The ´soltano´or basement of La tabacalera is an enormous space of ´pasillos` corridors which were once storage areas for drying tobacco and preparing the product for transportation. La tabacalera was in actual fact the oldest tobacco factory in the world established in 1636 and running until 1999.
It´s impossible to pass through these corridors and rooms and not to think of the generations of people who had walked through before.In the basement still there are trolleys and other part of tools and machinery I would guess centuries old. These spaces to me are already so atmospheric and seem to call out to be used and again infused with life.
It´s impossible to pass through these corridors and rooms and not to think of the generations of people who had walked through before.In the basement still there are trolleys and other part of tools and machinery I would guess centuries old. These spaces to me are already so atmospheric and seem to call out to be used and again infused with life.
Alot of the basement is still closed off (about two thirds) but the other ares are being opened and slowly workshops and exhibition spaces will be created in them. All of the advancements are being developed on a practically zero budget so movement is slow usually starting with mural work and graffiti artist who are only to happy to beautify the space.
I am presently working from the ´Nave Trapecio ´ workshop which is great for completing sculptural work or working in clay or wax. I also work a lot in resin and fiber glass and it´s not suitable to work in a shared space with these toxins. In May and June I worked on clearing a space to develop a studio where I can work in these materials and also begin to collect materials and begin developing new work. I also have accumulated a lot of work and wooden boxes which I need to store in safety. I was able to make fiber glass molds and new resin pieces in this space during the summer for the shows in Germany and the art fair in Barcelona in October.
During the summer there were a good few graffiti artists in the space including an Irish artist based in London who worked on a large and impressive piece on the outside area on the center. The artists are commissioned to make these pieces but only their travel and stipend is paid the artist see it as beneficial and interesting, these commissions are usually followed by an exhibition of painting and prints by the artists.
La tabacalera has expanded in the last couple of years and now a disused area close by in the barrio of Lavapies has been beautifully rejuvenated into a communal ´huerta´ allotments and green area in this dense neighborhood. This area is run by a collective some members of which are also members of La tabalera. They plant vegtables, trees and plants also building a storage and workshop area. There are also picnic areas and a playground for kids.This place has become a little oasis out of the noise and busy streets of Lavapies. All the work by the collective is voluntary.
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