The conquest of space. ‘Sala Verónicas’.
We see the contemporary public space as a shared space, respectful, inclusive and intelligible among equals, bringing people together and effusing the idea of community, courtesy, helpfulness, protection and solace (beauty is a solace).
New models of public space are constructed through action and participation; in short, through individual and collective conquest. Our objective is to reveal the conditions that make this possible and the ultimate effect of applying them.
SPATIAL CONFIGURATION OF THE ROOM
Place = Action
We have turned Sala Verónicas into that public space where anything can happen and where what happens is exposed to view: a beach, which is a park in the shade, a playing field, a library, a Chinese discount shop, an amusement arcade, an open-air cinema; in other words, a space that every visitor, by his or her actions, can turn into a different place, a place of one’s own, free from preconceptions: in short, a beach that is also a cabbage (“the sea always reminds me of cabbages”, as Chesterton said).
Knowledge management
In the main space, a beach, and the adjoining spaces complementing the activity in the central nave, offering an opportunity for thought and contemplation.
In one of the aisles we share discussions based on three different views of the public space:
- the most popular, through meeting and questioning people in significant spaces; their opinions construct and modify the place;
- that of our experience, which records various environments in which we have worked; the activity of the place reflects the different ways of experiencing them;
- that of theorists and researchers of the public space, cities and urban development, through appropriate projections.
All this is used to express how the conception and construction of such places evolves through increasing social and public participation, which reflects another form of “conquest of space”.
We are reserving another aisle for collective knowledge. The work at Verónicas extends beyond the gallery, involving members of the public, students, architects, etc. We are collecting shared thinking on the public space in its most direct and contemporary form through workshops, social networks and activities open to all participants.
TOOLS / PRINCIPLES OF ACTION
We recycle_We reuse
Barter as an vehicle of exchange.
We’ll swap our furniture and fittings for whatever you want to bring in exchange.
You’ll recognise it because it is labelled with this logo
Live actions
You can photograph yourself in our landscapes, and all our visitors will be included every day in the website, which will be projected in real time in the exhibition room.
You can follow us on social networks, use our free Wi-Fi to take photographs, comment, share…
Surveys_opinions_“I like it”
Your opinion matters. Various recording devices will be set up, making it possible to alter the gallery space and collect responses.
You can apply our “analogical ‘I like it’” (an “I like it” sticker) to any object–action–element in the room; in this way you will be changing the appearance of the room, and expressing your opinion ?
There will be questions, which will change over time, on subjects related to our field of study, and all the responses will be collected.
Activities
A programme of activities will be offered, reserved for “Fridays on the beach”: concerts, films, workshops, lectures, a market, and much more. These will keep up the excitement in the gallery during the months the exhibition is open to the public.
Suggestions are invited for activities, which may include any individual or collective proposal capable of being put into practice in Sala Verónicas (contact: Rosa Miñano, 968 – 22 16 68 / rosa@salaveronicas.es).
We would like to thank the company Deportin S.L. for collaborating in this project and the artist Ken Murphy for the loan of his work A History of the Sky.
