The network of galleries that housed the iconic Bulevard Rosa reopens its doors, transformed into a proposal that aims to explain Barcelona and its traditions to its visitors. Named White Rabbit-The Off Museum, the space seeks to explain this Barcelona through ten artistic installations across 1,200 square meters that until six years ago were occupied by boutiques of the emblematic commercial gallery.
Replacing dresses, accessories, and costume jewelry with sculptures, immersive rooms, and light installations, the space changes uses, but not promoters. The Vives family, owners of the premises where Bulevard Rosa was located, is behind the project, which has been led by Quique Vives. Grandson of the promoter of the commercial galleries in 1978, he explained to The New Barcelona Post that White Rabbit is the product of two years of work within the family.
The seed of the project came from a family visit to an immersive experience, after which they realized "the need to do something that promoted culture and, at the same time, entertained," without going to extremes of solely cultural proposals or those focused "on entertainment with empty content." With this idea in mind, the family began to "seek the balance between both things," and Vives found it through the perspective of his foreign friends who visited the city. All of them agreed that they knew it better when they visited with him, as he gave them the vision of a local of the most authentic Barcelona: "White Rabbit wants to offer an experience like that of the local friend who reveals the city's secrets to you."
With this purpose, the children and grandchildren of the founder of Bulevard Rosa, along with creatives from Summa Branding, conceived the project that has resulted in the new proposal. With a name that refers to the rabbit that leads Lewis Carroll's Alice to a magical world, they have christened it an off-museum because it "breaks with everything a museum is": the works invite touching, visitors are invited to dance, and, of course, they can take the unforgivable photos in the era of the selfie.
The opportunities to photograph and be photographed during the tour are constant, as are the occasions to put away the phone and pay attention, forgetting the screen. The tour begins with an installation that aims to transport visitors to neighborhood festivals, and continues by reviewing Catalan traditions such as the capgrossos, the ou com balla, the castellers, correfocs, the legend of Sant Jordi and Sant Joan, without forgetting other more contemporary traditions, such as nightlife in Barcelona venues.
Modernism and Olympic Barcelona also find a place in this peculiar burrow, which occupies the space of the part of the old galleries that was owned by the family. Thus, it does not include portions that are already publicly accessible through shops and restaurants, both on the Paseo de Gràcia side and on the Rambla Catalunya side, through which one could also access the network of boutiques of the galleries.
To explain this Barcelona to visitors, the space uses multiple formats, ranging from sculptures, street-art and murals to a wide range of digital art technologies, including virtual reality, an immersive room, a light installation, a silent disco, and an infinity room in the style of Yayoi Kusama. All of them are signed by artists linked to Barcelona, including La Fura dels Baus, Tvboy, Onionlab, Mina Hamada, Enric Planas, Carles Piera, Seeds XR, Vitamin Studio, and Playmodes with the collaboration of Razzmatazz.
The striking entrance to the labyrinthine route, with its vibrant yellow and hypnotic neon lights, captures the attention of the rivers of passersby flooding Paseo de Gràcia. Some look; others stop; others try to enter. But they will have to wait until next Tuesday, when the door to the old galleries will reopen. It will do so with prices ranging between 13 and 25 euros and with groups of 15 people, with visits that can last up to an hour and a half. With this proposal, the Vives family plans to reach some 100,000 visitors in the first year. This is explained by its promoter, who recalls his grandfather and the "impact" he generated on him. This reopening of the space, according to Vives, represents a tribute to his legacy. The same space for two different proposals, but both crossed by the same will: "to promote Barcelona" beyond the city.