ESPINAS DE BARCELONA
2023 ∙ Street art protest ∙ Hostile architecture ∙ Social media ∙ Barcelona
2023 ∙ Street art protest ∙ Hostile architecture ∙ Social media ∙ Barcelona
During my Final Master Project in Barcelona I created an Instagram account to document and raise awareness of the various forms of hostile architecture that I came across in the city. The account is called Espinas de Barcelona, thorns of Barcelona, referring to the spikes and the famous Flor de Barcelona that decorates most sidewalks in the city.
Additionally, I raised awareness about hostile architecture through a tiny guerrilla street art protest. In this tiny protest, I housed a dozen tiny homeless guys in the spikes that are meant to keep them away. In doing so, I brought attention to hostile architecture and gave visibility to a group of people who are systemically made to be invisible.
To be completely honest, part of the reason to pursue the street art project was for the fun of nostalgia. Walking around at night, trying to find a good spot, looking out for police, it all brought me right back to my graffiti phase when I was about half my current age.
