ola amigos

im writing to you from a very special place in a very special time; new MAKABRA @ Can Ricart, Pueble Nou, Barcelona

after a profoundly creative, artistic, political, architectural act has combined to create a point in time which i believe has sparked the beginnings of a truly participative architecture to emerge and a space has been (illegaly) created to facilitate the dialogue and space for that dialogue to lead to an actual built reality. In fact that reality is being constructed and built as i write to you.

Makabra ( www.lamakabra.org ) have just produced a little bit of magic, entering and occupying the old Can Ricart factory ( www.salvemcanricart.org )in the Pouble Nou Barrio of Barcelona, where 70 years ago the CNT trucks left from to attempt to build a better world ( struggle.ws ). Now its Makabra´s turn to add to the unfolding story of creativity, passion and the love of life. In Barcelonas newspapers this has been front page news since Saturday.

Their struggle also has has the support of the UN commisioner for housing, Miloon Kothari, who said "I think your struggle is just, what your doing is correct, I´d just request you to be peaceful.... and keep performing." ( barcelona.indymedia.org )

Viva Makabra

Weaving together many strands of life here in Barcelona (community, squat, circus, political, media, humour, history, story telling) they now have a lovley new home and complete support from the ever helpful neighbours. Their struggle also has has the support of the UN commisioner for housing, Miloon Kothari, who said "I think your struggle is just, what your doing is correct, I´d just request you to be peaceful.... and keep performing." ( barcelona.indymedia.org )

This the culmination of what has for me personally been a profound but amazing quarter year architectural journey or battle, from heading to the architecutural bienalle in Venice to "confront" the architectural world (see Cities, radical urbanism, sqatting, social centres - radio.indymedia.org ) to meeting with my old friends from France and living with them in the french Pavillion, METAVILLA ( Onboard the (French) pirate ship METAVILLA (whats being pointed at in Venice this year? - easa.antville.org ) to witnessing first hand, listening to and archiving Lucien Kroll: Moments D`Architectures (easa.antville.org ) , which talked about the base of architectureand ecology (the relationship between things), to a healthier "participative bottom up" approach to architecture, planning, society instead of the present which, it was argued, leads to cities burning as we saw in Paris earlier this year in the riots, when communities, people and place are bypassed for profit.

earlier audio with Lucien Kroll talking about this "bottom up planning and architecture which does not exist today" listen to Luciens half hour intro to "From Bauhaus to our uncles house: eco decolonisation" radio.indymedia.org

ill keep you posted about progress in this project, as best I can, and I hope that you can manage to understand this difficult and complex situation, and from that support us in this struggle. Its not only a struggle here in Pouble Nou, its about what quality of life people have in other places, its about people taking control of their lives, their communities, their space, their existence.

This is the next stage in the "spiritual ecological revolution" ( easa.antville.org ) which is working toward simply a healthy and sustainable existence for all.

We are working with ASF (architects sans frontiers)www.asfit.org

all info from the occupation of Can Ricart by Makabra, in English barcelona.indymedia.org

listen to hours of audio; music, interviews and sounds from the ocupation

Makabra audio : el arte de okupacion : the art of occupation barcelona.indymedia.org

message from Manu Chao to the squatters:

HOLA A TOD@S DESGRACIADAMENTE ESTOY AHORA BIEN LEJOS DE BARCELONA Y NO PUEDO ESTAR PRESENTE CON VOSOTR@S PARA PROTESTAR CONTRA EL ABSURDO DESALOJAMIENTO DE LA MAKABRA... ...QUÉ VERGÜENZA... ...QUÉ FALTA DE CIVISMO... ...QUÉ FALTA DE LUCIDEZ PENSANDO EN CÓMO TENDRÍA QUE DESAROLLARSE EL ARTE Y LA CULTURA EN CATALUNYA...ESTOS PRÓXIMOS AÑOS... ...DESALOJAR LA MAKABRA ES UN ACTO BRUTO Y DE AGRESIÓN A LA CULTURA DEL FUTURO DE ESTE PAÍS... ... UN FUTURO EN EL QUE LOS POLÍTICOS QUE MANDAN HOY EN DÍA NO ESTARÍAN...YA QUE RETIRADOS...Y VIVIENDO DE SUS RENTAS... ... ...ESTEMOS Tod@S UNIDOS PARA ENCONTRAR SOLUCIONES EN VISTA DE ENCONTRAR UN NUEVO ESPACIO PARA LA MAKABRA... ...PARA ENCONTRAR NUEVOS CAMINOS, LIBRES E INDEPENDIENTES PARA LA CULTURA Y LAS JUVENTUDES DE CATALUNYA... DESDE TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA MANU CHAO

