THINKING Winter 2015 FREE - Meet Barcelona · The magazine inspired by a captivating city BARCELOVERS ... FRONT COVER Roger Llonch PHOTOGRAPHY Txema Salvans (director), Pere Albiac,

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BARCELOVERSThe magazine inspired by a captivating city

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Mobile Laboratory

The personal and collective impact of mobile devices

080 Barcelona Fashion

From traditional ateliers to the catwalk

Urban Wildlife

Open-air artworks inspired by animals

Line UP

All the main events and activities

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“THINKING BIG MAKES US GROW”

It doesn’t matter if it’s a start-up or a multinational, it doesn’t matter if they are small investments or large international ventures. In Barcelona, what matters are big ideas, people, opportunities... Everything has a place in one of the main European cities for international investment projects. That is why Barcelona makes you grow, makes you dream while keeping your feet on the ground, even further than the horizon.

BARCELONA, THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF INNOVATION.A prize awarded by the European Commission in 2014.

Barcelona inspires

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Barcelona is an open and cosmopolitan Mediterranean city; a city of culture, knowledge, creativity, innovation and well-being that is inspirational for many people the world over and which, on an international level, has become one of the biggest destinations for tourists. In this magazine you will be able to see that Barcelona has become a benchmark for subjects as varied as art, cuisine, architecture, healthcare and research. Barcelona never stops innovating and seeking out excellence. Convinced that during your stay you will find what you were looking for as well as being surprised by the things you didn’t know, we bid you welcome and trust that you will experience some inspirational and unforgettable moments in our city.

Xavier TriasMayor of Barcelona

BarceloversPUBLISHED BY Barcelona City Council

PUBLISHING BOARD Jaume Ciurana, Jordi Martí i Galbis, Marc Puig, Miquel Guiot, Jordi Joly, Vicent Guallart, Àngel Miret, Marta Clari, Albert Ortas, Josep Lluís Alay, José Pérez Freijo, Pilar Roca

EDITORIAL BOARD Marc Puig, Rosa Romà, Elisabet Garcia, Joan León, Enric Rimbau, Marta Passola

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan León

COPYWRITING Xavier Arnaiz, Borja Barbesà, Iñaki Barco, Txell Bonet, Tomàs Fuentes, Helena Martínez Guimet, Albert Murillo, Irene Pujadas, Jonàs Sensós, Josep Sucarrats, Oliver Villanueva

PUBLISHER Edicions Clariana SL

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Lamosca

FRONT COVER Roger Llonch

PHOTOGRAPHY Txema Salvans (director), Pere Albiac, Carles Allende, Carmen Secanella, Joan Guillamat, Enrique Marco, Oriol Rigat

ILLUSTRATIONS Diego Marmolejo, Lamosca, Miquel Tura Rigamonti

MAIN FONTS Bulo and Trola by Jordi Embodas

TRANSLATION AND PROOFREADING Néstor Bogajo, Stuart McLauchlan, Marta Roigé, Kelly Shimmin

ADVERTISING Primer Segona

PRE-PRESS Xavier Parejo

PRINTER Direcció d’Imatge i Serveis Editorials

PAPER 100% recycled

IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ADVERTISING BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, THE CATALAN ASSOCIATION OF ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENTS AND THE BARCELONA HOTEL ASSOCIATION

LEGAL DEPOSIT B. 19.129 - 2013 ISSN 2339-8396

www.meet.barcelona.cat/barceloversmag

BARCELONA IS YOURS

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Barcelovers | Issue 4 Barcelona inspires

Wake UpUseful information, advice and interesting facts

04 08 10 12 14 18

WHAT’S UPThe inauguration of the Design Museum frontlines a series of fresh news items on the city

MOBILE LABORATORYCoinciding with the Mobile World Congress, we take a look at how mobile telephones have transformed our lives

THE PERSONAL CIRCLEInterests, leisure, health… smartphones have changed the way we relate to ourselves

THE SOCIAL CIRCLEMobile apps offer a host of options when it comes to establishing our close relations-hips

THE COMMUNITY CIRCLEThe use of NFC technology and apps for managing administrative formalities and making people’s lives easier

4 YEARS FROM NOWForecasting the future. That’s the aim of this international mobile entrepreneurs’ meeting, held as part of the MWC

TELEFÓNICA R&DThe company’s research centre in Barcelona is developing big data, Internet of Things and open innovation projects

BARCELOVERS

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PROFILESFour barcelovers whose talent and hard work have made them stand out in their respective disciplines

DEFYING THE DEEPIctineu III is a private scientific submarine that will help increase our knowledge of the seabed

FROM THE ATELIER TO THE CATWALKA new generation of independent designers is flourishing under the umbrella of 080 Barcelona Fashion

THE ESSENTIAL NETWORKVincles BCN uses new technology to alleviate the isolation of the elderly with funding from the Bloomberg Foundation

THE LURE OF THE PISTESThere are numerous different skiing options just a short drive from Barcelona

THE LAST CULINARY SECRETIn a city that loves avant-garde food, we recommend some restaurants where you can experience Catalan haute cuisine

THE BRIGHTEST NIGHTThe Llum BCN festival combines design, technology and poetic creativity

THE HOME OF BUSINESSThe new Enterprise Service Office offers information, advice and services to companies

WOOD, SLATS, COLOUR… BARCELONATaking a traditional object, improving it and adding new functionalities is what Persiana Barcelona has managed to achieve

ReportUrban wildlife: open-air artworks inspired by animals

Line UpA selection of main events, meetings and shows taking place in the city

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The new Design Museum was inaugurated last December in the new Design Hub building in the Plaça de les Glories. The new

centre gathers together in an exhibition space of 7,000 square metres all the collections from the following old museums: Museum of Decorative Art, Ceramic Museum, Textile and

Clothing Museum and the Graphic Arts Museum.

The Design Museum opens to the public

Photo Txema Salvans

What’s Up

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Since last November trains have already been running on Line 9 which will connect the Zona Universitària station with Barcelona-El Prat Airport. For now this represents a trial period that will continue through to February 2016. This section, 20 kilometres long and with 15 stations, is predicted to carry 23 million passengers a year. The length of the sector is comparable to metro line L1, currently the longest in the network.

FC Barcelona and the French International

Rugby League (LNR) have reached an agreement for

the 2016 Championship Final to be played at

Camp Nou, a historical achievement in that it

represents the first time Barça’s stadium will host

a sport other than football in an official competition.

Urbiotica, Bismart and Sensing & Control have been selected among the fifteen most innovative companies in the world in the field of smart cities by the Economic Development Agency of New York. The three companies took part last October in the ‘World to NYC: Global Industry Challenge’ to present their projects and make contact with private investors, local customers and prospects with the goal of exploiting new business opportunities in the United States.

From 23 to 26 September 2017, Fira de Barcelona will host the World Routes Congress, the world’s most important aeronautical event, attended by the top executives who decide on the routes airlines will fly. According to the organizers, events company UBM, the host cities of the congress see an increase in the volume of their international connections.

ADOBE TO ESTABLISH THE WORLD’S FIRST DIGITAL MARKETING LABORATORY FOR CITIES

The City Council of Barcelona and the multinational Adobe Systems have signed an initial agreement to push forward with the so-called City Branding Lab

that will facilitate innovative and experimental solutions to improve the city’s competitiveness. The City Branding Lab will be located

at the Barcelona Growth Centre and will become operative during the course of 2015.

The metro line L-9 will connect the airport to the centre of Barcelona from the beginning of next year

Three Barcelona firms among the most innovative in the world in the field of smart cities

Fira de Barcelona to host the world’s leading aeronautical congress in 2017

INFRASTRUCTURESSPORT

INNOVATION

BUSINESS

BUSINESS

What’s Up

Barcelona inspires

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Barcelona is the world’s mobile capital and this status is endorsed by the organization of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in early March. The MWC,

which has been held in Barcelona since 2011, is the meeting point for all the leaders of the mobile revolution, from major multinationals through to

entrepreneurs and innovators.

In the last four years, mobile devices have changed dramatically and the world has changed as a result. Telephones have nothing in common now with the appliance

invented by Alexander Graham Bell, which was capable of encoding the human voice in an electric pulse, transmitting it over a distance and then decoding it. In recent times, mobile phones have become genuine miniature computers that are

with us every second of the day and have transformed every area of our lives.

Let’s take a look at some of the different ways in which telephones have changed our lives with some of the people in Barcelona who have been responsible for

making it possible

Barcelovers | Issue 4

Mobile LaboratoryText Albert Murillo and Oliver Villanueva

Photos Txema Salvans

The personal circle

The social circle

The community circle

4 years from now

When a start-up teaches a giant

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king.com locosonic socialdiabetes


We use alarms to remind us. We take photos in a nanosecond. When we exercise, we measure our vital signs. Wherever we may be, it’s the only thing (apart from keys and wallet) that we never, ever forget to take with us. There is no doubt that smartphones have changed the way we relate to each other and even ourselves

The personal circle

0

Helping people with diabetes types

Helps to adjust the dose of insulin based on a carbohydrate count and the blood’s sugar level

1 2&

Can monitor exercise and behavioural patterns160

40

80

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THE KINGS OF MOBILE ENTERTAINMENTCasual video gaming is synonymous with King.com. Today, it’s practically impossible to go on the metro or bus and not see someone playing one of the mega-colourful Candy Crush or Papa Pear Saga games. With their simple and highly addictive gaming mechanism, King’s videogames have become the perfect companion for dead periods.

The company, of Irish origin, has had an office in Barcelona since 2012 and its success is based on various factors: gameplay mechanics based on little puzzles which exploit touch screens to the full, a rigorous testing process and constant improvements based on analysing the data received from the players themselves.

The King.com business model is a fantastic example of what is known as freemium. The game can be downloaded free of charge and the levels must be played in strict order to progress, although within the app there is a shop where you can buy bonuses to make the game easier.

THE CITY SOUND EXPERIENCEQuite often, when strolling along the streets, we’ve got our earphones in. What would happen if the music we’re listening to, instead of coming from a predetermined playlist on our device (or our preferred streaming service) had been designed especially for the street on which we we’re walking, and changed when you crossed to another street? The result would be a kind of urban symphony, a soundtrack that would enhance the walker’s experience. This is the idea of Locosonic.

Albert Puig, one of the people responsible for the project, sees Locosonic as “a receptacle of sound experiences.” All you have to do is enable the app, put your mobile in your pocket and enjoy a stroll to the sounds of the creations of different musicians and sound artists. Having been presented at the last Sonar Advanced Music and New Media Art Festival, Locosonic will be available for iOS devices and the idea is to launch a version for Android soon.


