This is a story about an apparently uncontrollable reality such as the gentrification of the neighborhood. Something more than just renovating buildings that were previously deteriorated.
Raquel and Marc called me to tell their story and Katerina Ashche (pictured right), told it through five objects that surround us in the Bodega today. @Dush.a drew the scenes/objects. Together they tell the story of the winery (bodega), its people and its surroundings during a period of transition, after which they will be lost forever.
We chose to use coasters because they are typical in a winery, but also because their function erases their artistic content. Little by little the memories will be forgotten and only traces of this place will remain in our memory. In addition, coasters can be collected, echoing our instinct to collect, or save something that is going to be lost.
To conclude, we would like to emphasise that something that a priori might seem ordinary, like this building, has a value that is not only architectural or sentimental, but also, often, communal.
For example, the fate of this winery affects the identity, history and culture of this community, which will now have one less social place to hang around here.
Artwork
On gentrification
Recent studies show that the removal of shared social spaces—those common, informal zones of encounter—has measurable consequences: it increases stress, weakens social wellbeing, and contributes to the conditions in which antisocial behaviour becomes more likely.
Gentrification also intensifies the climate crisis. The construction industry alone is responsible for approximately 38% of annual global emissions—demolition followed by reconstruction, destruction framed as renewal.
Like the clock, I do not claim to measure progress, nor to dictate its direction.
Instead, I offer an invitation: to look closely at what surrounds you, and to recognise—perhaps even to feel gratitude for—the few authentic corners that still remain within the city’s shifting fabric. There is no quick remedy for gentrification. But there is the possibility of sustained attention, and of open conversation—toward alternative ways of imagining development, grounded in respect, care, and collective responsibility.
***
The “Bodega Montferry” will have to close its doors on July 22, 2022. Shortly after, the elderly lady who lives in the apartment above will be evicted, and the building will be demolished in order to build new flats.
Since then
Press
Journalist Laura Siles covered this story on Barcelona’s local television channel and website betevé.
Find the “Bodega”
Old address: Bodega Montferry, carrer de Violant d’Hongria Reina d’Aragó, 105, 08028 Barcelona – New address: Passatge de Serra i Arola, 13, 08028 Barcelona
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