Art Remade
Hot on the heels of the appearance last month of Barcelona’s new organic waste containers, Drap-Art’s International Festival of Creative Recycling returns with another nudge towards a greener planet. Now in its sixth edition, the arts festival promotes environmental consciousness in creative forms. Between December 18th and 21st, there’ll be more than 100 eco-focused activities, while an accompanying exhibition runs into January.
Founded in 1995, Drap-Art’s aim is to enhance creative recycling as a tool of transformation in the arts, the environment and society. From its first event in 1996 (a 24-hour creative marathon in Barcelona), Drap-Art has promoted its philosophy internationally. Already Bulgaria, Tel Aviv, Cairo and Medellin have prepared their own Drap-Art festivals, while Athens, Berlin and Andorra have hosted Drap-Art-inspired events. Still based locally, Drap-Art continues to evolve its creative enterprise within Barcelona and now runs its own art gallery in the Gòtic neighborhood, La Carboneria.
Drap-Art ‘09 expects some 20,000 visitors to its four main locales: the CCCB, Plaça Joan Coromines, Pati de les Dones and Plaça dels Àngeles. The festival’s main weekend boasts an eclectic programme, including musical and visual performances, and a series of lectures and workshops focused on the environment and sustainability. As always, the festival occurs close to Christmas, when preoccupations regarding consumption abound; however, Drap-Art’s market of arts and crafts, all created from reclaimed or recycled materials, offers a green alternative to the holiday shopper. The parallel exhibition, whose run has been extended due to popular demand, features a range of recycled art—the sculptures of London artist Hannah Greenaway are made of melted-down plastic bags, and watch out for Carles Gispert’s cars, parked throughout the city, full of growing plants and flowers.
Drap-Art ‘09
CCCB and surrounds
Activities including concerts, workshops and film: December 18th to 21st, 2009
Exhibition: December 18th, 2009 to January 10th, 2010