania) and Binaural / Nodar (Nodar, Portugal), developing work processes around the past and the present of the informal city to analyze the current manifestations of “the urban” and to think about its future.
We can understand the city as a palimpsest on whose surface the marks of countless human (and non-human) actions throughout history can be seen and in which multiple layers slowly accumulate and crisscross over centuries.
In recent decades, European cities have undergone profound changes that respond in many cases to the spatial needs of global capitalism: tertiarization, construction of large logistics infrastructures, turistification or gentrification of its historic centers are some examples.
Shantytowns, as well as their dwellers, are often relegated to the footnotes in the history of cities (or completely ignored). However, informality, in its multiple manifestations, has not only played and plays a fundamental role in the future of the city, but it can also offer us clues to imagine a different city:
In front of a managerial government of the city and its commodification (as an investment, as brand or a commodity), could shantytowns and their self-organized forms of living and making a city be a reference for building alternatives? Could the community networks of the shantytowns be useful to foster alternatives to a society in which individuals perceive themselves as detached from one another?
Finally, we should also remember the struggles of the inhabitants of the informal city (away from the stories that represent them only as victims deprived of agency) and denounce the forms of material and symbolic exclusion they have historically experienced.
Tuesday, June 11 – 6 to 10 pm
Ana Díaz Rico Municipal Center
Workshop
Bloques Florida were built in the late 50s to relocate, among others, people coming from some informal settlements such as the Somorrostro or Montjuïc. Is there still an echo of those neighborhoods in the current uses of public space and the forms of relationship in Bloques Florida?
The Ultra-red collective proposes an experience based on listening to understand a neighborhood very often misrepresented.
—————
Wednesday, June 12 – 6 to 8 pm
Centre Cultural Bellvitge-Gornal
Round table
We could say that social groups such as migrants or the Roma community have been historically forced to adopt ‘barraquism’ as an emergency housing solution. Housing estates such as Bellvitge, Gornal or the Blocs Florida (originally Bloques Onésimo Redondo) were built as an alternative and introduced a new landscape into the urban fabric. Was it the best solution for all? Could other alternatives be possible? Can living conditions be dignified in informal settlements?
With Santiago Cirugeda (Recetas Urbanas), Juana Fernández and Mercedes Gómez (Assoc. Lacho Baji Cali), Istvan Szakats (Fundaţia AltArt) and Luis Costa (Binaural / Nodar).
—————
Thursday, June 13 – 6 to 8 pm
Ana Díaz Rico Municipal Center
Documentary film
“Entrevies. Okupas en L’H” is a documentary directed by Sheila and Bibian Escudero revisiting the history of 25 years of squatting movement in L’Hospitalet with the aim of preserving the memory of the movement. Squatting could be considered one of the expressions of the informal city. What are links between the squatting movement and the occupation of vacant apartments by impoverished families deprived of decent housing alternatives ?
Debate with members of Assemblea de Vallcarca.
—————
Friday, June 14 – 6 to 8 pm
Centre Cultural Bellvitge-Gornal
Round table
The informal city is built taking into account only the use value of land, prioritizing the need for a roof. On the contrary, exchange value governs the transformations of the contemporary city: land becomes yet another commodity for accumulation. What role do culture and heritage play in the processes of urban renewal and gentrification?
With platform Can Trinxet Viu, Ultra-red collective and Rubén Martínez (La Hidra Cooperativa).
—————
Saturday, June 15 – 12 to 18 pm
Plaça Blocs Florida
Day of activities and popular meal in Plaça Blocs Florida organized in collaboration with the neighbors of Bloques Florida. Mural intervention in the physical space with Cristina Fraser and Julia Portal.
Ultra-red
: Sound art collective founded in 1994 by HIV/AIDS activists. Originally based in Los Angeles, has expanded with members across North American and Europe: artists, researchers and organizers from different social movements including the struggles of migration, anti-racism, participatory community development, and the politics of HIV/AIDS.
Santiago Cirugeda (Recetas Urbanas)
: Architect and founding activist of the Recetas Urbanas studio, his work focuses in the promotion of collective construction processes. His practice often takes advantage of legal gaps to intervene in the built environment through self-construction and reusing materials.
Associació Lacho Baji Cali: Association based in the neighborhood of Gornal (L’Hospitalet), founded more than 25 years ago to support the Roma community of L’Hospitalet and promote its culture. Juana Fernández and Mercedes Gómez, two of its founders, participate in the Consell Municipal del Poble Gitano de Barcelona
.
Fundația AltArt
: Organizes innovative artistic projects based on new technologies, urban exploration, exhibitions, courses for artists and cultural managers, animation and film workshops, public screenings and debates. AltArt projects address themes of contemporary urban life: identity in the virtual environment, public space, collective memory and mentality, urban social rituals.
Binaural / Nodar
: Founded in 2007, it is an association that deals with sound and video field research, artist residencies in sound and multimedia arts developed in specific contexts and social research, most of its activities developed in the rural areas of Gralheira and Caramulo massifs.
Can Trinxet Viu
: Community-based platform created in 2018 to claim the preservation of the former Can Trinxet factory in the neighborhood of Santa Eulàlia (L’Hospitalet) as a part of industrial and labour heritage, and to rehabilitate it as a cultural, educational and commemorative space run by the community.
Rubén Martínez (
La Hidra Cooperativa
): PhD in Political Science and Public Policy. His research focuses on the relationship between public practices and public policies. La Hidra Cooperativa is a political company whose work is devoted to the urban transformation, with the aim of joining the group of professional and social practices that want to guarantee the right to the city.