Plaça de les glòries catalanes. Barcelona.
This picture belongs to Album Social
G55
Category Archives: Social photography
Opportunity islands
The Bellcaire flea market is one of the oldest active markets in Europe. Its location has been moved recently to a new building by Fermín Vázquez. The construction is an open space covered by a golden mirrored pergola with several commercial floors connected by ramps.
Too modern and spectacular for and old and traditional market. That was my first thought when I saw the new location, but after I took a walk, I recognized the usual essence of the ancient market. Maybe because of the wise choice of the building design or maybe because the customers and shopkeepers inertia, but the Bellcaire flea market is as alive as always.
I left the market smiling.
Bellcaire flea market. Barcelona.
This picture belongs to Album Social
Desire
Glòries catalanes square. Barcelona.
This picture belongs to Album Imperfect Present
I have selected a well known poem by Vicent Andrés Estellés to complement the picture. The poem is from the book “Llibre de meravelles” (in catalan):
PROPIETATS DE LA PENA (Assumiràs la veu d’un poble)
ASSUMIRÀS la veu d’un poble,
i serà la veu del teu poble,
i seràs, per a sempre, poble,
i patiràs, i esperaràs,
i aniràs sempre entre la pols,
et seguirà una polseguera.
I tindràs fam i tindràs set,
no podràs escriure els poemes
i callaràs tota la nit
mentre dormen les teues gents,
i tu sols estaràs despert,
i tu estaràs despert per tots.
No t’han parit per a dormir:
et pariren per a vetlar
en la llarga nit del teu poble.
Tu seràs la paraula viva,
la paraula viva i amarga.
Ja no existiran les paraules,
sinó l’home assumint la pena
del seu poble, i és un silenci.
Deixaràs de comptar les síl·labes,
de fer-te el nus de la corbata:
seràs un poble, caminant
entre una amarga polseguera,
vida amunt i nacions amunt,
una enaltida condició.
No tot serà, però, silenci.
Car diràs la paraula justa,
la diràs en el moment just.
No diràs la teua paraula
amb voluntat d’antologia,
car la diràs honestament,
iradament, sense pensar
en ninguna posteritat,
com no siga la del teu poble.
Potser et maten o potser
se’n riguen, potser et delaten;
tot això són banalitats.
Allò que val és la consciència
de no ser res si no s’és poble.
I tu, greument, has escollit.
Després del teu silenci estricte,
camines decididament.
The rial llarg
One of the characteristics elements of the Maresme area are the “rials”. A “rial” is a short and stationary water flow. A “rial” basin is normally dry but during the storms, when it transport a large amount of water towards the sea.
Due to the “rials” stationary condition, they have been abused by humans since ancient times, and specially during the construction boom in the last decades of the XX century. Today it is not possible to find a non urbanized rial, even though some of them have sections that has not been altered yet.
In Arenys de Mar village we find the “rial llarg”. It is not a rial to go to relax and take a walk, because it is fully urbanized and there is no vegetation. Although this fact, it is a place that awakes on me a lot of thoughts: It never let me indifferent.
The “rial llarg” was heavy transformed by human, destroyed we could say. Today, the remains of an ancient time of splendour, like the old gate that is shown in the picture, remember me that all human related is brief, temporary.
The “rial llarg” is a ruined location, and for me, an example of our behaviour as human race.
Arenys de Mar. Maresme.
This picture belongs to Album Imperfect Present
Golden fishing
La gola del Ter. Baix Empordà.
This picture belongs to Album Social
Trapped
Arenys de Mar. Maresme.
This picture belongs to Album Uncomfortable chairs