SOCIAL DIABETES: HELP WITH THE DAILY ROUTINELike many other people, one day Víctor Bautista learned he had diabetes. This chronic disease, which affects 400 million people around the world, forces sufferers to constantly monitor their blood glucose levels and adjust their food intake appropriately. An expert computer programmer, Víctor realised that this would be the perfect job for his smartphone, and that was the start of SocialDiabetes.

Today, SocialDiabetes has won awards from UNESCO and the Mobile World Congress. Every day, this app helps people with diabetes type 1 or 2. SocialDiabetes helps to adjust the insulin dose based on a count of carbohydrates eaten and the blood sugar level. It can also monitor exercise and behavioural patterns to assess potential present or future risks. The information it gathers can be very useful when visiting the doctor and, indeed, the premium version allows users to contact a specialist direct.

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cookbooth wallapop notegraphy



We’re constantly connected. We use phones to send messages more than making calls. We use social networks to resume contact with old friends and establish new relationships according to our interests. Day by day, our social milieu is transformed by the apps we use

THE CULINARY EXCHANGESharing photos of your food is already a classic on social networks. The hashtag #cook on Instagram, for example, features numerous images of mouth-watering dishes that have just been cooked, made with different ingredients and in different parts of the world, but all with a common denominator: they’re all on the point of being served.

The next step for foodies was to create a social network for sharing recipes. This is what CookBooth is all about: a meeting point for people of different origins who share a common passion: cooking. The app lets you create photo-recipes and provide a step-by-step explanation with the aim that anyone can attempt to make them. You can also follow one of the well-known chefs who use the app such as Damian Allsop from Walter Ganache, who explains “El Bulli and Ferran Adrià played a huge role in opening up the kitchen. Before, we used to learn culinary techniques as if they were a big secret. Now, what we do is share; the idea is that if I give something, I’m bound to get something in return.”

PERSON-TO-PERSON TRANSACTIONSInternet and second-hand trade are virtually synonymous since eBay emerged on the scene (in 1995, just 20 years ago), which managed to popularize this market by putting sellers and buyers all over the world in contact with each other. Far from being a mere clone of this behemoth, the young Barcelona start-up Wallapop takes advantage of mobile localization to promote person-to-person transactions.

Wallapop defines itself as a virtual flea market. When you’re looking for a product, the app compares locations and shows you the results in order of proximity. From this point on, the two users make contact and negotiate the different aspects of the handover. According to the app’s creators, this is the best way of generating confidence in the app. Wallapop was created in 2013 and now it’s available in Spain, the UK, France and Portugal. It manages transactions to the tune of 10 million euros per month and the value of its inventory of listed objects exceeds 250 million euros. At the moment, use of the app is free for both buyers and sellers.

PERSONALIZED FONTS IN A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTEvery time we write a text, we leave a part of our personality on the page. If we’ve got something special to announce, why do it in a standard font? Notegraphy is an app that aims to rethink the way we write on the internet through design.

For Rafa Soto, the creative director at the agency Herrainz & Co and the brains behind the project, the idea was to “create an environment with a certain intimacy between the text and the person.” Notegraphy lets you write texts with a specific font treatment and colour combination and thus avoid the flat feeling of the standard fonts used on social networks. The app has proved popular in the community of typography amateurs and professionals and well-known figures such as designer Jessica Hische have been generous enough to lend their creations for everyone to use.

The social circle

Available in:

UK

France

Spain

Portugal

Transactions:€10 million

Inventory of objects:+ €250 million

The app lets you create photo-recipes and gives a step-by-step explanation

You can also ‘follow’ one of the celebrity chefs who use the app

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Urban life is also being transformed on a daily basis. From the NFC technology used at bus stops to apps for managing municipal formalities, smartphones are becoming indispensable tools for making the very most of all the city’s possibilities

The community circle

BARCELONA IN YOUR POCKETBarcelona in your pocket is Barcelona City Council’s project for mobile telephone initiatives and solutions. It represents its commitment to using mobile devices to improve the city’s services and promote the industrial and production sectors. The project is based on three cornerstones: Apps4Bcn, Barcelona Contactless and MobileID.

It works based on a community which is responsible for selecting apps through a system of votes and comments

BCN Contactless facilitates the everyday relations of the city’s residents and visitors

Apps4BcnLab aims to generate synergies by organizing conferences, presenting success stories and hosting meetups

8.9 7.6 6.8 6.1

apps4bcn barcelona contactless mobileID

The most frequently used mobile apps are those that provide solutions for little, everyday problems. The Apps4Bcn portal features an array of apps that focus on improving the city’s services and facilities; in other words, the best apps for experiencing and enjoying Barcelona.

Apps4Bcn works as part of a community. This community, made up of experts and people interested in different topics (such as sports or culture), industrial workers and fans of mobile devices are responsible for selecting, choosing and classifying the selection featured on the portal by means of a system of votes and comments.

But Apps4Bcn is more than just a portal of recommendations. The goal is to promote the industrial structure and create partnerships to develop products. Thus the Apps4Bcn Lab is working to develop events and competitions for app prototypes. Meanwhile, the Apps4BcnLive! App aims to coalesce this online community to generate synergies by organizing conferences, presenting success stories and hosting professional meetups.


Contactless technology will undoubtedly be one of the big frontiers for mobile telephony in the coming years. Already, using QR codes or NFC labels, we can initiate simple actions by putting a terminal close to another device. The BCN Contactless initiative helps to facilitate the everyday relations of the city’s residents and visitors alike.

By means of a network of access points distributed across the whole city, users can access a mobile network that provides information that is specific to that particular time and place: what there is do here, where the nearest emergency pharmacy is… a window from virtual Barcelona to physical Barcelona, a gateway to the most up-to-date and specific information.


Personal authentication mechanisms are one of the big stumbling blocks when it comes to digitalizing administra-tive systems. For much of the population, digital ID systems are not particularly intuitive and cause more headaches than solutions. This is why the City Council has set up mobileID.

With this pioneering system, identity is a mobile phone app. Once you have registered (a process that needs to be done in person, or by means of a digital certificate), you can use the app to get access to data on the municipal electoral roll, get information on car towing services or pay municipal taxes or fines with the device.

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apparkb barcelona wi-fi urban transport

apparkb barcelona wi-fi

apparkb barcelona wi-fi urban transport

urban transport

Parking in Barcelona is now slightly easier with Apparkb, an app that lets you manage payment in above-ground parking zones (blue and green zones) from your mobile. Apparkb is an app designed to streamline formalities conveniently without having to pay for your parking time in advance.

Once it’s activated, the app positions the vehicle using the mobile’s GPS system. From this point, the meter starts running. If you’re getting near the time limit (up to two hours, the same as with a parking meter), a warning is sent to your phone. Once the parking session has finished, payment is made.

Barcelona has a public wi-fi network which is available across the whole city. It is a service that provides free access to the internet provided you are close to one of the hotspots which are situated in different municipal facilities and public spaces. The 704 hotspots that currently make up Barcelona Wi-Fi is the biggest free public citizens’ network in the country and one of the largest in Europe.

Moreover, in 2015 and 2016 plans are afoot to enlarge the network. There are now Wi-Fi hotspots on the fleet of urban buses and also at the main metro stations. In a second phase, Barcelona Wi-Fi will expand to municipal markets and the port, as well as becoming consolidated in the city’s public spaces as a major access point to the information society.

The steady drip of technological initiatives for use on public transport is never-ending. Most of them are invisible to the general public, but they are very necessary for the management of the network of metros, trams and buses moving around Barcelona. Others are aimed directly at public transport users.

The municipal public transport company (TMB), which is responsible for all the different modes of public transport in the city, offers its users a whole raft of apps to improve their travelling experience: information on routes, service alerts, network maps and route planners are just some of the most noteworthy services for regular commuters. When it comes to tourism, Barcelona Bus Turístic Virtual is an enhanced reality app that makes the very most of a visit to the city. At some bus stops there are also information panels with real-time forecasts of bus arrivals, and NFC labels and QR codes are starting to be distributed to offer complementary information.

TMB offers its users a whole raft of apps to improve their travelling experience

2,1 km

3,4 km

5,6 km

The steady drip of technological initiatives for use on public transport is never-ending. Most of them are invisible to the general public, but they are very necessary for the management of the network of metros, trams and buses moving around Barcelona

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AN EVENT OF

The mobile communications revolution is driving the world's major technology breakthroughs. From wearable devices to connected cars and homes, mobile technology is at the heart of worldwide innovation. As an industry, we are connecting billions of men and women to the transformative power of the Internet and mobilising every device that we use in our daily lives. The 2015 GSMA Mobile World Congress will convene industry leaders, visionaries and innovators to explore the trends that will shape mobile in the years ahead. We’ll see you in Barcelona at The Edge of Innovation.

WWW.MOBILEWORLDCONGRESS.COM

Four years is the critical timescale. It’s the time it takes for a project to consolidate itself. It’s the time you need to meet up again with someone and realise that you’re completely different people. It’s the time for discovering how much technology has changed. “It’s a good exercise to look back at how things were four years ago and see how back then it was unimaginable that WhatsApp would become an essential means of communication,” says Aleix Valls.

Aleix Valls is the director of 4 Years From Now (4YFN), an international mobile entrepreneurs’ meeting which will be held for the second time between 2 and 5 March 2015 within the framework of the Mobile World Congress. 4YFN intends to look ahead towards a future which, according to Valls, “will be led by entrepreneurs.” This business and networking platform which last year doubled its space to 8,000 m2 is aimed at start-ups, investors and also end buyers. Over this period, “the entire mobile industry is here in Barcelona and that helps start-ups to sell their products.”

4 years from now:discover the future

is the time it takes for a project to become consolidated

Disruptedby mobile

4YFNDigitalMedia

Internetof things

4years

An international mobile entrepreneurs’ meeting within the Mobile World Congress

4YFN is structured around three cornerstones that will articulate technological innovation in the coming years: ‘Disrupted by Mobile’, ‘Digital Media’ and the ‘Internet of Things’. For each of these core themes there will be a competition for start-ups to present their projects. ‘Disrupted by Mobile’ is centred on new paradigms in industries which, like advertising or music, are experiencing changes that are closely related to new consumer habits. ‘Digital Media’ explores new ways of generating and consuming content. The third cornerstone, the ‘Internet of Things’, revolves around objects: wearables, 3D printing technologies and smart systems are just a few examples of what the internet can represent when it makes the leap from the digital world to the real world.

