Lara Almarcegui
17 Apr - 21 May 2008
LARA ALMARCEGUI
"Guide to the Wastelands of the Bilbao River Estuary"
April 17th - May 21st, 2008
Curator: Leire Vergara
Lara Almarcegui (Zaragoza, 1972) spent the last year working on a new project that takes as its framework of reference the banks of the Bilbao river estuary and the constant processes of regeneration and transformation to which they have been subjected over the recent decades. The individual exhibition in the sala rekalde’s Abstract Cabinet shows the artistic results that have been achieved within this context. The point of departure for this undertaking is related to other work in which the artist develops processes of investigation that cast an attentive eye upon empty lots or abandoned spaces in disuse which are either not contemplated at all from the town planning perspective or, on the other hand, are on their way to a possible future transformation. The result of these studies is presented in a publication format that Lara refers to as "wasteland guides". So far she has published three guides exploring such spaces: Guide to the Waste Grounds of São Paulo (August 2006), Guide to Al Khan (December 2007).
The Guide to the Wastelands of the Bilbao River Estuary, published on the occasion of Lara Almarcegui’s exhibition in the Abstract Cabinet, presents a selection of vacant lots taking in the two banks of the Nervión from the locality of Basauri to the mouth of the estuary in the Bay of Biscay. This guide to vacant lots along the River Nervion constitutes a journey through the city’s industrialisation, crisis and rationalisation.
Bilbao is, in fact, currently going through a time of powerful and accelerated urban transformation comparable even to its experience at the end of the 19th century and the beginnings of the 20th, when it was transformed into a big industrial port city due to the development of the mining and iron and steel industries and to ship building. The industrial crisis of the 1980s caused the closure and modernisation of important industries within the environs of the river estuary, which meant the recovery of the banks of the Nervión once port activities were transferred towards the outer bay.
The Guide can be obtained free of charge when visiting the exhibition at the sala rekalde.
"Guide to the Wastelands of the Bilbao River Estuary"
April 17th - May 21st, 2008
Curator: Leire Vergara
Lara Almarcegui (Zaragoza, 1972) spent the last year working on a new project that takes as its framework of reference the banks of the Bilbao river estuary and the constant processes of regeneration and transformation to which they have been subjected over the recent decades. The individual exhibition in the sala rekalde’s Abstract Cabinet shows the artistic results that have been achieved within this context. The point of departure for this undertaking is related to other work in which the artist develops processes of investigation that cast an attentive eye upon empty lots or abandoned spaces in disuse which are either not contemplated at all from the town planning perspective or, on the other hand, are on their way to a possible future transformation. The result of these studies is presented in a publication format that Lara refers to as "wasteland guides". So far she has published three guides exploring such spaces: Guide to the Waste Grounds of São Paulo (August 2006), Guide to Al Khan (December 2007).
The Guide to the Wastelands of the Bilbao River Estuary, published on the occasion of Lara Almarcegui’s exhibition in the Abstract Cabinet, presents a selection of vacant lots taking in the two banks of the Nervión from the locality of Basauri to the mouth of the estuary in the Bay of Biscay. This guide to vacant lots along the River Nervion constitutes a journey through the city’s industrialisation, crisis and rationalisation.
Bilbao is, in fact, currently going through a time of powerful and accelerated urban transformation comparable even to its experience at the end of the 19th century and the beginnings of the 20th, when it was transformed into a big industrial port city due to the development of the mining and iron and steel industries and to ship building. The industrial crisis of the 1980s caused the closure and modernisation of important industries within the environs of the river estuary, which meant the recovery of the banks of the Nervión once port activities were transferred towards the outer bay.
The Guide can be obtained free of charge when visiting the exhibition at the sala rekalde.