Living at Montjuïc. Memories of a forgotten shanty town

Graphic Design

Eurecat-Centre Tecnológic de Catalunya

2020

Throughout the 20th century Barcelona became a centre of attraction for many people who wanted to improve their living conditions. In this city in constant transformation there was no shortage of opportunities, which led to a massive influx of immigrants to a city where it was easier to find work than a place to live. During the 1950s, more than 60,000 people from all parts of the Iberian Peninsula were forced to live in substandard housing. In Montjuïc alone, in 1957, there were 6,090 shacks that housed some 30,000 people.

This exhibition gave us an insight into this period of the metropolis through the memories and experiences of those who were forced to live in shanties while trying to achieve better living conditions, with two different ambiences. The first was conceived as a global panoramic view of the city of Barcelona seen from inside a shanty. In it, the spectator-inhabitant observed from home the changes that were taking place in the metropolis by means of graphic resources, such as plans and images. This area was subdivided by three iron porticoes that functioned symbolically as a hierarchy of living spaces: the house, the shanty, the room. The colour of these gates was based on the La voz de la montaña magazine. The second area represented the street of a shanty town, with a row of self-built houses on each side represented by modules of different sizes and volumes in which the graphics were installed. The materials chosen for the recreation were wood and Re-board cardboard, which served to enhance the idea of home-made.

Work carried out: Conceptualisation. Museographic design, graphic design, lighting design. Production and assembly.

Photographs: José Luis de la Parra.