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When Telefónica, at that time the company with the state monopoly on telephone communications, decided to open a department dedicated to R+D, more than 25 years ago, everything was very different. Desktop computers were just making their way into homes, Microsoft was readying version 3.0 of Windows and for anyone outside the realm of academia and technology the internet was just science fiction. Back then, innovation was a material science: people experimented in mechanical laboratories where they tested out new models of electronic circuits.

All that has now changed. Today, innovation means software and data. Society needs new tools that facilitate more and better communication, sharing experiences and setting up social networks… with technology as the key. The company’s R+D centre in Barcelona (with more than 200 people spearheading the company’s global innovation) is responsible for developing big data, the Internet of Things and open innovation projects.

But nowadays technology companies operate in a volatile environment. New advances threaten to make things that were essential yesterday obsolete, and every innovation adds layers of complexity. Some say that a traditional business would take six months to develop an idea which a start-up, with a much more agile structure, could develop in six weeks. If it doesn’t play its cards right, a major company could very easily become a giant with clay feet.

When a start-up teaches a giant: Telefónica R&D, a ‘lean’ elephant

In this respect, Telefónica R+D stands out as an exemplary company. It estimates that it has managed to increase the number of innovation projects by 45% while reducing the average investment per project by 48%. It has done this by applying to a major corporation a concept that many technological entrepreneurs understand very well: the lean concept.

The fundamental idea of lean management is to reduce the total risk while increasing the granularity of projects undertaken and minimizing the cost of failure. In other words, starting small and aiming high: this means that failure will be cheap and, with luck, you will have learnt something that will help you do it better next time round. Companies that operate using lean parameters often start out with an intensive testing process on the aspects that represent the highest risk. The idea is to achieve a validated knowledge which will allow, from a very early phase of the project, certain ideas to be discarded in order to focus on others.

The challenges involved in applying lean methodologies to a company of the size of Telefónica and the way the company deals with them were explained in a paper published in May 2014 entitled, very significantly, Lean Elephants. Addressing the Innovation Challenge in Big Companies. The results speak for themselves: with 87 patents registered in 2012, Telefónica has positioned itself as the second source of innovation in Spain, only surpassed by CSIC. From its eye-catching headquarters on Avinguda Diagonal, right next to the Forum area, multidisciplinary teams of engineers, designers and business experts cooperate with external partners from various backgrounds – from chef Ferran Adrià to young designers who create interactive systems with Arduino. All of them are involved in researching the new possibilities of the internet.

Society needs new tools that help us to communicate more and better, share experiences, form social networks...

learn

buildmeasure

ideasdata

product

The company’s R+D centre in Barcelona develops big data, the Internet of Things and open innovation projects

| 2322 |


XAVIER BALIUSBiomechanic

“Before the Olympic Games start (Barcelona ’92) you need to give us a hand,” he was told by the managers of the Catalan government’s General Sports Secretariat. Back in the early Nineties, Balius was working in the USA, where he studied Biomechanics, but decided to return home to take on the position of manager of the Science, Medicine and Technology Unit of the High Performance Sports Centre.

Around 500 sportspeople benefit from facilities designed to achieve excellence, and yet “the centre is one of the few in the world that also has a residence, a high school and a medical service.” To guarantee the athletes’ integral training, the centre monitors and checks their health, and is a “pioneer in implementing an interdisciplinary model. We assign a coordinator to each trainer to manage the activities of the other professionals and really ensure a synergy of energies.” They even have agreements with local hotels because this is the centre of choice for many international federations who come here to train, also attracted by their technology, “such as our system of video cameras for monitoring synchronized swimming.”

ROSA PARDINAEntrepreneur

The paradigm of a woman who has managed to start all over again from scratch, and without letting age get in the way. Having tasted success at the age of just 30 with the development of generic drugs, she then lost her company. Years later, in 2009, she founded OneDose Pharma, the world’s first pharmaceutical industry laboratory to commercialize medicines in single doses. This CEO is clear on the need to focus on innovation, “along with knowledge of the market, its shortfalls and the viability of your product. That’s why I studied pharmaceutical law.”

She has managed to create a product that is sustainable both in economic and environmental terms, “which envisages self-medication and represents a saving of 24% by avoiding unnecessary doses.” A system which, above and beyond business interests, is committed to benefitting people and the health system. “The governments of Chile and Colombia are interested as it reduces many costs which are later passed on to their citizens.” These single doses cost the same, are easy to open, colour-coded, written in Braille and packaged in Barcelona by the Dau Foundation, which specializes in job placement. Pardina also organises dinners at her home for foreign visitors (www.barcelonaeatinghome.com).

PROFILESText Txell BonetPhotos Lo-Peix

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LUIS CODERA PUZOComposer and musician

Luis Codera is regarded as one of the “top up-and-coming young composers” by the prestigious Ernst von Siemens Foundation, which awarded him a grant of 35,000 euros earlier this year. “I’m using it to buy time so I can carry on doing research, developing my musical ideas and recording an album.” Having previously received scholarships from the National Council of Culture and Arts of Catalonia, the Ministry of Culture and Education of Catalonia, the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst, the Hoepfner Foundation, the Christoph-und-Stephan-Kaske-Stiftung Foundation and the French Ministry of Culture, Codera Puzo has lived in Berlin, Karlsruhe and Basel. He has now returned to Barcelona, “where things are changing in the world of contemporary music, with bolder programming.” His most serious undertaking is directing the group Crossing Lines which plays his compositions in Catalonia and internationally. “The creative standard here is excellent, musicians are really well trained, which is partly as a result of the open minds of the Esmuc. Everything is in place for audiences to be able to enjoy this music. Institutions need to understand this moment and not fall short of the level of involvement required.”

CECILIA THAMEntrepreneur

Originally from Macau, the founder of MOB (Makers of Barcelona) is an architect and designer who graduated from Harvard, as well as an entrepreneur. Her personal urge to share her interests and ideas with other professionals led her to establish this space of 1,000 m² for co-working. Her charismatic nature has managed to galvanize a group of talents from different disciplines, “a really enriching and inspiring community which gives rise to some unprecedented creations.” More than 200 partners, including architects, designers and computer technicians, participate in the “philosophy of never setting any boundaries, taking advantage of information society tools and putting them into action in the production of personalized creations.” This is why there is also a Fab Café open to the general public with a 3D printer, an engraver and a laser cutter, a bitcoin dispenser and the HQ of a collaborative consumers’ cooperative. They organize cultural events for every audience type, some of which are associated with Google or Mozilla. What makes them special are the visiting student programmes for students from the universities of Calgary and Mondragon “because I believe some really interesting synergies can be created.”

DEFYING THE DEEPText Irene Pujadas

Illustrations Diego Marmolejo

Even though it represents more than 70% of the Earth’s total surface area, the sea bed continues to be an impenetrable mystery for humankind even now. It is impenetrable for purely technical reasons: the technology we possess has only

allowed us to explore between 2% and 5% of all the oceans and seas. The creation of ‘Ictineu III’, a private scientific submarine with the world’s greatest submersion

capacity, could help to enrich scientific knowledge about this unfathomable, unknown quantity

“When we decided to build a submarine we also decided to build the best one ever,” asserts Pere Forès, the project’s mastermind along with Carme Parareda and Miquel Àngel Rodríguez. And in no way does the Ictineu III skimp on quality. The submersible combines an attractive design with a number of technical features that have earned it the endorsement of one of the world’s leading certification bodies, the prestigious DNV GL. The lithium ion batteries, which accounted for more than 20% of the project’s total budget, were bought by multinationals and the project has even attracted the attention of the US Navy. They have also managed to significantly reduce the submarine’s weight: normally a sub designed for this depth would weigh between 8.5 and 14 tonnes, but the lightweight Ictineu III weighs in at only 5.5 tonnes.

Forès assures us that “at congresses they tell us it’s the most beautiful submarine in the world.” This is in no way flippant: the comfort and user-friendliness of the Ictineu make the crew members more relaxed and so they consume less oxygen. Moreover, its hydrodynamic shape makes it faster and more able to avoid currents and nets. The design, created by Pere Forès, is innovative when compared to the classic concept of a submarine’s structure. Here, every component is attached to the fairing which has saved having to use a series of titanium layers that would have greatly increased the weight. For all these reasons Karl Stanley, a renowned submarine constructor with a global reputation, has said that the Ictineu III represents a watershed in the world of submarine design.

In the mid-19th century, Narcís Monturiol invented the first crewed, self-powered submarines: Ictineu I (1859) and Ictineu II (1864). Taking up the mantle of the celebrated Catalan engineer, the company Ictineu SL has built one of the most modern submersibles in the world. Conceived for the purposes of science and knowledge, Ictineu III is a small, practical and transportable vehicle with an immersion capacity of 1,200 metres and boasts significant advances in respect of energy consumption, power and manoeuvrability.


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Discount*+Tax Free Refund

Visit our stores** and enjoy tourist privileges

2625000000003*Offer not combined with other offers/promotions. Valid from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015.**Participant stores: Condal (Condal, 9), Ramblas 136, Ramblas 140, Arcs ( Arcs, 10), Passeig de Gracia (Paseo de Gracia, 47), Ferran 51 (Ferran, 51 – 53), Ferran Sant Jaume (Plaça Sant Jaume, 3), Joan de Borbó (Joan de Borbò, 57), Maremagnum I (Maremagnum. Local 32/33), Maremagnum II (Maremagnum. Local 104), Argenteria (Argenteria 65), Plaça Comercial Born (Plaça Comercial, 6), Nova Bocana (Passeig Mare Nostrum, 15), Cucurulla (Cucurulla, 1-3), Plaça Catalunya (Plaza Catalunya, 9), Diagonal Mar (C.C. Diagonal Mar. Local 2560. Avda Diagonal,3).

Narcís Monturiol (1819-1885) was the creator of Ictineu I (1859) and Ictineu II (1864), the world’s first truly functioning submarines. Indeed, some say that Ictineu II was the best submarine of the entire 19th century. His Essay on the Art of Navigating Underwater (1891), which solved numerous technical questions, was translated and imitated by the world’s great powers. Astute, observant and determined, Narcís Monturiol is considered one of the pioneers of submarine navigation. In this respect, the aim of Ictineu SL is to continue investigating the legacy and technical achievements of this eminent Catalan engineer.

Narcís Monturiol


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Marine and submarine institutions have come to Barcelona from all over the world to check out the landmarks achieved within the framework of this project. These include organizations of the stature of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) from the USA, the French research institute Ifremer and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (Jamstec).

