UCS 001 Stephen Vilaseca on Street Art in Barcelona Valencia and Bilbao Spain (28 June 2013) Conversational interview inspired by scholar Stephen Vilaseca‘s recent article “From Graffiti to Street Art: How Urban Artists Are Democratizing Spanish City Centers and Streets,” originally published in the journal Transitions: Journal of Franco-Iberian Studies (8, 2012). Topics include: public space, graffiti vs. street art, artists Escif, Frágil and Dr. Case, Valencia, Bilbao, and Barcelona. [LINK TO ORIGINAL PUBLISHER]
urbanculturalstudies
the culture(s) of cities… space, time and urban everyday life
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I just listened to the first Urban Cultural Studies podcast with Steve Vilaseca. I’m really excited about this new possibility for people to talk about their research in a way that makes it accessible. I read Steve’s article two days ago but listening to the give and take during the interview, I got more of an appreciation for the article itself of course but for the possibilities for research in this area. Podcasts such as these have great pedagogical potential, too, especially for undergraduates who otherwise might be somewhat distanced from the object of study without the humanizing interview format which forces the scholars to put express their ideas succinctly and in language that everyone can understand. A very inspiring listen!
In my enthusiasm over the new format I forgot to mention that it’s quite possible that the artist writing “This Wall Is Mine” references the unforgettable (and since then much-parodied) statement of Manuel Fraga from 1976 (then Ministro de Gobernación) “La calle es mía.” This is something he said while trying to contain/repress the protests of the 1st of May that year, during a time when protestors are being shot and killed (5 in Vitoria, most notably, with more than 100 wounded).
Great insight! Fraga, this is the same guy who showed up to greet the 2 millionth tourist to Spain in the 1960s at the airport with balloons, right? And then a song titled “Tourist #1,999,999” was made in jest by a pop group. (Got that one from Justin Crumbaugh’s great book Destination Dictatorship if I remember right).
Yes. Fraga had a way with slogans. “Spain is Different” was the one he championed when he was Minister of Information of Tourism.
Reblogged this on Dr. Stephen Luis Vilaseca and commented:
Check out an interview with me about street art in Spain conducted by Ben Fraser of the Journal of Urban Cultural Studies.
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