La Plaça
- La Plaça
- 2024
- Experimental Video and Editorial
«La Plaça» is an experimental video and an editorial piece that explores the complex reality of the Plaza de los Ángeles in Barcelona, an emblematic public space for the skater community. The project focuses on the future expansion of the MACBA, the museum located in front of the plaza, and how this transformation will impact a space that has been appropriated and reinterpreted by skaters from all over the world for more than 30 years.
Through interviews with key members of the skater community, audiovisual and photographic material that captures the daily life of the plaza, and an editorial piece, «La Plaça» seeks to document the reality of this unique urban space and give voice to those who are directly affected by its transformation.
- La Plaça
- 2024
- Directed by Debbie Marentes
The expansion of the MACBA, a project that seeks to «improve» the public space, raises a series of questions about who has the right to define and transform these places, and how the needs and experiences of those who live in and use them daily are taken into account.
This project is also a personal reflection on my own relationship with the plaza, a space that has witnessed important moments in my life, both negative and positive. This project is a way to explore my identity as a skater, my connection with the community, and my commitment to the defense of public spaces and urban culture.
The video, photography, lettering, editorial design, editing, assembly of the materials, and half of the animation are all done by me. The few people involved in the project are skaters, with the exception of the motion designer.
The project is the result of extensive fieldwork in the plaza. Through photographs and videos, it documents daily life, the practices of skaters, and the interactions between the different groups that inhabit it. The collection of documentary material, such as architectural plans, books, press articles, and other relevant documents, provides information about the history of the plaza, the expansion of the MACBA, and the urban planning policies that affect it. The analysis of all this information allows for the construction of a coherent narrative about the plaza.
Three interviews with members of the skateboarding community narrate the video. The first is Alex Braza, founder of Macba Life, who runs a platform where he promotes skateboarding as a sport in the plaza. The second is Pol Martin, of Skate Architects, an urban planner and skatepark architect, and another activist against the reforms; and the third is Filoko, a Chilean ex-professional skater who lived in the plaza for a time. The editorial piece is an elevated fanzine of these intervews.
«Is designed in a classic 6-column grid has been used, which is occasionally broken to play with the rules of composition in a rebellious way. Each interview has been personalized in its layout and choice of paper to differentiate them.»
I wanted the result to be aesthetic and experimental enough to relate to the museum, while also being disruptive and street-like, like skateboarding itself. The interviews have ambient experimental music made with skate sounds as background audio. It is worth noting that the music in the credits is a trap made by several skaters who frequent the square. The lettering is inspired by urban graffiti that I found in the square.
It was important to depict the plaza as a vibrant and energetic place. I sought to represent reality; no lighting, wardrobe, or makeup was used; everyone is a skater being a skater, workers doing their jobs, and homeless people living in the plaza, which is the reality of the place every day.