Ictineu III is a private project yet has a clear vocation for public service; it has been built to contribute to scientific research. Submarines are actually very useful in the field of medical research in that the seabed is a treasure trove of unknown organisms that might provide cures for diseases such as cancer. There are also organisms on the Earth’s surface, but most of these have already been discovered.

After more than 90,000 hours in development, the third Ictineu is now a reality. The outcome of a desire to see a job well done aligned with soaring ambition is a high quality scientific submarine that combines an attractive design with optimal technical features, thereby attracting the attention of the international submarine industry. “Our greatest success is to have got this far,” says Pere Forès. But the journey has only just begun.

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MIRIAM PONSAHaving won five awards at 080, she believes that “on the catwalk you create your own atmosphere to make it your own. It’s like an outpouring of the collection and it helps to explain the history behind it.” Yet Miriam puts an emphasis on the everyday work in her atelier, in the former textile factory that her great-grandfather founded in 1886, where her designs are made up, dyed, pressed, labelled and distributed. “In Catalonia you find very high quality and fairer working conditions than in other countries.” Nine years ago she opened a boutique in the Born district where 80% of her customers are foreign. Now, along with Josep Abril, Txell Miras, Andrea Ayala and Cristina Corres, she has opened a boutique in the Marais district in Paris. “In the fashion world it’s important to form partnerships, to support each other. In our case, we’ve found that this approach provides feedback and enriches us creatively.”

Text

Txell Bonet

Photos Txema Salvans

The 080 Barcelona Fashion Show provides an umbrella for new generations of independent designers who have inherited the city’s long-standing bond with the world of fashion. Having started in the spring of 2008, it is much more than just a showcase for innovative collections. The biannual event is being held for the fifteenth time this February, having established itself as a platform for promoting international synergies between industry, the media and up-and-coming creative talents. We look back at the event with its four last winners

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MARTINEZ LIERAHThe firm of Daniel Lierah and Arturo Martínez is deeply rooted in Barcelona. The two of them both chose to study fashion; Arturo, from the fourth generation of Alicante shoemakers from Elda, at the Felicidad Duce Higher School of Fashion Design, and Daniel, on a scholarship from his native Mexico, at the Elisava School. “To us, Barcelona seemed a really modern city. It made my style more sophisticated and it gives you wings to be more ground-breaking”, says Lierah. Later on, they set up a studio and showroom in Paris, but their company is domiciled in Barcelona and they manufacture their clothes in a workshop just a few kilometres outside the city in Palau de Plegamans. “Paris is saturated with ideas and coming to 080 has given us an identity.” For clients from Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Kuwait and Dubai “it has given us credibility. The catwalk shows are so professionally run that they work like a business card for us.”

JOSEP ABRILHe’s been a regular at 080 as well as a fixture in the Catalan fashion world since he founded his own brand back in 1996. “It all started when I was studying sculpture at the School of Fine Arts and I started making my own clothes.” He even ended up making the costumes for the operas by the Fura dels Baus in Sydney and showing on the international catwalks in Paris when he was creative director of Armand Basi’s men’s collections. Being very familiar with these platforms, he thinks that 080 “has the best casting in the world when it comes to models, we could never do it on our own.” Though happy to have opened a store in Paris with other Catalan designers, he loves creating here in the city. “Barcelona is a city that attracts people and it lets us travel without having to move.” He produces his garments in Catalonia because “as an independent designer, you have to be meticulous with your product. We’re not so bound by trends.”

BRAIN&BEAST“The thing we most like about 080 is its venues, the fact that it uses some of the city’s most iconic buildings. It’s the platform that first saw us emerge and this is where we want to be, putting the Barcelona name on our label.” Thus speaks Angel Vilda who, with César Olivar and Verónica Rasposo, founded this fun, colourful brand which features numerous unisex pieces. “We love going round the city and seeing people wearing our clothes.” Even so, their boutique in the Born district has a very international clientele, especially Asian and Scandinavian customers, “who love the fact that our workshop is right above the store. Traditionally, and still today, Barcelona is a benchmark of design at numerous levels: fashion, furniture, graphic arts and even signage. As the fashion director at IDEP, I’ve noticed that a large percentage of the students come here from abroad for this very reason.”

Contemporary Catalan fashion has its roots in its long-standing textile industry. In the early 20th century, bespoke tailors started to appear who, over the years, established acclaimed haute couture ateliers. Examples include El Dique Flotante and Santa Eulalia, who put on the first catwalk shows in the 1920s. The 1940s was the decade when dressmakers became designers, such as Asunción Bastida and Pedro Rodríguez, who dressed Ava Gardner, Kim Novak and Bette Davis. Above all, it was the time of Manuel Pertegaz who, having worked in a tailor’s shop as a teenager, opened his own atelier in Barcelona in 1942. Having established himself as a master of haute couture, he refused an offer to move to Paris in 1957 to take over the House of Dior after Christian Dior’s sudden death. His many famous clients included Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy.

The Pioneers


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Text Borja Barbesà

It’s possible for very worthwhile initiatives to emerge from the convergence of new technologies and issues of social concern. Vincles BCN, set up to alleviate the isolation of the elderly, has even seduced New York where the Bloomberg

Philanthropies foundation has awarded it first prize among more than 150 candidates; no less than five million euros to implement the project

The Essential Network

Barcelona City Council

Day Centre

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When approaching the final chapter of life, an unpalatable reality quite often rears its head: when you’re old, there’s nothing worse than loneliness. This is true not only at an emotional and motivational level but also at a practical one; there are many things that very elderly people just can’t do for themselves.

In a society like ours, in which life expectancy is increasing and with it the number of senior citizens, it’s important to take advantage of the opportunities presented by new technologies. This is the challenge addressed by Vincles BCN, a project that creates, according to its director Josep Maria Miró, “a network of trust around the senior citizen.” Every registered user can access, via a programme installed on a tablet or mobile device, all the people around them who might be of assistance. These could be family members or friends who live elsewhere, as well as neighbours, social workers, health workers or even the nearest baker. A group of eight, nine or up to ten people, the more diverse the better, who, with different levels of involvement, share the care of the elderly person and can be contacted by that person through the system should the need arise. They can make calls, send and receive multimedia content, share a calendar – for example, for medical appointments – or transfer money easily and securely.

Josep Maria Miró is the most visible face of Vincles BCN as director of ‘Social Innovation Projects for Quality of Life, Equality and Sport’ for the local council. He explains that the project has been underway for more than a year: “right from the start it was obvious that it was a scheme with great potential.” The main impetus, however, came from New York. Last September, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the foundation chaired by ex-mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced that it would provide funding of five million euros to develop and implement the initiative. This is

a direct result of Vincles BCN winning the Mayors Challenge 2014, a competition that encourages citizens to come up with innovative ideas to tackle the main challenges posed by the modern world. Barcelona’s proposal was chosen from 155 submissions.

At the end of 2014, Vincles BCN was tested using a pilot scheme of twenty users. This year it has been expanded to 200 people and next year there will be an intermediate cap of 2,000 users before the complete expansion envisaged for 2017, when 20,000 networks will be established. “Each of these phases has its own particular challenges”, explains Miró, who says modestly that “this is nothing too revolutionary, it’s a sort of private Facebook between friends, family and social agencies, and it needs to be made simple and easy to use for people who are unfamiliar with this type of technology.” The scheme provides a free tablet connected to the internet for those who don’t have one, which will be free of charge for people below a certain income threshold which is yet to be established.

The main European capital cities predict 25% of the population will be over 65 by 2040. The success of initiatives such as Vincles BCN and its possible introduction in other cities might open up new and essential doors to one of the most complex and, regrettably, unpublicized challenges facing society: managing the wellbeing of the elderly.

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Basic operational details of the online platform

CONNECT

With the whole network, with subgroups of family and friends, or individually and privately with any member. You can connect by writing, audio, video, live chat or messaging.

CALENDAR

Manage and share dates to remember: times of visits from Social Services and appointments with doctors and physiotherapists, amongst others.

SAFE DEPOSIT BOX

There is also the option of creating a safe deposit box in which to keep essential documents securely to have them on hand whenever necessary. Access is limited to the elderly person and an assigned carer.

MONITORING

The user’s health can be monitored using parameters such as weight, amount of exercise or blood pressure levels so that alarms are triggered if the prescribed parameters are exceeded.

ADVICE

Training and support for users and their network to improve areas such as healthy living habits and money management.

CONTRIBUTEAND CELEBRATE

Post, for example, specific needs or requests for assistance, create ‘to do’ lists, and also share stories and photos with the whole network on a more celebratory and recreational basis.

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Telecare Assistance Service

Home Care Service

Up to ten people, with differing levels of involvement, create a network of trust around a senior citizen based on a computer app

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Rather than a burst of inspiration, good ideas often emerge from a capacity for observation, from an analysis of something that already exists. In this particular case, two architectural students thought that the balconies of the Raval district deserved something more effective and aesthetically pleasing than the plastic blinds used by residents to protect their hanging laundry. The answer, perhaps, was not in anything revolutionary but rather something rooted in the traditional cord-operated blinds. But ones that would ‘fall’ better. The new geometry of the slats proposed by Pau Sarquella and Diana Usón meant that when the blind was extended they would overlap like a tiled roof, letting through the air but not the rain or water from the balcony above.

With these and other innovations, some of them aesthetic, they won the Racons Públics competition in 2009 (Public Corners) for which the FAD – the association that promotes design and architecture in Catalonia’s economic and cultural spheres – invites people to send in ideas for small interventions in overlooked corners of the city. Their concept gave a dual benefit: on the one hand, it improved the home’s ventilation and sun protection, while on the other it upgraded the look of the façade with something that integrated harmoniously with the general aesthetic of the city. And that is how Persiana Barcelona came about. It was then a case of conceptualizing it as a commercial product, which was eventually launched in 2014.

Text Borja BarbesàPhotos Joan Guillamat

Wood slat blinds are a natural part of the urban landscape of Barcelona and the Mediterranean. Around such a seemingly trivial object, a whole ritual of use has sprung up based on a modest yet essential piece of everyday engineering. Taking a traditional, deep-rooted feature, improving it and adding new functionalities, while at the same time upholding its unique identity, is what Persiana Barcelona has achieved

“In just over six months we’ve sold between 800 and 900 square metres of blinds. Bearing in mind that we’ve only just started and the size of the business, that’s not bad going,” explains Sarquella. One thing is certain, and that is that the attractive range of colours they have created, in twelve shades, has helped this promising start up. Eight of the colours are inspired by and named after iconic examples of Modernism in Barcelona, so you’ll find Milà green, Vicens beige, Batlló green and Planells brown.

