Hip homing in Barcelona

[imomus]

I'm in Barcelona, and I'm wandering about 'hip homing'. That means trying to find the inevitable slummy-but-arty area with the cool secondhand clothes and records and Japanese restaurants and design and art and all that stuff.

I head for the University, thinking there might be something of that there. But, attracted by the magnificent baroque silhouettes on the nearby mountain, I move up the hill instead of down, and instead derive past lots of lovely 'old lady birdcage' buildings on leafy, scooter-noisy streets. Into my head's musical RAM as I drift comes 'Take This Waltz', Leonard Cohen's setting of Lorca. When will they build cultural relevance like that into iPods? As I glance at the attractive, summerclad Barcelona women (and they're dark and lithe, almost Japanese... or is my thing about Japanese women something to do with the fact that my first big crush was the daughter of the Spanish lecturer at Edinburgh University?) there's that dirty line about 'the cave at the tip of the lily' going through my mind. My eye patch hides a twinkle.

An e mail from Mario awaits me in the nearest internet cafe. At last, reliable information on where to find contemporary art galleries, slum regeneration, and graphic design bookstores with Japanese design books, pretty art students, and perhaps some inspiration for the article I'm supposed to be writing for the AIGA Voice while I'm here, 'The Sleep of Reason Breeds... Design'.

Mario's directions are: Liceu metro on Line 3, walk down the Barrio, turn right into the Raval district, make for the Calle Doctor Dou. The bookshop is called RAS. Beyond it there are the two contemp. art museums, MACBA and CCCB. (And hey, Jip, if you're reading this, the thing to do here on a Saturday is visit the flea market at Glories metro. Give me a call at the Hotel Pere IV: 933 209 650.)

Okay, I'm off now to check it all out. The pictures look promising, anyway.

Comments

Momus...

[(Anonymous)]

I made a post on your "Why I don't speak Japanese" thread. I'd appreciate if you'd read it. I put it there because it's more topical. But I wanted to make sure you read it. Also, I've been searching for your email address but have been unsuccessful because ILM is down. If you could drop me an email at psouth@uiuc.edu (that way I could ask you the questions I had and you could delete my posts here--and maybe you could alert me to some good CD stores in Japan as I've already tapped out all the Tower Records) or just respond to my post down the page, I'd be most grateful.

Thanks,
Patrick South

(And, hey, tell me more about 'Summerisle'. I've seen it in stores here and have considered buying it. I love 'Oskar Tennis Champion' but am assuming this is nothing like it, since I believe Anne Laplantine does all the music. So sell me on it. Thanks.)