“The title came at the end, when I asked myself: who are all these people? They are people who are not satisfied.”

 

“My approach and my argument were that, as this was a project that would end up being deposited in the Barcelona Photographic Archive, it had to reflect something important for the history of the city: that at that time, in 2018, there were people defending the neighbourhoods and their territory, who were not satisfied, who proposed alternatives and did not give in to gentrification, oppression, evictions or racism. The activist world understood this perfectly, and they were even grateful that someone was looking after them.”

 

At a time when the city we live in is threatened by speculation, gentrification and mass tourism as a result of a model that has been growing in the last 30 years, in this project I wanted to get closer to the residents and groups who do not conform to this city model and who are confronting it, so as not to be expelled from their neighbourhoods and for their rights as citizens.

 

Above the economic interests of the lobbies that want to control the city, above political interests, above the interests of the different institutions, there are people who are fighting for their survival. After talking to many of them, participating in their assemblies, debates, demonstrations or eviction stops, it is not clear to me who will emerge the winner of this fight. There are voices full of pessimism, but also many optimists who say that only by organizing and fighting can be wan.

 

In a society where the image is dominant, I wanted to emphasize the word, but also their gaze. A gaze that challenges us and asks us what model of city we want for Barcelona.

 

This story is built with the testimonies of people from two emblematic neighbourhoods, Raval and Gòtic. I invite you to approach it without fear and with all your senses open.

 

Camera and sound assistants: Clara López and Meritxell Cortés

Interview transcription: Meritxell Cortés

Text correction: Marta Peribáñez

Photography and interviews: Joan Tomás

A project curated by OBQ (Observatori de la vida quotidiana), for the Pla de barris de Barcelona and the Barcelona Photographic Archive.

The project is part of the photographic mission commissioned by the Barcelona City Council to 10 photographers, which aims to generate a graphic heritage representative of 21st century Barcelona based on the stories and realities of some of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in Barcelona and which was exhibited in El Borsí under the name of “16 neighbourhoods, 1,000 cities”, and the result is deposited in the Barcelona Photographic Archive.