It’s a blind and hence intended for use on exterior windows, but its creators did not want to restrict its use to the original idea: “we want to promote it as an interior design feature… to create a false ceiling, as a space divider… and also as a pergola for a garden or terrace, as it’s a much warmer material than plastic or canvas.” At the moment, in this respect, they have installed blinds in public spaces such as a restaurant in Lanzarote Airport where it is used as a false ceiling. From the façades of the Raval district to the world!

Pau Sarquella and Diana Usón at the exhibition that Vinçon dedicated to Persiana Barcelona during 2014

Installation at the last Flower Festival (Temps de Flors) in Girona

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E x p e r i e n c e o n e c i t y . D i s c o v e r 1 Ø

Part of the attractive colour range is inspired by the iconic Modernist buildings of Barcelona

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Situated in the 22@ technology district of Barcelona, the OAE offers a centralized series of services which include company start-ups, financial advice, staff searches,

internationalization, business changeovers, localization, growth and innovation.The creation of this space, supported by the City Council, comes in response to Barcelona’s

determination to establish itself as a business-friendly city capable of dealing with the needs of entrepreneurs and companies in a fast and simple way.

The OAE is based on the ground floor of the unique building that houses the Barcelona Growth Centre which is also the head office of the Mobile World Capital Foundation, the

Cybernarium and the research centre of the Open University of Catalonia. For this reason, the option of using Espai Barcelona was a particularly attractive one: an area open to

local and international companies where you can organize presentations to clients and corporate meetings.

The 900 m2 of the OAE, set to become the home of business, will also host investment forums, marketplaces, sector meetings and networking sessions.

The home of business

Text Jonàs SensósPhotos Barcelona Activa

If we follow Demosthenes’ maxim, according to whom small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises, we should keep a very close eye on what the brand-new

Enterprise Service Office (Oficina d’Atenció a l’Empresa; OAE) has to offer, a space dedicated to providing information, advice and other services for companies

The Enterprise Service Office is housed in the Barcelona Growth Centre building

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ALPINE SKIING

Recommended resort: La MolinaDistance from Barcelona: 153 kmSense of immersion in nature: moderateSense of adventure: moderateTechnical difficulty: averagePhysical difficulty: average

The winter sport par excellence, Alpine or downhill skiing is synonymous with snow for most people. The ease of access, the range of different options depending on your personal skill, the wide variety of ski resorts and the excellent quality of après-ski services have consolidated downhill skiing as the most widely-practiced winter sport. Like anything this popular, it hasn’t come about by chance. The adrenaline that’s released as you fly down the slopes, testing your skills to the limit, is worth the odd queue at the chair lift.

Very close to Barcelona, the Pyrenees offer a wide variety of Alpine ski resorts. One of the most traditional, and the closest to the city, is La Molina.

Text Iñaki BarcoIllustrations Miquel Tura Rigamonti

The hustle and bustle of urban life has many plusses: cosmopolitan diversity, direct access to knowledge hubs, proximity to centres of influence, the unlimited array of cultural and leisure attractions… yet despite all this, each winter, with a greater or lesser frequency and intensity, nearly every urbanite feels the lure of the piste.

Barcelona has the rare virtue of offering the most vibrant urban life along with access to a vast array of natural oases within a radius of barely two hundred kilometres. In the asphalt jungle, the winter is a mild one. Yet close at hand, with the infinite patience of geological time and the power of magnets, week after week, the snow attracts squadrons of skiers thirsting for action.

Depending on their interests, experience, physical fitness, knowledge, company or taste for adventure, everyone devises their own plan. There are numerous very different skiing options within easy reach of Barcelona

THE LURE OF THE PISTES

NORDIC SKIING

Recommended resort: Tuixent – La VansaDistance from Barcelona: 150 kmSense of immersion in nature: highSense of adventure: moderateTechnical difficulty: lowPhysical difficulty: medium

Like all Olympic disciplines, when taken to a competitive level Nordic skiing is highly demanding both technically and physically. Having said that, in the realm of amateurs you don’t need to have any prior knowledge to enjoy Nordic skiing from the very first moment you strap on your skis. Skimming along amid the silence of snow-laden trees is an experience that enraptures everyone who tries it. Plus the comfort and lightness of the material has helped to make this skiing option more and more popular. Even so, it is still a relatively minority activity which guarantees a wonderful experience in relatively unspoilt, unpopulated surroundings.

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SKI MOUNTAINEERING

Recommended resort: Vallter 2000Distance from Barcelona: 154 kmSense of immersion in nature: highSense of adventure: highTechnical difficulty: highPhysical difficulty: high

People who do ski mountaineering are generally from two different disciplines: expert downhill skiers and mountaineers. The former have tasted the joys of off-piste skiing and long for the big descent on fresh snow. The latter, regular practitioners of mountain-based pursuits, realize that in winter it is only on skis that one of the mountain’s most authentic facets can be fully appreciated. All of them agree on one thing: once you’ve tasted it, you’re an addict for life.

In ski mountaineering you climb and descend the mountain on skis. On the ascent, you fasten synthetic sealskin to the underside of the skis. On the descent, like off-piste skiing, it’s all about the fresh snow and the adrenaline rush. Even so, it’s a challenging, high-risk sport which calls for skiing expertise as well as knowledge of meteorology, the snow pack and first aid.

There are various routes from the Vallter 2000 resort which are relatively accessible and very traditional: the ascent to Bastiments or the cross-country route to Mantet. If this is your first time, we recommend you book the services of a professional mountain guide.

A day never ends in Barcelona without a little big discovery. Curious, creative, captivating and committed, Barcelona boasts one of the best European science parks in the field of research today. Its cutting-edge medical resources, local and international talent and quality of life, make it an important reference point and benchmark for the entire scientific community. A breakthrough discovery.

4th EUROPEAN CITY IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.Source:Polytechnic University of Catalonia.

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“IN BARCELONA YOU DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY”

HELI SKIING

Recommended resort: VielhaDistance from Barcelona: 288 kmSense of immersion in nature: highSense of adventure: highTechnical difficulty: highPhysical difficulty: average

The convenience of ski slopes and their chair lifts plus the adrenaline rush of downhill skiing plus the solitude of Nordic skiing. This winning combination is heli-skiing: soaring over the big peaks in a helicopter and tackling infinite solitary downhill slopes of virgin snow. This practice started out in Canada around the mid-1960s and little by little spread around the world. Not too far from Barcelona, you can practice this extreme sport in the Vall d’Aran in a skiable area of some 400 km2 for a maximum of 20 privileged skiers to enjoy at any one time.

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This year, 2015, is the International Year of Light. To coincide with this event, the Llum BCN festival is scheduling activities for 6, 7, 8 and 12 February in a number of locations. Students from schools of design, architecture and lighting will be filling the mediaeval patios of the old quarter with innovative ideas, transforming them into magical places in which to immerse yourself. Their creations have made Santa Eulàlia weep tears of ice, transformed the horizon into dancing light, created windows in solid walls, changed a patio into a submerged garden or made it go on a thrilling journey through time. This year there will be around a dozen locations to visit.

One of the other big attractions of the festival is the projection of images onto the façade of the Town Hall and other iconic buildings in the city (La Pedrera and Casa Batlló). The Plaça Sant Jaume is thus transformed into an open air cinema where you can admire even more spectacular mappings than those projected onto the council’s headquarters during the Mercè, the city’s main festival that takes place in the autumn. A farm, a trip to the moon, a magical house, a disco or the fruits of an exchange of ideas with the city of Stockholm are just some of the scenes you can enjoy there.

Finally, between each of the light displays there are three possible routes to take through the Gothic Quarter, each of them fascinating and full of surprises, with side activities taking place at points along the way. It all adds up to Llum BCN being a dazzling event during which Barcelona will doubtlessly experience its brightest night.

Text Helena Martínez GuimetPhotos Pere Albiac

Design, technology and poetic creativity. For the fourth consecutive year these are the concepts behind Llum BCN, Barcelona’s Festival of Light, which coincides

with the Saint Eulàlia celebrations. Patios and nooks of the Gothic Quarter become sculptures of moving light, night games that reshape the architecture

and create imaginative mirages through mapping on the facade of the Town Hall. A unique offering that has been growing steadily year on year

The brightest night

1. The Ciutadella Park is one of the epicentres of Llum BCN 2. The Memory of the Mirror in the Convent of St Augustine3. The Way to the Gate guides visitors on a stroll through the Ciutadella Park4. Contribution of the students of the Theatre Institute at the Palau Finestres, now part of the Picasso Museum

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Text Josep SucarratsPhotos Carles Allende & Enrique Marco OK, the title isn’t ours. We’ve appropriated it with the

permission of the Californian food writer Colman Andrews – author of ‘Catalan Cuisine: Europe’s Last Great Culinary Secret’. Strolling through Barcelona, we’re assailed on all sides by Asian, Peruvian and Mexican restaurants (the latest trend) as well as noteworthy exponents of local avant-garde cuisine. But is there no Catalan cuisine to be found in the Catalan capital? You bet there is. Here are some suggestions for where you can taste ‘mar i muntanya’ (surf ’n’turf) or Barcelona-style cannelloni. In a city so enamoured of modern cuisine, tradition is the secret ingredient which, like Colman Andrews, you didn’t expect to discover.

T H E L A S TC U L I N E R Y

Petit Comitè Freixa Tradició Gaig Sergi de Meià

Pork and poultry are the most important meats in the Catalan larder

PETIT COMITÈThe ideologies guiding this restaurant were already in evidence in 2008 when Barcelona lacked benchmark establishments serving Catalan haute cuisine. Petit Comitè opened with the aim of filling that gap. Today it is managed by Nandu Jubany, the chef who won a Michelin star for the restaurant he ran in the province of Osona, in Catalonia’s interior. Jubany is renowned as one of the leading exponents of contemporary Catalan cuisine based on traditional origins. While it’s true that his cannelloni are acclaimed, so are his rice dishes. Petit Comitè’s menu features creamy rice with red prawns and cuttlefish, rice with baby squid and padrón peppers, and dry senyoret rice (with sea cucumber, prawns, monkfish and squid).

Truffles, free-range eggs and pork are three of the chef’s staples. His effortless pig’s trotters – in other words, deboned – stuffed with confit of duck, apricots and pine-nuts, are a clear example of one of those dishes with echoes of a bygone age yet with a highly evolved recipe. The essence of Petit Comitè’s Catalan cuisine is at times presented in a genuinely authentic way and at others with innovative formulas that mirror traditional methods.

