Barcelona
16th November 2009
Arriving in Barcelona after a horrendously early start had me in a slightly confused daze. Arriving from freezing England, to get to Barcelona and change straight into a dress I last wore in Japan, also surprised me a bit; I was expecting mild sunny days, but this was hot. On the first day we had a wonder around our local area (from centric point hostel, located on Passeig de Gracia, very close to Plaza Catalunya and Las Ramblas) and down towards the water front, on the way we decided to sample our first Tapas of the holiday in a small restaurant behind a very colourful and interesting market - Marcat de la Boqueria. I had been aware of the planning of Barcelona in the past, however I hadn't realised how unique it feels even just walking around. The Eixample, by Ildefons Cerda, which translates from Catalan to extension, is part of the city designed in the 19th and 20th century, on which the rest of the city is based on. The design consists of a strict grid pattern with straight wide streets and square blocks of buildings with chamferred corners, called illes in Catalan. The octagonal shape of the buildings was intended to create wide spaces at intersections for better ventilation and open views of the city. The Eixample plan is world famous and is still being used as a guideline to ongoing extension workto the city. I felt instantly comfortable with Barcelona, It is very easy to navigate and the pace of life and friendliness of the people there, make it somewhere I felt very relaxed to be.
Above: a meat stall at Marcat de la Boqueria. Below: view of Barcelona demonstrating the famous Exiemple Plan
After heading back to the Hostel to regroup we headed back down Las Ramblas to Port Vell and round the Marina to the waterfront where we walked along the front of Barcelonetta, taking in the landscape and getting a feel for how the orientation of the city. We walked along the waterfront until we reached the famous Frank Gehry Fish, Where we split into small groups and headed our separate ways for some food. One of the highlights of the walk was the lighting sculpture by Rebbecca Horn, a German born artist who uses sculpture, performance, spatial installations, film drawings and photographs in her work. The sculpture is called L’Estel Ferit - The wounded star, and was intended to represent a lighthouse in reference to the old fishing quarter of Barcelonetta. I was impressed by the sturdy presence of the sculpture, such a firm and solid looking object on a beach, a landscape that I see as a very transient ever changing place. This juxtaposition gives it an awkward charm. The lighting aspect of the sculpture was not working when I saw it, which is a shame, I can imagine it takes on a whole new aura all lit up at night.
Another interesting feature to our evening walk was the way in which the waterfront functions as a major social space, the openness of the beach and waterfront is used for bars, restaurants, playgrounds, fluidly connecting the city and the sea. Wide paved walkways and beautiful and simple street furniture compliment a very Mediterranean planting theme. The feeling along the waterfront is very laid back leisurely feel, everything in the landscape flows and compliments the stylish but laid back way of life people seem to lead in this city.
The spectacular fish sculpture towards the North Eastern end of the waterfront is something I loved about the walk; you can see it from along way away and the anticipation of seeing it sparkle in the sun from close is one of the things that kept me moving (after the draining 4am start!). The form of the sculpture is beautifully fluid and organic, and the material of shining copper brings a feeling of majesty. To my absolute horror my camera ran out of battery halfway along the beach, so i have no photos of the fish.
Frank Gehry: "It was by accident that I got into the fish image. My colleagues were starting to replay Greek temples. Y'know in the post-modern thing, I don't know, when was that... the 80s. That was hot, everybody was re-doing the past. I said, y'know, Greek temples are anthropomorphic. And three hundred million years before man was fish. If you wanna, if you gotta go back, if you're insecure about going forward, dammit, go back three hundred million years. Why are you stopping at the Greeks? So I started drawing fish in my sketchbook. and then I started to realize that there was something in it."
Above: L’Estel Ferit by Rebecca Horn. Below: a view of the walkway along the seafront.
