In this series of exhibitions, flowers are used as metaphors for life and its social, historical, and cultural ramifications. The project revolves around the development of Barcelona from a sociohistorical perspective that links narratives related to the memory of the neighborhood.
The first itinerary is presented at the Casa Elizalde with “Reproduction”, followed by “Transformation” in the Farinera del Clot, and “Break” in the Joan Oliver “Pere Quart” Civic Center. On each itinerary, the exhibition will leave the environs of the civic center to connect with an emblematic business in the neighborhood.
“LA TRANSFORMACIÓ”
The second exhibition from the series
La Farinera del Clot
Transformation is the second site-specific exhibition in the series Us, interpreted by the flowers, and revolves around the history of El Clot between the beginning of the 19th century and the middle of the 20th.
As the title implies, the work of artists Katerina Ashche and Adriana Civit focuses on the theme of urban, industrial, and human transformation. They invite us to reflect on layers of memory through fragments left behind during the industrialisation process in the Clot neighbourhood.
In metamodernist philosophy, there is a continuous tension between sincerity and irony. This interaction prompts us to re-evaluate our past, while accepting the adaptive nature of interpretation. Viewed from a metamodernist perspective, memory takes an active role, shaping individual histories, collective historical accounts, and the ever-changing dimensions of our human narrative.
ESTRATS
ADRIANA CIVIT
Wheat is the starting point, and the common thread used to explore various layers of transformation in Adriana Civit’s textile installation. From seed to crop, from an arid landscape to extensive fields of wheat, or from the transformation of the landscape from natural to urban. A landscape that is defined by daily life, and by the traces of the past.
In each of the sculptures on display, the manipulation of the ropes gives leads to a transformation. A manual work with a pattern marked by the characteristics of each natural fibre used, and a leisurely pace of work, one that allows the visitor to become aware of what surrounds us.
During the transformation process, Adriana Civit uses ropes made from hemp, cotton, raffia and recycled flour sacks, and carefully dyes, twists, knots and assembles them to create textile structures that enter into a dialogue with her surroundings.
In the context of La Farinera del Clot, the former flour factory now converted into a cultural centre, she invites us to reflect on the evolution and relocation of space. The columns that support the ground on the outside of the building are particularly striking. These are columns that once formed part of the structural skeleton of the factory, which today, taken out of that context, become silent witnesses to the transformation of the place.
Starting from a similar dynamic, the artist aims to decontextualise the use of ropes (load ropes, fishing ropes), creating an element that has no practical function, whose presence therefore becomes symbolic and conceptual.
Through the tension of the ropes, Adriana Civit seeks to create a sense of the opposites that transformation generates. The tension between the tangible and the intangible, the landscape and the interpretation of that landscape, between nature and culture. These tensions create layers of meaning that are laid down as strata in the collective memory as strata.
QUIEN ES LA NIETA?
KATERINA ASHCHE
Through the use of fictional memories, Katerina Ashche invites us to reflect upon three women related to the history of La Farinera del Clot: María Teresa Gallarda, the granddaughter and heir of the founder, Andreu Gallarda, Mari the neighbourhood florist, and María Campaña, Andreu Gallarda’s mother.
Through inherited objects and stories, Ashche invites us to contemplate the subjectivity of memory; what is remembered, what is worth remembering, and who is forgotten.
The objects become containers of meaning and nostalgia. Each artefact is a tangible reminder of the past, about which we as casual viewers know very little, and which, as a collection of individual universal stories, has shaped our understanding of the world.
To these objects the artist adds AI-generated images that connect with the collective memory algorithms within the digital realm.
Maybe all your memories are lies.
– Patrick McHale
Maybe everything you perceive is a lie.
-Patrick McHale
Metamodernism
Metamodernist thought challenges the notion of absolute truth and our perception of reality. It suggests that our memories and perceptions may be deceptions or distortions. By adopting this paradoxical perspective, awareness of the subjective nature of our experiences and the constructed nature of our realities is increased.
We question the reliability of memories, social narratives, and our senses. This existential exploration, which oscillates between sincerity and irony, allows us to critically examine our perspectives, opening new avenues of understanding and interpretation.
Floriography
During the 19th century, floriography gained popularity by allowing coded messages to be transmitted through flowers and floral arrangements.
In funerary contexts, carnations and roses evoke loss and the transience of life. White carnations represent sadness and mourning, while white roses symbolise innocence and reverence for the deceased. Poppies, which grow in wheat fields, symbolize remembrance, and have been associated with dreams and death since ancient times.
The lotus flower represents awakening. When dried, both the poppy and lotus pods embody permanence. Interestingly, the English word “flour” is derived from the old French word “fleur” (flower), suggesting its finesse.
alexia medici 