Passatge de la Concepció, 13. 08008 Barcelona Tel. 93 550 06 20www.petitcomite.cat

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SERGI DE MEIÀThis has been one of the culinary revelations this year in Barcelona. The restaurant’s eponymous chef, Sergi de Meià, was already recognised for his commitment to promoting high quality produce —he is closely involved in the Slow Food movement—and using popular homespun recipes as the basis for his culinary creations. In his tiny restaurant, with the feel of a traditional Catalan country house in miniature, he exploits these criteria to the full: his motto is “uncomplicated Catalan cuisine and 100% local”. To achieve this he has signed up Adelaida, his mother, who had been a cook years ago and knows very well what dishes used to be served in the region’s hostelries.

Some of these can be found today at Sergi de Meià: pig’s trotters, seafood rice, game dishes, wild mushrooms... if you love fish, try a suquet – a Catalan version of bouillabaisse – made with the day’s market-fresh catch. Obviously, you’re going to find the fish in this casserole absolutely delicious. But the best things are the humble potatoes hidden in the dish’s sauce which condense all the flavours of this most Mediterranean of dishes.

Aribau, 106. 08036 Barcelona Tel. 931 25 57 10 www.restaurantsergidemeia.cat

FREIXA TRADICIÓFor many years, working from the same premises in the Sant Gervasi district, chef Ramon Freixa has been responsible for one of Barcelona’s most avant-garde menus. But the talent of this chef – who has been awarded two Michelin stars – is to travel, and today he can go to Colombia passing through Madrid without ever leaving his home city. Here he has left his father, Josep Maria, in charge of the kitchen and his mother Dori dispensing her savoir faire in the dining room. Along with them, he has transformed a family establishment into a benchmark restaurant for traditional Catalan cuisine. His father has passed on all his know-how acquired over decades as a chef in the top classical restaurants of Catalonia’s interior. The menu at Freixa Tradició reads like a précis of the best traditional recipes.

If you want to know about cooking Catalan-style macaroni – with the juice of roasted meat and never al dente – this is where they make the very best. You’ll find poultry – like the super-traditional rolled free-range chicken stuffed with prunes – along with local eccentricities such as surf’n’turf – a combination of meat and fish on the same plate: in this case delicious calamari stuffed with meat. And obviously there are dishes featuring cod, for centuries the most widely eaten fish in Catalonia, often accompanied with samfaina, the Catalan version of ratatouille.

Sant Elies, 22. 08006 BarcelonaTel. 93 209 75 59 www.freixatradicio.com

The ideologies guiding this restaurant were already in evidence in 2008 when Barcelona lacked benchmark establishments serving Catalan haute cuisine. Petit Comitè opened with the aim of filling that gap

Cod is the most widely eaten fish in Catalonia’s inland provinces

Fish stews are typical of the Mediterranean area and in Catalonia they are known as ‘suquets’

Barcelona discovered Italian cuisine in the 19th century but such is its integration that today it seems as if cannelloni have always been made here

GAIGNo other chef represents the essence of Barcelona’s cuisine more than Carles Gaig. Having descended from a long line of restaurateurs – his family’s first tavern was opened in 1869 – his restaurant brings together avant-garde creations that he has spent 20 years developing along with the recipes handed down by his forebears: mother, grandmother and great grandmother. In recognition of this duality, difficult to find in any other restaurant in the world, the Michelin Guide has awarded it one of its stars.

We suggest you go there to taste such typically Catalan dishes as cod fritters, pig’s trotters with salsify, tripe and capipota casserole (literally head and trotters!), or his cardinal-style macaroni. That said, if there is one dish has made Carles Gaig famous, it is his Barcelona-style cannelloni, a dish that Catalans prepare when celebrating special holidays – especially St Stephen’s Day which falls the day after Christmas. The pasta tubes are packed with a mixture of three meats – beef, chicken and pork – covered with béchamel sauce and then gratinated. The assumption is that they originated in Italy, but Catalan grandmothers will convince you that they’ve always really come from here.

Còrsega, 200. 08036 Barcelona Tel. 93 429 10 17 / 93 453 20 20 www.restaurantgaig.com

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For over 50 years the iconic owl created by Rótulos Roura has looked down on the traffic at the crossroads of Diagonal with the Passeig Sant Joan

Designed by Mariscal, this giant prawn with lobster claws is one of the icons of the revamped portside promenade

In 1993, poet Joan Brossa decided to crown the new façade of the Chartered Surveyors’ Association with El Llagost (The Locust), a creature that symbolises wisdom for the Indian cultures of Mexico

Casa Fajol is a Modernist building designed by architect Josep Graner Prat, at 20, Carrer de Llançà

After several years of wandering the city streets, the cat by Colombian sculptor Fernando Botero seems to have settled definitively on the Rambla del Raval

The Ciutadella Park, which houses the Parliament of Catalonia and the Barcelona Zoo, is also home to numerous wildlife references

The symbol of Barcelona’s seafront, the golden fish by Canadian architect Frank Gehry stands next to the Olympic Marina

Standing in the Excorxador Park, the Woman and Bird sculpture was created by Joan Miró

The dragon by Basque sculptor Andrés Nagel watches over the northern entrance to the Parc de l’Espanya Industrial in the Sants district

In his poem L’Atlàntida, Jacint Verdaguer described how a dragon watched over the Garden of the Hesperides, which inspired Gaudí to create the Güell pavilions in Pedralbes

Live! / Innovation / Knowledge / Meeting Point / Sports

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Barcelona inspires

A selection of the main meetings, events and showstaking place in the city

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Arissa. Shade and the PhotographerOne of the most eminent exponents of the avant-garde, photographer Antoni Arissa plays with reflections, light and shade. These 161 black-and-white prints, being shown together for the first time, achieve their ultimate expressiveness in geometric shapes. CCCBCarrer de Montalegre, 5Until 12 April

Philharmonia Orchestra London

One of the great London orchestras performs Beethoven’s Third Symphony – Eroica – one of the scores that led to the huge transformation in romantic music in the 19th century. Other pieces include the Coriolan Overture based on the legendary Roman hero and Chopin’s second piano concerto.L’AuditoriCarrer de Lepant, 15029 January

On the table. Ai WeiweiDesigned exclusively by Ai Weiwei for the Virreina space, this extensive exhibition showcases the artistic trajectory of this Chinese artist and activist. Some pieces are being exhibited for the first time in an installation designed especially for the exhibition.La Virreina La Rambla, 99Until 1 February

Festival Tradicionàrius Barcelona’s international folk music festival kicks off a new edition with the very best of the world’s most popular sounds. Various venues9 January – 27 March

TweedyJeff Tweedy, the singer, composer and guitarist from Wilco stars with his son in The Tweedy Band quintet, performing a selection of their best material.L’AuditoriCarrer de Lepant, 1502 February

Barcelona, neutral zone (1914-1918)Bearing witness to a period of major change, this exhibition presents the full cultural offering that was available in the Barcelona of the First World War: a journey from the modernity of the 19th century through to the avant-gardists and the exiled artists in Paris, and from wartime propaganda to the boxing bouts between Arthur Cravan and Jack Johnson.Miró FoundationParc de Montjuïc24 October – 15 February

Katy PerryWith more than 10 million records sold worldwide and voted the best female artist at the MTV European Music Awards, the charismatic US singer visits Barcelona to present her latest album, Prism.Palau Sant Jordi Passeig Olímpic, 5-716 February

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Genesis. Sebastião SalgadoFor twenty years, the acclaimed Portuguese photographer devoted his life to exploring the most remote and unspoiled areas of the Earth. And here are the results: 245 photographs that portray all the splendour of Nature and a world very distant from our own.CaixaForumAvinguda de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 6-8Until 8 February

Dolore Sotto ChiaveNeapolitan director Francesco Saponaro directs an unusual De Filippo piece working with the revelation company of the Sicilian theatre scene: a short comedy, not often staged, full of black humour. Performed in Italian with Catalan subtitles.Teatre Lliure GràciaCarrer del Montseny, 476 – 8 March

Robbie WilliamsThe long-awaited Let Me Entertain You Tour brings out the best of Robbie Williams, featuring all his hits in just one concert during a trip back over the highlights of his career.Palau Sant Jordi Passeig Olímpic, 5-727 March

Grigory SokolovA magician of sound and a poet of the keyboard, Sokolov has accustomed his audiences to recitals full of insightful moments, prodigious technique and exuberant emotion.Palau de la MúsicaCarrer del Palau de la Música, 4-611 March

Vicenzo Bellini’s ‘Norma’Considered the perfect example of musical tragedy, Vicenzo Bellini’s opera is one of the foremost examples of Italian romanticism. Under the direction of Kevin Newbury, one of the emerging figures on the North American scene, this production emphasizes the ritual aspects of the drama.Gran Teatre del LiceuLa Rambla, 51-598, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17 February

An evening with William ForsythAlthough the history of the Semperoper Ballet goes back to 1817, the arrival in 2006 of the current artistic director, Aaron Sean Watkin, revolutionized its style, breaking down the traditional barriers between the classical and contemporary schools. The choreography performed in Barcelona is a testament to one of our most innovative living choreographers.Gran Teatre del LiceuLa Rambla, 51-5920 and 21 February

James Taylor & BandThe stylish singer/songwriter from North Carolina has built up a repertoire capable of stirring the emotions with sublime delicacy. At the age of 66, his is one of the most venerated voices in the world of American song.Gran Teatre del LiceuLa Rambla, 51-59 14 March

Suite FestivalThe Suite Festival is arranged as a series of concerts with the aim of bringing together renowned national and international artists in an unparalleled venue. Some of the upcoming performers this year include Woody Allen, Van Morrison, Bob Geldof and Gregory Porter.Gran Teatre del LiceuLa Rambla, 51-59 9 January – 23 May

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Music+ArtsThirty local and international artists are involved in this showcase of trends in art, music and digital culture. The exhibition is complemented by a series of concerts and other activities.Mobile World CentrePlaça de CatalunyaUntil March

4YFNFour Years From Now is part of the Mobile World Congress and provides a business and networking platform for start-ups, investors and firms; an opportunity to discover new entrepreneurial initiatives in the Mobile device sector.Fira de Barcelona – Montjuïc Avinguda de la Reina Maria CristinaFira de Barcelona – Gran ViaAvinguda de Joan Carles I, 64 (L’Hospitalet)2 – 5 March

