City to city

Lacol was in charge of designing and producing an exhibition that explored the past, present, and future of the City-to-City FAD Award —a prize that recognizes international civic initiatives aimed at improving and shaping more liveable environments. The exhibition is designed to travel to the cities that have received the award, and it is open to being hosted spontaneously by any city that shows interest. Our goal was to convey the award’s unique character, present a selection of winning projects, and introduce the new direction it seeks to pursue.

Replicability and accessibility were key criteria in the design of the exhibition. The core concept was to “paper the city.” Poster art is an affordable means of expression that requires no new infrastructure and can be implemented anywhere in the world with minimal technical resources. To vividly express the imagination around the “right to the city,” we commissioned five designers to illustrate five quotes from urban thinkers. These posters became the main element of the exhibition’s scenography. The poster campaign was made possible thanks to the volunteers who mobilized to carry out the action in the streets of Poblenou. Advertising infrastructures are monopolized by major brands and, without resources, are inaccessible—even though they occupy public space. To remain consistent with the principle of inclusion, we chose this approach. Plus, it’s a lot more fun, especially when done in good company.

In parallel, two simple structures were built to also be postered and act as visual markers for the exhibition in prominent locations.

The third pillar was the exhibition itself, hosted in the central space of the D-Hub Barcelona. Aligned with the design intentions, this “semi-public” space seeks to connect Plaça de les Glòries with Carrer d’Àvila, serving as a link between two urban fabrics. We wanted to “dirty” its walls to remind everyone, as much as possible, that it should be a more accessible space for the public.

We’ve gathered all the documentation generated by the award and transformed it into a useful and open-access tool. A website was developed to showcase a mapping of the initiatives and a timeline including all the steps, meetings, achievements, and failures of the exhibition process. A meta-exhibition!

The opening event took place on November 30 and was shaped as a dérive through the neighbourhood, ending inside the D-Hub with a short talk by the jury president of this year’s edition, Francesco Tonucci —whom we were delighted to meet.

Ultimately, we wanted to reclaim the ability to act spontaneously in the environments we inhabit. Thanks to FAD for trusting us, and remember that anyone can become a transmitter of this award and propose city-based educational initiatives for the 2016 call.

All the materials used for this project, once dismantled, were taken to Can Batlló and Calafou, where they now enjoy second lives, extending their useful cycle and supporting like-minded initiatives.

The computer equipment used in the exhibition was provided by Nasco ICT, an NGO that collects and refurbishes computers to send them to educational centres in Ghana.