The other day I participated in a workshop of a project called Invisible Maps. The purpose of this project is to record some information of a place, shop, bar etc. of the city in a QR code to be pasted at a specific location. This way, a passenger by will be able to access this information by reading the QR code on his or her smartphone. A sort of invisible map , a gateway to a story behind some walls.
When asked about memories of a special place in Barcelona, my mind would inevitably travel to places I’ve shared with special people. Usually at sunset or night time, those kind of memories that come to life everytime we walk next the place, no matter how far in time they belong to. However, these kind of memories don’t have much informative value, so I went back to my younger years and found a story that could be shared.
I recalled the time when I still believed in magic and enjoyed the puppet and clown shows my father took me to. Here’s an abstract of my invisible map of Turo Park:
“In recent years I have only entered the park to shorten my way or to imagine that I’m able to breathe some fresh air in between the polluted streets of Barcelona. However, my relationshipwith this park goes back to my earliest childhood when my father took me to the puppet and clown shows that where organised during the weekend. These shows took place in an outdoor amphitheater which unfortunately no longer exists. It must have disappeared in the early 90′s and with it one of the few spaces dedicated exclusively to children shows. I remember sitting in what I thought was a huge theater, however, by the dimensions of the park, then place must have been quite small. You know, when we return to a place belonging to our childhood after many years, everything seems less big, less tall and somewhat lacking from a special magic.”
I believe that being able to save this kind of memories from a particular place in Barcelona keeps the city alive. The History of a city is the History of its inhabitants and visitors, the experience of living it and the emotions that emerged from it. For me, the most important places of Barcelona are those where I shared moments that meant something, not the ones highlighted in History textbooks or city guides.
What would be the most important places in your city?
2many2dos 
: )
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