Awwwards 2015These awards recognize the talent and hard work of the world’s best web designers, programmers and agencies. It is a meeting point where professionals can get together to find inspiration, talk, share knowledge and experiences and give and receive constructive criticism. AXA AuditoriumAvinguda Diagonal, 54724 and 25 February

Mobile World Congress The world’s biggest mobile communications event expects to host some 85,000 visitors from over 200 countries this year. In line with the slogan ‘The Edge of Innovation’, attendees will have the chance to experiment first-hand with the mobile technology that is revolutionizing business and transforming the daily lives of millions of people all over the world.Fira de Barcelona – Gran ViaAvinguda de Joan Carles I, 64 (L’Hospitalet)2 – 5 March

080 Barcelona Fashion080 Barcelona Fashion is inspired by the concepts of creativity and innovation. A touchstone in the world of design and avant-garde fashion, this year the Catalan catwalk transfers to Drassanes Reials, a Gothic building on the city’s seafront.Drassanes Reials de BarcelonaAvinguda de les Drassanes, s/n2 – 5 February

Pixar. 25 years of animationHaving opened to great acclaim at the MoMa in New York and after touring internationa-lly, Barcelona now welcomes this exhibition dedicated to the outstanding progression of Pixar. The work on display demonstrates the creativity and talent of the company’s artists who work as much with traditional methods - hand drawings, paints, pastels and sculptu-re - as they do digitally.CaixaForumAvinguda de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 6-86 February – 3 May

TechStartupJobs Fair A trade fair designed to help start-ups find the talent they’re looking for and to give the talent first-hand knowledge of the start-ups with most potential.Pompeu Fabra University – Communications CampusCarrer de Roc Boronat, 1384 March

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WEI Conference on Education and Humanities and WEI Conference on Business and EconomicsThe conferences run by the West East Institute are a platform through which academics, researchers and administrators can share ideas and interpretations, whether these are related to the importance of interaction between the worlds of culture and business or the fields of education, the humanities and social sciences.H10 Casanova HotelGran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 559 18 – 21 January

BCNegraThis crime fiction gathering brings together the best exponents of this literary genre from all around the world. The Pepe Carvalho Prize will also be presented, which last year was won by writer Andrea Camilleri.Various venues29 January – 7 February

Judicial Dialogues on the Inter-American System of Human Rights GuaranteeOrganized by the Law Faculty of Pompeu Fabra University, the Supreme Court of Mexico and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, participants include judges from a variety of European and American courts, researchers, students and other professionals. A meeting point to discuss the developments and challenges for guaranteeing judicial human rights throughout the entire American continent.Universitat Pompeu Fabra – Ciutadella Campus Carrer de Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27 25 – 27 February

Barcelona Breast MeetingOnce again this annual conference brings together the world’s top specialists with the aim of achieving excellence in the field of breast surgery: surgical techniques, cancer surgery, breast reconstruction and cosmetic surgery.Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (Autonomous University of Barcelona)Carrer de Sant Quintí, 8911 – 13 March

Iceet 2015: XIII Conference on Education and Educational TechnologyThe convergence of education and technology is the core theme of this conference which is the first forum at which researchers, academics, professionals and teachers can share the innovations, trends and challenges of a field that is constantly changing.Hotel NH CalderónRambla de Catalunya, 2626 and 27 February

Eyeforpharma This internationally renowned global event brings together the world leaders of the pharmaceutical industry to share ideas on how to approach customer and patient centricity. The challenge is explored from four perspectives: patient engagement, excellence in sales, multichannel marketing and the figure of the Key Account Manager (KAM).Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB)Plaça de Willy Brandt, 11-1424 – 26 March

Annual Enets ConferenceThe aim of this conference is to unify all the medical research undertaken in Europe into neuroendocrine tumours as well as to coordinate teaching and clinical research and establish guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP NETs).Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB)Plaça de Willy Brandt, 11-1411 – 13 March

Fertility Control ClubHormonal contraception and new molecular agents are the focus of this first meeting of the FCC which aims to create a forum in which international experts and opinion leaders can address the myths and misconceptions surrounding the role of oestrogen and progesterone in the formulation of contraception.Hotel Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Plaça d’Espanya, 6-819 – 21 February

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Tissue World

Barcelona has hosted the biggest trade fair in the textile business world since 2003, with more than 2,800 visitors from 92 countries. Manufacturers, suppliers, buyers and trade professionals from all over the world come together for a unique opportunity to share ideas and network.Fira de Barcelona – Gran ViaAvinguda de Joan Carles I, 64 (L’Hospitalet)17 – 19 March

Infarma. European Pharmaceutical Meeting Point This event, comprising the Medicines and Parapharmacy Trade Fair and the European Pharmacies Conference, is the ideal venue for exchanging professional experiences, sharing knowledge and, above all, finding out about the latest developments in the sector.Fira de Barcelona – Gran ViaAvinguda de Joan Carles I, 64 (L’Hospitalet) 24 – 26 March

BTA. Barcelona Food Industry TechnologiesThis trade fair is committed to the internationalization of the food technology sector. More than 500 global companies attend making in the largest European event of its kind. It is divided into three shows: Tecnocàrnica, Tecnoalimentària and Ingretecno.Fira de Barcelona – Gran Via Avinguda de Joan Carles I, 64 (L’Hospitalet)21 – 24 April

Global Packaging SummitA premium platform for analysing the future of packaging: from ideas for reducing costs though to sustainable packaging, via creative innovations in the field of design and materials.Hotel Hesperia TowerGran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 144 (L’Hospitalet) 26 and 27 January

International Railway Summit“Driving forward trains of thought”: This year’s strapline sums up the objectives of a trade fair which brings together the leaders of the world’s biggest companies in the railway sector.Hotel Rey Juan Carlos IAvinguda Diagonal, 661-67118 – 20 February

E-Show With the last edition attracting over 14,800 visitors, the show has established itself as one of the biggest events in the online business world: e-commerce, online marketing, social media, hosting and cloud computing, and digital signage.Fira de Barcelona – Montjuïc Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina25 and 26 March

Neuromarketing World ForumThe leading event in the world of neuromarketing comes to Barcelona for the first time. Experts from all over the world will speak on strategies, objectives and creativity.World Trade Center BarcelonaMoll de Barcelona25 – 27 March

Congress on energy efficiency and sustainability in the tourism sectorA benchmark event in which to acquire knowledge, share views and participate in business initiatives for transforming current tourist destinations into smart ones.Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB)Plaça de Willy Brandt, 11-1410 – 12 March

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67th Kings’Day International Hockey ChampionshipThis competition has taken place every single year since 1949. Six international teams compete each time, whether clubs, ad-hoc teams or national sides.Barcelona Royal Polo Club 4 – 6 January

Zurich Barcelona MarathonA very central route that takes in some of the main tourist sights of the Catalan capital: La Pedrera, the Arc de Triomf and Torre Agbar, as well as the seafront and the Gothic Quarter. The runners, including professionals, keen amateurs, seasoned veterans and novices, all strive to complete the legendary distance of 42 kilometres and 195 metres.Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina(Start/Finish)15 March

Historic Monte Carlo RallyExclusively for cars that took part in the rally between 1955 and 1980, these stylish vintage vehicles will set off from Barcelona en route to Monaco.Avinguda de la Catedral30 January

Espanyol liveBe there to experience all the passion of one of soccer’s top leagues.4/01 Espanyol-Eibar18/01 Espanyol-Celta de Vigo24 or 25/01 Espanyol-Almeria7 or 8/02 Espanyol-Valencia28/02 or 1/03 Espanyol-Cordoba14 or 15/03 Espanyol-Atletico de Madrid

Barça liveBe there to experience all the passion of one of soccer’s top leagues.18/01 FCB-Atletico de Madrid31/01 or 1/02 FCB-Villareal14 or 15/02 FCB-Llevant21 or 22/02 FCB-Malaga7 or 8/03 FCB-Rayo Vallecano18/03 FCB-Manchester City 21 or 22/03 FCB-Real Madrid

Barcelona International Indoor Trial and Enduro Spectacle, fierce competition, an incredible atmosphere and, above all, a passion for motorcycles. Palau Sant JordiPasseig Olímpic, 5-78 February

City of Barcelona International Judo Trophy300 judokas from 12 different countries take part in this fiercely-fought championship.Centre Esportiu Municipal Olímpics Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron, 166-17621 February

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Volta de Catalunya cycle raceOn 29/03 Barcelona will host the final stage of the competition with 104 years of history.23 – 29 March

Barcelona World RaceAfter sailing non-stop around the world, the two-man vessels taking part in the third edition of this regatta are expected back around the end of March. Arrival at Port Vellexpected at the end of March

Down Urban BarcelonaA spectacular downhill trial for MTBs in an urban setting which attracts riders from all over the world.Magic Fountains of MontjuïcPlaça de Carles Buïgas, 129 March

International Vintage Car RallyAn unmissable event for lovers of vintage vehicles. For the 56th year running, cars built before 1928 will assemble in Barcelona to set out on the classic route to Sitges.29, 30 and 31 March

Wake Up

in Barcelona

What can I do today? / Mobile Barcelona / Hints and Tips / Carnival / Things that could

happen to you in Barcelona

| 75

Barcelona inspires

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Is this your first time in Barcelona?

Now?

Impressive, eh? Do you want to go further into Gaudí’s universe in an interactive way?

So maybe a little walk

then?

Understood. Vermouth is off. But surely you want

to drink something?

How about eating in Europe’s largest

restaurant? Is it a yes?

Maybe I’m mistaken, but isn’t it true you feel

like trying one now?

You making it hard for me; but I have an idea I’m sure you’ll like: how about

a mystery adventure?

You’ve done that?

Well don’t waste time; go and visit a Gaudí building!

So you must know Gaudí. But do you fancy seeing his work in an

interactive way using 4D technology?

Now that you’re close to Gràcia, why not relax with a good vermouth?

It’s true, I’ve tricked you. There was no chance to say “no”, but it’s because I know you’ll love it

OK. No Gaudí. But do you know what he loved to drink?

Vermouth!

Don’t worry, I’ll wait

Brrrr... It’s a bit chilly,

isn’t it?

Blimey... OK, OK... just take your time...

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

YesYes Yes

Yes

No

A stroll around the Olympic Ring

on Montjuïc

Games such as Live Escape

Room

Traditional bodegues in the Gràcia district

The National

on Passeig de Gracia

Gaudí Experience

What can I do today?

