One of the least attractive neighbourhoods of Barcelona is one of the most interesting places to explore. Behind the industrial facades of this derelict place, avant-garde artists are busy at work.

“Producing art in an industrial zone is ideal. You have all the space you need and, what’s more, you can make as much noise as you like without being afraid of irritating the neighbours,” says Marc Barberà, a sculptor who works with recycled metal in Can Font, an old textile mill. Barbera has worked in this space for more than 10 years. He and his colleagues rent out spaces of some 1,000 square metres. More than 14 artists work here, each having up to 80 metres square. Sometimes spaces are shared.

Other collective workshops are to be found in buildings like Flea-Taller, La Escocesa and Hangar. Some artists have opened their own workshops in the area, attracted by the artistic spirit and cheap rent. Evan Masoliver refurbishes & recycles furniture at the Re workshop, a little place a few metres away from Poble Nou. Hangar promotes exchanges with artists from abroad, renting out space on a temporary basis. There is also a media lab for artists who work with new technology.

“Niño” Satorre y Vadiha Ramujkic are two artists at Hangar. “Niño” Satorre is a Mexican artist who devotes himself to walls and reconstructions. Having arrived in Barcelona less than a month ago, he is working on a reconstruction inspired by an Ikea lamp manual, which he has decided to convert into an electric chair. “I use a lot of irony to criticise uniformity,” he explains. Vadiha, a Yugoslav, is part of a project which directly involves “Poble Now” itself; in an attempt to make the changes in the ambience of this area apparent. Vadiha has lived in Hangar for two years and together with Catalan artist Laia Sadurní, produces a photographic map of Poble Nou every six months. They also carried out some changes to the urban landscape to illustrate their concern about the growing interest of estate agents in the area. To see their work, visit www.rotorrr.org.

Going out in Poble Nou

It was an abandoned industrial zone where nobody wanted to go. Then the artists arrived, turning it into one of the city’s trendiest neighbourhoods. Poble Nou offers an interesting alternative for eating, drinking or dancing in Barcelona. Resembling a New York loft, Oven has big chairs and an open kitchen. Apart from enjoying the “art cuisine” offered by its chef, Tomás Mora, on Fridays and Saturdays, you can have a few drinks to music spun by a DJ. “Let’s forget about timetables and routines such as a cup of coffee at 10 a.m. and gin and tonic at midnight. Oven offers a bar, events, a garden, music, a chill-out area and a quality restaurant: a scenery where everyone is protagonist & guest at the same time” assures the owner. For a slightly more modern touch, there’s Goig, whose menu offers a wide selection of pastas, pizza, and other dishes for 8.70 Euros.

A little away from the epicentre of Poble Nou behind the Ciutadella park is Bestial, a new restaurant with a minimalist style with a terrace overlooking the sea. It offers Italian and other dishes. On weekends, you can have a drink until 2 a.m. For those who like dancing, the Club Danzatoria plays House music on two floors. Likewise, The Loft is located in Hall 2 and 3 of the Razzmatazz, a complex where live concerts take place.

Fact Box

ARTIST'S WORKSHOPS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:
Hangar Pasaje Marqués de Santa Isabe, 40, Tel. 93 308 4041, Website
Can Font c./Taller de Santa Isabel, 40, Torre del reloj.
Flea-Taller Pasaje Marqués de Santa Isabel 40.
La Escocesa c./Pere IV 345-349. Metro Poble Nou. Taller Re Pasaje Cantí, 8 bajos. Tel. 637 44 85 00
Website

CAFÉS, RESTAURANTS, CLUBS:

Oven c./Ramón Turró 126. Tel. 93221 08 30 . Website
Goig c./Pere IV 205-207 93 308 32 06
Bestial c./Ramon Trias Fargas 2-4, Tel. 93 224 04 07
The Loft c./Pamplona, 88. Website
Club Danzatoria c./Ramón Trias Fargas, Tel. 93 224 0480


PROJECT POBLE NOW
Website