www.manuchao.net

audios

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

dunk

audio from the ocupation:

interviews with people about the situation; occupation, squat support from the UN, background into speculation 22@ and the Peuble Nou barrio, the community stance and support groups, what this ocupation might lead to...

Emilios views, one of the neighbours who came to last nights assembly speaks his mind. radio.indymedia.org

UN housing officer meets Makabra in Can Ricart radio.indymedia.org

Poble Nou and speculation part 1 radio.indymedia.org

Poble Nou and speculation part 2 radio.indymedia.org

people starting to wake up, what this Makabra maigical spark might lead to... radio.indymedia.org

the Makabra funeral procession

crying girls at makabra funeral procession radio.indymedia.org

makabra wake, sounds from the procession 1 radio.indymedia.org

makabra wake, sounds from the procession 2 radio.indymedia.org

music outside the gates of the Can Ricart factory

drumming at the gates radio.indymedia.org

reggae at the gates radio.indymedia.org

talk at the gates - hallelujiea radio.indymedia.org

chanting at the gates - carer mos mas radio.indymedia.org

sounds from the crowd at the gates radio.indymedia.org

inside the gates gates opened, sounds from the newly occupied Can Ricart factory

inside the gates - makabra okupa music radio.indymedia.org

inside the gates - makabra accordian and flute reggae radio.indymedia.org

inside the gates - makabra Can Ricart bello chao radio.indymedia.org

inside the gates - makabra Can Ricart bom radio.indymedia.org

inside the gates - makabra fire in babylon radio.indymedia.org

inside the gates - makabra human sound system radio.indymedia.org

inside the gates - libertad hip hop radio.indymedia.org

later on in the occupation

comida, we have food radio.indymedia.org

cops create tension at gate when makabra say hi to amigos outside radio.indymedia.org

cops leave friends arrive into okupa radio.indymedia.org.

banjolin music at fire, relaxing after the siege radio.indymedia.org

earlier audio:

audio from the eviction:

1 - when the last bit of the makabra circus roof came down radio.indymedia.org

audio from the manifestations in placa Jaume

makabra musicians, placa Jaume, start of the street circus, musicians play while a girl dances to the music waving a large red flag radio.indymedia.org

makabra musicians 2 and the MC speaks to the crowd radio.indymedia.org

makabra musicians 3, the girl with the guitar radio.indymedia.org

makabra musicians 4, girl sings "girona" and crowd joins in radio.indymedia.org

makabra musicians 5, the orchestra plays gentle under the conductors dancing radio.indymedia.org

makabra musicians 6, the orchestra raise the tempo radio.indymedia.org

sssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhuuuuutttttt, time to depart radio.indymedia.org

crowd chants "otre okupacion" radio.indymedia.org

always drinking marching band, night 2 radio.indymedia.org

night 3, african drumming and dancing radio.indymedia.org

related Barcelona squat info

3 part audio interview, in spanish and english, with some of the Pallars squatters

audio part 1 : (6 minutes - english) "pallars , mondays battle to resist the false eviction" interview with J. radio.indymedia.org

audio part 2 : (22 minutes - english) "backround to palllars squat, the legal situation, Peuble Nou: resisting speculation of @22" interview with J. and Y. radio.indymedia.org

audio part 3 : (6 minutes - english) improving the squatter network, homeless and political radio.indymedia.org

Makabra film screening from streets of Gracia

manifesto read in gracia, after nightime street screening radio.indymedia.org

related infos

Barcelona: 3 early morning raids on 3 squats, including MAKABRA radio.indymedia.org

Makabra : the art of occupation : el arte de okupacion radio.indymedia.org

indymedia.ie - indymedia ireland thread with ever helpful commentry from barcelona resident iosaf.

building up the RADICAL radio network indymedia.ie

Revolt video collective (ireland) revoltvideo.blogspot.com