BARCINO 3DThe city was originally an important Roman colony called Bàrcino whose Golden Age was in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. That period, just when the city wall was completed, allows us to discover a new app for tablets, soon to be available for Smartphones, called Barcino 3D. With it you can overfly the city and take a virtual stroll through its streets, featuring virtual images from the past superimposed on photographs of the present, painstakingly geolocated. It looks like a video game but in fact it’s a true encyclopaedia.

THE 10 BARCELONASWould you like to see what Barcelona has to offer in terms of its neighbourhood diversity and the fascinating geography of a city that lies between the Llobregat and Besòs rivers, the Tibidabo mountain and the sea? The website Barcelona Inspires includes The 10 Barcelonas, ten capitals, one in each district, with a wealth of information on what can be found in radically diverse environments: urban spaces, cultural heritage, shopping zones, areas of natural beauty, sporting facilities, business districts, study and research institutions, and more.

MOBILE HISTORY MAPWith this pioneering project, primary and secondary schoolchildren from Barcelona and the whole of Catalonia can use an interactive map to describe and geotag the cultural, historical and natural points of interest in the area in and around their school. This information is public and can be looked up online via the project’s website (mhn.mobileworldcapital.com) and also through a mobile app with the same name, available for both iOS and Android devices.

BARCELONA DESIGN TOUR APPIn recent years, the city has created an identity that puts a premium on culture, creativity and design. This has undoubtedly been helped by the high number of creative people in the city along with the legacy of universally acclaimed artists such as Gaudí, Miró and Brossa. The Barcelona Design Tour app suggests a route to take in Barcelona’s culture and design covering the main venues, schools, hotels, bars, fashion boutiques, bookshops and other relevant locations that help to explain Barcelona’s position as one of the world’s design capitals.

BARCELOVERS ON THE WEBIf you like the magazine you’re currently holding, you can now enjoy it digitally. We now have a web version and an app for both iOS and Android tablets. These new formats give you access to up-to-date content in the magazine’s three languages (Catalan, Spanish and English), all the previously published paper editions and all the multimedia benefits supported by these devices to round off the reader’s experience.

BCN CITY APPFortunately for us, technology can fill the gaps in our knowledge. Anybody unaware of the attractions and services available in the city can get instant information relevant to their physical location through the BCN City App. It’s free and it gives access to everything that might be of interest to visitors in a single app, making it an indispensable tool for tourists and locals alike. Themed routes, a calendar of the city’s main events and a wide selection of bars and restaurants are just some of the content. It also lets you request services from the hotel you are staying in via your mobile device.

Mobile Barcelona

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

On the Apps4bcn website (www.apps4bcn.cat) you’ll find the best apps for enjoying the city

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THE EASTER ‘MONA’On Easter Sunday, tradition has it that godparents should give a mona to their godchild which, if they can resist it, is normally eaten the next day. Monas are eye-catching desserts that usually consist of a sponge cake decorated with feathers, candied fruit and chocolate eggs or other chocolate figures. The latter is what most interests the younger members of the household, which has encouraged bakers to make ever more spectacular figures, often representing sporting personalities or contemporary fictional heroes.

THE BARÇA COAT OF ARMS AT SANTA MARIA DEL MAREvery year, thousands upon thousands of people enjoy visiting the church of Santa Maria del Mar, a magnificent example of 14th century Catalan Gothic architecture. Many of these visitors will, however, overlook a curious feature: the small coat of arms of Barcelona Football Club on one of the stained glass windows on the second level to the left-hand side of the main altar. Towards the end of the 1960s the club make a financial contribution towards the repair of windows damaged during the Civil War and, as a mark of gratitude, it was decided to include a 50x40 cm version of the patron’s coat of arms.

THE ORIGIN OF A YOGHURTIn 1919, in one of the apartments at 16, Carrer dels Àngels right next to the MACBA, Isaac Carasso started a small company making yoghurt in the traditional way. When it came to choosing a name for the company, he found his inspiration in the name of Daniel, his eldest son, which gave rise to the birth of the famous brand Danone. These days, the family business is based in France and is a multinational with a highly diverse range of products.

Hints and Tips

HOT CHOCOLATE AT PETRIXOL Winters in the city tend to be mild yet they are sufficiently chilly in some months for a hot snack to be a very welcome treat. In this respect there are few more typical Barcelona traditions than enjoying a hot chocolate in one of the cafés along Carrer Petrixol. It can be accompanied by melindros (sponge fingers) or xurros (deep fried doughnuts) or enjoyed with homemade cream. This thoroughfare, just 130 metres long, has other attractions: a ceramic storyboard distributed amongst the façades of the buildings which documents the street’s history, and then there is Sala Parés, the country’s leading art gallery.

BOMB SHELTERSomething that a few decades ago was a symbol of fear, hiding and desperation is now a space to visit and, above all, to remember. At the upper end of the street Nou de la Rambla, halfway up the hill of Montjuic, is Shelter 307, an underground gallery built to accommodate the local residents and protect them from the bombardments of Franco’s army during the Civil War. Nowadays the space, one of the best equipped of its time, can be visited with a guide: it had electric wiring, an infirmary, toilets, etc. It was found by accident in 1995 when a glass shop was demolished that had been blocking one of its entrances.

CONTEMPORARY PAINTINGS IN AN OLD WOOL FACTORYAntoni Vila i Casas is an entrepreneur in the pharmaceutical sector and a lover of culture which has led him to become a great patron of the arts. His foundation owns several spaces dedicated to art, the latest of which is situated in an old wool factory in Poblenou. Can Framis covers an area of nearly four thousand square metres and exhibits examples of contemporary Catalan painting, though the venue warrants a visit in its own right: two of the original three industrial units have been restored whilst the third, very badly damaged, has been replaced by a new building that unifies the whole complex

CarnivalIn Venice, parties, fancy dress and masked balls; in Rio de Janeiro, colour, music and spectacular parades

in the Sambadrome; in New Orleans, floats, crews and the famous King Cake. And in Barcelona? How is Carnival celebrated? The costumes and parades are certainly the best known manifestations, but not

the only ones

Photos Pere Virgili

EL REI CARNESTOLTES (THE CARNIVAL KING). This character is at the heartof all the celebrations. He arrives in Barcelonaevery year on ‘Dijous Gras’ (Fat Thursday) toread a satirical speech giving his permissionto engage in debauchery, dancing and dressingup… but only until the following Tuesday when the King is tried, condemned to death and then publically burnt. At midnight on Tuesday, Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, the day of the Burial of the Sardine.

CARNIVAL SATURDAY. The main event for young and old alike is definitely the Saturday procession or, more accurately, processions, in that King Carnestoltes’ ambassadors visit their own home towns and take part in one of the parades programmed for each of the seven ancient towns that make up Barcelona.

AUCA. This is the name for a series of vignettes that illustrate the different features and stages of the carnival celebrations. They are satirical yet instructive and traditionally form the main means of spreading information on the carnival. This custom has been revitalized and expanded over recent years.

LA TARONJADA (THE ORANGE BATTLE). On Sunday afternoon, in the Born district, King Carnestoltes and his Seven Ambassadors each take up their positions from which they instigate La Taronjada, a tradition going back to the 14th century that consists of a pitched battle with orange balloons and orange confetti, every man for himself, harking back to the original format in which real oranges were thrown.

FAT THURSDAY. This is the day the celebrations get under way, with people anticipating the imminent arrival of King Carnestoltes by dressing up. It is also a day for eating lots of fatty foods such as omelettes, egg sausage and coques de llardons (sweet pastry with pine-nuts). In the city they usually run omelette-making competitions and then in the afternoon prepare for the arrival of King Carnestoltes.

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WHAT DEFINITELY WON’T HAPPEN TO YOU

WHAT PROBABLY WON’THAPPEN TO YOU

WHAT PROBABLY WILLHAPPEN TO YOU

WHAT DEFINITELY WILL HAPPEN TO YOU

There will be a heavy snowfall in the city

In the last 60 years there have only been two major snowfalls in the city centre. The most exceptional was at Christmas 1962, with snow 30 cm deep along the shorefront. The other, in March 2010, was less severe, with depths of between 5 and 8 cm. With the exception of cold snaps, the winter temperature of Barcelona is usually mild with average temperatures of between 9 and 12ºC.

You won’t see snow from the lookout point of the Torre de Collserola

If you want to see snow, this is a good place to do it. The peaks of the Montseny range can be seen very clearly and, with a bit of luck, the Pyrenees too. This communications tower, designed by the architect Norman Foster for the Barcelona Olympics of 1992, is the highest lookout point in the city. A total of 560 metres above sea level, it offers panoramic views of both Barcelona and other areas of the region.

You’ll be the victim of a robbery

Barcelona’s crime figures are very low but, as in any tourist centre, you have to watch your belongings to discourage pickpockets. To avoid risks we recommend: only carry the absolutely minimum of cash and valuables; distribute your money, keys and documents throughout different pockets and bags; beware of street vendors and don’t stop to watch gambling games on the street.

You’ll leave without having tasted ‘calçots’

It’s possible that between January and March someone will invite you to a typical calçotada – in the open air, in public spaces or in private homes – and that the city’s restaurants will have calçots on the menu. Calçots are a delicious variety of spring onion, very popular in Barcelona and throughout Catalonia, eaten with a sauce made from tomato, garlic, hazelnuts and almonds. Everyone has their own special secret recipe.

There will be a Barça game on at Camp Nou

Between the months of September and May, Barça play a match practically every 10 days in Barcelona. Check the fixture list on FC Barcelona’s website and, with a little bit of luck, you’re sure to find a League, Cup or Champions’ League game.

You’ll find the exit from the Horta Maze

Despite its convoluted passageways, up until now everyone who has visited the Horta Maze has managed to find their way out. The maze forms part of Barcelona’s oldest garden which was developed along neo-classical lines, starting in 1791 and ending up as a romantic garden in 1853. It is an emblematic landmark of the Horta-Guinadó district.

You’ll discover hidden Modernist jewels

At the end of the 19th century, Barcelona was the world capital of Modernism, with Gaudí as one of its leading exponents. The city has preserved a great deal of the architecture from that period which is mainly concentrated in the Eixample area with buildings such as the Sagrada Famila, La Pedrera and the Modernist complex of the Hospital of Santa Pau. Yet beyond the city’s major constructions are hidden palaces, gardens and numerous Modernist details in business premises and decorative features in the streets.

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Things that could happen to you in Barcelona

Run42.195 KM

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Documents

THINKING Winter 2015 FREE - Meet Barcelona · The magazine inspired by a captivating city BARCELOVERS ... FRONT COVER Roger Llonch PHOTOGRAPHY Txema Salvans (director), Pere Albiac,