Professor Saúl Baeza, assistant curator of the Model Festival, which includes numerous activities and exhibitions of Elisava

After the success of the first edition, this year Elisava students are once again taking part in the MODEL. Barcelona Arquitectures Festival, which will be held from 20 to 30 April in different spaces of the Glòries Park, to address the dissemination and experimentation through architecture and design.

This year the festival, promoted by Barcelona City Council and the Architects’ Association of Catalonia (COAC), is organised by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation under the artistic direction of Eva Franch i Gilabert. Architects, curators, and many institutions and organisations in the city will be collaborating too, including Elisava.

With the slogan “Radical Empathy”, this edition aims to encourage people and communities to strive to design spaces and buildings in the city that not only meet people’s needs, but also take into account social, environmental and cultural aspects. The festival aims to bring citizens closer to the debate on the model of the city, with architecture and urban planning that is fair, sustainable and inclusive.

Some proposals from Elisava students and teachers at the festival:

Presentation of the MODEL Awards for architectural experimentation by Marina Povedano (20 April, 7:30 – 8 pm, Encants Market): Curatorial award to Professor Daniele Porreta and Oscar Guayabero, and curatorial award to 73 Barcelones, an exhibition curated by Mar Gené, Noa Yarkoni and Tiffany Whitakker, from the Master in Ephemeral Architecture and Temporary Spaces.

Inauguration of 73 Barcelones, with the participation of Maria Corrales and inauguration of Archivo de Protestas (21 April, 6 – 8:30 pm, Glòries Catalanes square). The following day, professors Albert Fuster, Ramon Faura and Roger Paez will take part in a debate (22 April, 2 – 4 pm, Glòries Catalanes square), in which they will talk about education and architecture. The debate will be accompanied by a lunch and after-dinner conversation between teachers, associations, institutions and students from architecture and design schools in the city of Barcelona in the Design Hub space.

The activity Ruta entre-classes, on the utopias of Barcelona by Daniele Porreta and Oscar Guayabero (Sunday 23, 10 – 12:00 pm,): with the participation of Alessandro Scarnato, José Mansilla, Jelena Prokopljević, Amadeu Santacana, Eva Serrats and Julia Ramírez Blanco. It will take place in the Chairs of the Olympic Port avenue. On the same Sunday between 5:30 – 7 pm, there will be debates on privilege and architecture within the area Between-classes, moderated by professors Manuela Valtchanova and Curro Claret in the space of the Encants Market. There will also be talks and book presentations in this space between 1:30 and 4:30 pm, with the participation of Professor Josep Bohigas and Bani Brusadin, among others.

A workshop entitled “Draw your neighbourhood” by Amaia Martin (Tuesday 25, 4:00 – 8 pm ) will be held as part of the activities of the 73 Barcelones exhibition. At the same exhibition, on Wednesday 26th from 6 – 8:30 pm there will be a forum “Drawing today’s Barcelona”, with the participation of Laida Memba, Irma Arribas, Oihana García and Xavi Rodríguez at the Glòries Catalanes square, which can be booked online.

Thursday 27th from 4 – 8 pm, also at the 73 Barcelones exhibition, there will be a collective mapping workshop “Urban Crawl”, guided by Bruno Seve in the Design Hub area of Josep Antoni Coderch square. Friday 28th between 1 – 3 pm classes will be given at Elisava about Model camp. There will also be a performance by Professor Ramon Faura in the Farinera del Clot area within the are between cultures, which will have a space for babysitting for those attending the talk.

Finally, on Sunday 30, the last day of the festival, in the Gran Clariana area of the Dos de Mayo street, there will be a 10×10 Manifestos on joy, scholarship holders, precision, courage, politics, contracts, salary, bureaucracy, intellectual property and festivals, with the participation of professor Toni Llàcer and the studio Domestic Data Streamers, among others.

The festival, organised by the Mies Foundation and under the artistic direction of Eva Frach, has Elisava professor Saúl Baeza as assistant curator and Elisava Alumni Tai Sans (MAYBE) as coordinator.