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Indian to redesign Barcelona scene: The Asian Age
New Delhi, Oct 24: The Barcelona City Council, the Catalan autonomous government and the government of Spain have asked renowned Indian scenographer Rajeev Sethi to redesign 15,000 square metres of `depressed land which has undergone significant urban decay in the outskirts of Barcelona` and make it the second largest square in the world after Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
New Delhi, Oct 24: The Barcelona City Council, the Catalan autonomous government and the government of Spain have asked renowned Indian scenographer Rajeev Sethi to redesign 15,000 square metres of "depressed land which has undergone significant urban decay in the outskirts of Barcelona" and make it the second largest square in the world after Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
The square, to be called the Plaza, will be just a part of the 125 acres being completely redesigned for Forum Barcelona 2004 — the 141-day Olympics of culture, scheduled for May 9 to September 26.
Once complete, the Forum Barcelona 2004 site will have a 79,200 head capacity. Interestingly, the entire square will also be covered by 5,000-square metres of tapestry being done by artists from Bhilwara and Jalandhar to provide shade.
Being called the Tapestry of Hope, it will have "wishes made by people from eight cities from five continents."
The cloth which will be completely fire-proof, will be brought to Delhi in December for people to write their "wish for the world" before it is stitched together with seven others and put over the Plaza.
The Forum is expected to cost over 327 million euros and will bring the three main themes — cultural diversity, sustainable development and conditions for peace — to life, expressing it through exhibitions, workshops, markets, cultural performances, films, games and conferences.
Confirming this, ambassador of Spain Rafael Conde told The Asian Age in an exclusive interview, "Each time Barcelona has hosted an international event, from 1888 and 1929 World Fairs to the 1992 Olympic Games, the city has been totally transformed. At present, Barcelona is preparing to combine international hospitality with a major urban planning initiative for the Forum. Barcelona and its neighbouring municipality Sant Adria de Besos have jointly defined a plan for complete renovation of the depressed area, connecting the sea front with the town squares in Barcelona. Temporary and permanent structures including new residential buildings, two large parks, office buildings, shopping centres and an university campus are being constructed that will serve different purposes once the Forum comes to a close. Mr Sethi is one of the main artists designing the Plaza. Forum Barcelona 2004 site is located near the mouth of the Besòs River, where Avinguda Diagonal meets the sea."
Speaking about the project, Mr Sethi said, "This is the first time that a project this big is being done by artisans from India. The tapestry, being made by artists from rural India will be a sky of aspiration and will have hopes expressed by people from all over the world. It will be brought to India in December and will travel to cities in Asia, Africa and Latin America. I am also leading a 150-member delegation of artists and thinkers from South Asia who will showcase their craft, do business and also perform."
The Forum will have 141 days of activities being planned by 305 institutions and will have over 24 exhibitions, 44 dialogues, debates and congresses, in sessions lasting from one to seven days, shows by 2,000 artists, 70 daily performances, 140 musical groups and 450 concerts.
It will also see performances of 109 theatre companies covering a range of formats, including theatre, dance, circus, cabaret and street plays. Over 20 circus performances are also being planned. Over 200 inventions from 40 countries will also be presented here.
A world film series is also being planned in conjunction with eight international film festivals — Cannes, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Burkina Faso, Havana, Karlovy Vary, Rotterdam and Sundance.
The square, to be called the Plaza, will be just a part of the 125 acres being completely redesigned for Forum Barcelona 2004 — the 141-day Olympics of culture, scheduled for May 9 to September 26.
Once complete, the Forum Barcelona 2004 site will have a 79,200 head capacity. Interestingly, the entire square will also be covered by 5,000-square metres of tapestry being done by artists from Bhilwara and Jalandhar to provide shade.
Being called the Tapestry of Hope, it will have "wishes made by people from eight cities from five continents."
The cloth which will be completely fire-proof, will be brought to Delhi in December for people to write their "wish for the world" before it is stitched together with seven others and put over the Plaza.
The Forum is expected to cost over 327 million euros and will bring the three main themes — cultural diversity, sustainable development and conditions for peace — to life, expressing it through exhibitions, workshops, markets, cultural performances, films, games and conferences.
Confirming this, ambassador of Spain Rafael Conde told The Asian Age in an exclusive interview, "Each time Barcelona has hosted an international event, from 1888 and 1929 World Fairs to the 1992 Olympic Games, the city has been totally transformed. At present, Barcelona is preparing to combine international hospitality with a major urban planning initiative for the Forum. Barcelona and its neighbouring municipality Sant Adria de Besos have jointly defined a plan for complete renovation of the depressed area, connecting the sea front with the town squares in Barcelona. Temporary and permanent structures including new residential buildings, two large parks, office buildings, shopping centres and an university campus are being constructed that will serve different purposes once the Forum comes to a close. Mr Sethi is one of the main artists designing the Plaza. Forum Barcelona 2004 site is located near the mouth of the Besòs River, where Avinguda Diagonal meets the sea."
Speaking about the project, Mr Sethi said, "This is the first time that a project this big is being done by artisans from India. The tapestry, being made by artists from rural India will be a sky of aspiration and will have hopes expressed by people from all over the world. It will be brought to India in December and will travel to cities in Asia, Africa and Latin America. I am also leading a 150-member delegation of artists and thinkers from South Asia who will showcase their craft, do business and also perform."
The Forum will have 141 days of activities being planned by 305 institutions and will have over 24 exhibitions, 44 dialogues, debates and congresses, in sessions lasting from one to seven days, shows by 2,000 artists, 70 daily performances, 140 musical groups and 450 concerts.
It will also see performances of 109 theatre companies covering a range of formats, including theatre, dance, circus, cabaret and street plays. Over 20 circus performances are also being planned. Over 200 inventions from 40 countries will also be presented here.
A world film series is also being planned in conjunction with eight international film festivals — Cannes, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Burkina Faso, Havana, Karlovy Vary, Rotterdam and Sundance.