"Gentrificación cannot be an excuse: Poblenou Urban District wants more spaces"

It would be the Barcelona version of what has happened in the industrial areas of various cities, and the Barcelona version means difficulties with licenses and financing, initial skepticism, greater external than internal recognition, and a serious problem of available spaces.

But it also means proximity to 22@, connection with young and international audiences, and, above all, the challenge of managing success. We don't know what we have. And, if we don't know it, we won't know how to manage it. Claudia Costa and Glòria Morera do know it, and hence this interview.

--- What are you, and what do you do in Barcelona?

--- We are the same as ten years ago, and in fact, if we weren't the same, we wouldn't be here anymore. The enthusiasm, despite a thousand inconveniences, makes us maintain exactly the same idea: we are a non-profit association (although "non-profit" is not entirely honest because we do need money), and with the soul of a production company.

--- Soul of a production company. What do you produce?

--- We promote Poblenou as Barcelona's creative district. At first it was called "district of art and creativity," but now we focus directly on the concept of creativity in a broad sense. And we do this by programming participatory events, communicating our activity, and establishing connections throughout the city.

--- And is this easy in Barcelona?

--- No. Barcelona is a complicated city for private initiative to undertake. We do receive economic support from the City Council, but we look at other cities in the world that have much more public support, and not only in money, but also in permits and licenses, in accompaniment, in fiscal policy... Now we have contact with Indústries Creatives, with the ICUB and with the Sant Martí District, who help us survive along with membership fees and sponsorships.

--- Is there such a big difference, compared to other cities?

--- Europe and the United States operate very differently, to begin with. We start from very diverse references. In San Francisco, for example, there is a very powerful association dedicated precisely to going against gentrification. And this includes going against activities like ours, which if successful obviously end up adding value to a neighborhood. What happens is that we cannot give it up: we believe that we promote the creativity of the neighborhood, and we can only do that by starting from abandoned spaces or with low prices. There is no other option.

--- So, can your success lead to your own demise?

--- Success for us has been creating a community of interconnected professionals, based on the existence of La Plataforma as a gallery in the neighborhood, and there comes a time when this ability to create links grows and leads to large events, such as the Open Day or the Open Night. Everyone ends up knowing that in Poblenou there is a great explosion of creativity, art, design… We would die of success if we were not permeable to the neighborhood, but precisely what differentiates us from 22@ is that we are imbued with neighborhood life.

--- At first, you did seem very associated with 22@.

--- Now we don't focus on technology, or on the neighborhood's shift towards digital development, but rather on the expressiveness and creativity of citizens. When we started, it was the post-crisis period and this was a drama at a European level. Everyone was trying to save their own skin, and little else. At that time, together with the creators, we worked locally and only then did we manage to internationalize the project to make it attractive worldwide. We thus united the community of artists here with audiences from everywhere.

"We would die of success if we were not permeable to the neighborhood, but precisely what differentiates us from 22@ is that we are imbued with neighborhood life."

--- There wasn't even the Disseny HUB when we started! All of this was a seedy area, for partying, coexisting with abandoned warehouses and looking for that churrería on the way home. Now Poblenou is a connected neighborhood, integrated into the city and the world: if 22@ is a business and vertical concept, which is very good, we start from a horizontal and social concept and, therefore, we have to complement each other. Together we can build a neighborhood and a city, and we are already collaborating on many things, especially with schools that want to link with both entities. And we still want to break more barriers towards the 22@ world, in the same way that more and more companies come looking for us to provide services and connect them with the territory.

--- How many events do you hold?

--- Of fixed annual events, six: Urban Talks (conversations about the district, the city and creativity), Off Lum (the light festival every winter); Ar-De (the circuit of art galleries, showrooms and museums in Poblenou that showcases emerging and established artists and national and international designers); Open Day (ten uninterrupted hours where you can enjoy an exclusive program of exhibitions, art, design, photography, dance, live music, DJs, talks, workshops, guided tours, gastronomy…); Open Night (a night where the spaces of Poblenou Urban District open their doors and offer a wide program of cultural activities), the internal partners' assembly…

--- That's in how many different places?

--- We are talking about managing 133 scattered spaces, with a very varied agenda of events, where the interesting thing is the content: and in this, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, companies, studios, galleries, concert halls collaborate. All of them help us to produce and create innovative and interesting content.

--- So, the gallery is the genesis of all this?

--- La Plataforma gallery opened in 2010, Claudia ran it by herself. But this solitude demanded being able to go beyond the walls, to seek some movement, to observe the potential of the existing entities and companies in the neighborhood and open it to everyone to create the new creative district of Barcelona. And yes, we are unique in the city. Only L'Hospitalet has promoted something similar, with due differences.

--- And it's very demanding, of course.

--- A lot: the hell of licenses, project tracking, production, care for the association, communication and promotion…

--- What would be your main fragility right now?

--- Well, the territory is changing drastically, and this, which is partly due to the success of the district, causes an increase in prices and a shortage of available industrial space. Those free and abandoned spaces from the beginning no longer exist. What would we need, if we wrote a letter to the kings? More spaces. In fact, we would like a large space that would serve as our stable headquarters and that would not force us to move certain activities to the north of the district, where it is harder for people to get to.

"The territory is changing drastically, and this, which is partly due to the success of the district, causes an increase in prices and a shortage of available industrial space"

--- The City Council should try to be more empathetic and flexible with permits and licenses. They help us, but since there are no spaces, they encounter walls that they should be able to overcome by adapting regulations to this need. In fact, it would be good to be able to work more closely with Paisatge Urbà.

--- And internationally, where are you most sought after?

--- The United States and South America are generally very interested. We have more recognition abroad than at home, as often happens in this city. We are collaborating with the Creative Connections project in Bogotá, or with several seminars in Chile, in Valparaíso. We also attract a lot of attention in Northern European countries, and several Real Estate companies, of course.

--- If I want to participate in the Open Day, what should I do? Do you have to hire me as an artist?

--- Not at all. The call is open, with a specialized jury, and about 130 artists from all over the world apply. We often invite artists from our talent pool, who have collaborated with us before, because strong bonds are inevitably created. But it is a totally open call, to the whole city and to everyone, and especially to the people of the neighborhood.

"We are facilitators, connectors: we have already carried out 22 editions of the district's creative map, which includes many entities and individuals"

--- Lately, we also act as intermediaries to provide specific services to companies and entities in the neighborhood, which can lead to commissions and assignments for specific artists. We are facilitators, connectors: we have already produced 22 editions of the district's creative map, which includes many entities and individuals. And what we are most satisfied with is the public attendance, which, despite sometimes being difficult in the northern part, is a spectacular success.

--- Be careful not to die of success, as we were saying, then.

--- One must live off success.