Manifesta purposely strives to keep its distance from what are often seen as the dominant centres of artistic production, instead seeking fresh and fertile terrain for the mapping of a new cultural topography.
Manifesta 15 Barcelona will be taking place in Barcelona and 11 surrounding metropolitan cities
What was once the headquarters of the former publishing house Gustavo Gili has now become the offices for the Manifesta 15 Barcelona team, where preparations are well underway ahead of the 15th edition of the European Nomadic Biennial. Located in Eixample, the emblematic building is an icon of the rationalist architectural movement, a memorable era in the architectural history of Barcelona. It will also be a key venue for the 15th edition in 2024.
In the Bid for Manifesta 15, the City of Barcelona formulated the goal of decentralising the cultural infrastructure through creating a new cultural institutionalism by creating a biennial framework which would incorporate the Metropolitan Area.
Visit the Manifesta 15 website for more information.
Furthermore, Manifesta 15 was invited to identify co-creation projects in the field of urban planning, education and mediation and artistic interventions between cultural and civil communities in the periphery of Barcelona.
Manifesta 15 aims to explore alternative urban and mobility structures and new ways to connect social and artistic communities and infrastructures. Manifesta 15 will investigate the relation of the metropolitan cities with the inner city of Barcelona whilst creating new collaborations between the individual metropolitan cities. The focus will be the cross-pollination between the metropolitan cities, their communities and their needs, through artistic interventions and community projects.
Ecofeminism advocates for the profound connection between nature and women, highlighting not only the struggle of both but also the strength when they come together.
Researching the topic of ecofeminism, Lara Schnitger and Erika Sprey have come together for the pre-biennial research of Manifesta 15 Barcelona. As a part of their research, they will be collaborating and shining a light on the local ecofeminist movements of Barcelona whilst delving into the rich archives of these movements from the past.
Watch Lara Schnitger and Erika Sprey talk about their innovative practices and their pre-biennial research for Manifesta 15 Barcelona.
Background factors
There are numerous factors that have impacted the urban development of the City of Barcelona over the last decades. These include: the fast gentrification of the coastline and natural areas, the use of land for real estate development, the introduction of the Super Block model and the use of land for industrial transformation. City expansion is limited due to the natural barriers of the rivers, the sea and the mountains. However, rural and/or protected land are at risk because of the expansion of economic developments, such as the airport.
Presentation from pre-biennial research participant Elmo Vermijs. Photo © Manifesta 15.
Manifesta 15 Barcelona has created a new framework for social and ecological research, actions and interventions that are being established with ten research participants across the metropolitan region of Barcelona. In the pre-biennial phase, starting over a year before the biennial officially opens, the selected participants investigated specific thematic components in the three interconnected nodes identified by the Manifesta 15 team: along the Besòs river, the Llobregat delta and in the Collserola mountain range.