Essential tagwords for appreciating culture in Barcelona

Enhancing the culture of Barcelona could serve as a support for strengthening ties between us

Barcelona se ha formado como uno de los puntos de encuentro y exploración más atractivos para personas de todas partes. Cada una con sus raíces, su talento, su idioma. Igual que Londres, Nueva York o Dubai, la capital catalana cada vez más se parece a una torre de Babel.

Regardless of whether we were born in Barcelona or whether we have chosen to move here, it often seems that we lack a common language. So what can the city do to help us support each other, push back our boundaries, and erase the borders that divide us? Perhaps, the answer can be found in art. The role of culture in a changing world is essential: it has the power to enable people from all over the world to live together in harmony, to integrate, to educate, and to inspire.It can serve as a universal language, telling stories, transmitting values, guiding people, and uniting communities.

Hemos recogido algunos conceptos esenciales o tag-words de la cultura artística barcelonesa actual que pueden servir de base para empezar una conversación hacia la construcción de la ciudad próspera, diversa y cautivadora que todos nos imaginamos.

Legacy

Barcelona has hosted key events in contemporary history, such as the 1992 Olympic Games, and is also home to cultural landmarks that enjoy universal appeal, such as the architectural legacy of Gaudí. The city now offers a very wide range of high-quality cultural attractions of very different kinds, run by both public and private bodies, and encompassing both popular traditions and experiments in contemporary fusion.

Es precisamente esta amalgama lo que la hace atractiva y singular, un patrimonio extraordinario del que partir. Cuando incorporamos el legado que nos identifica podremos avanzar con paso seguro hacia el futuro. No se trata de romper con el pasado, sino de integrarlo en nuestra identidad actual y ser capaces de fomentar la diversidad y la coexistencia de generaciones, costumbres, estilos y registros.

Glocal Tech

Those who lived in the medieval era or at the height of Catalan modernisme combined the human with the divine, but new generations are now fostering a symbiosis between humans and digital technology, providing fresh opportunities to assert Barcelona’s leadership as a focus of contemporary culture, a dynamic city that is in harmony with global rhythms.

The cultural scene in Barcelona resembles several other cities in various ways: Vienna, with its great capacity to attract tech talent; Paris, a city that has historically been more open to new influences; and San Francisco, a city that is larger and has better connections. 

La apuesta barcelonesa por potenciar nuevas oportunidades al unir cultura con tecnología e innovación se funde con aprovechar el talento local y atraer el de fuera. El reto de proteger el difícil equilibrio entre abrirse al mundo y no perder la esencia que nos define como ciudad pasa por un diálogo constante entre la globalidad y la tradición, basado en el respeto y la apertura a nuevos espacios de creatividad.

Entrepreneurship

It is a fact that creative activity in Barcelona has prospered thanks to the patronage of major entrepreneurs. The fact that the city today is a startup hub and a focus of international investment means that an increasing number of companies are inspiring consumers with art, generating considerable benefits. There may be cities that are home to better-known museums and artistic forums on the world stage, but there are a large number of cultural enterprises in Barcelona. Barcelona has positioned itself as the European capital of multimedia art (Loop, IDEAL, Moco), technology-based culture (Domestic Data Streamers, Sónar+D) and music (with well-established festivals like Primavera Sound and the Cruïlla Festival).

Las empresas culturales tienen la fuerza y la relevancia para ser motor de la nueva economía. La cultura puede ser el nexo, el impulso que contagie otros sectores: desde la literatura y la música a la gastronomía, del cine a los videojuegos, al arte plástico, la danza y la publicidad. Y, sin embargo, la ciudad todavía tiene desafíos que afrontar, principalmente en materia de apoyo institucional y económico, acceso a instalaciones polivalentes y fomento de la diversidad e inclusividad.

Edutainment

Cultural institutions must participate in education as actively as possible in order to train new generations to make new discoveries, to be critical of their environment, to embrace diversity and to develop sensitivity to their heritage. It is important to give an outlet to human emotions, as well as to learn about genres, artists, and formats. 

Así lo hace el Liceu con su proyecto OPERA PRIMA, ideado para acercarse al barrio del Raval. La clave del crecimiento es preparar a los futuros barceloneses conscientes, conectados y equipados para crear en y para la comunidad. Pero no solo es el trabajo de las instituciones, sino de cada uno de los ciudadanos: compartiendo nuestro conocimiento e inquietudes culturales, aprendiendo los unos de los otros, probando nuevas vertientes artísticas y arriesgarnos innovando. Abrir las puertas a la Barcelona artística tal y como la vivimos cada uno multiplica por mil lo que puede ofrecer esta ciudad haciéndola mejor anfitriona.

Believers

If something should characterize us, it is the passion to the core for our city, and for culture and its transforming capacity.  We must come to an agreement at a private and institutional level on the commitment that we make as citizens of Barcelona in the field of culture. As citizens we are part of this transformation, and we have the challenge of getting involved in the redefinition of the city. A new identity is built and grows when it is shared by the locals and those who have chosen the city to live. 

The future of Barcelona concerns all of us who feel connected to the city, whether it is because our roots are here, out of gratitude for the warm welcome we have received, or from a desire to succeed in such a symbolic place.

The Barcelona of culture calls us all to explore, to tell our stories about it, to taste, share and show. Now, imagine a Liceu opera at Cruïlla, with a set based on big data, with interaction with the public and with our own live participation as Barcelonans, regardless of our origin. Sounds attractive, right?

So what Barcelona can you imagine?

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