English
All animals need a territory, which they sometimes mark with their urine. We humans do it by adorning it with our personal tastes, reflecting the way we think and view the world. We decorate our spaces with objects which mean something to us, or which make us feel loved, and cheer us up – and so if there is something that conjures up a past trauma or conflict, it is going to do the exact opposite.
The founder of surrealism, Andre Breton lived in a small apartment in Pigalle – the Parisian neighbourhood famous for Moulin Rouge, cabaret and sex shops. The flat consisted of a couple of narrow rooms which were filled with paintings, curios, and magical African sculptures.
Irish novelist Samuel Beckett lived in the top flat of an architecturally ordinary building, with minimal furniture, and plain blank walls. Out the window was a view of a prison wall.
Marcel Marceau lived in a mansion, with a park, with trees covered in spiderwebs and walls covered with photographs of himself with famous people – actors, presidents, millionaires and so on. Most of his furniture were chests displaying medals, diplomas, trophies, etc. In a large studio, hung dozens of his posters in all different languages.
Catalan architect Gaudi lived in a house full of furniture designed by himself, inside Parque Güell. He was an artist who never sought the vindication of his own ego, preferring instead to just observe nature (“The tree near my workshop is my mentor“) as inspiration for his own aesthetic style, which didn´t call for ornamentation. Gaudi was the first artist to dedicate a cathedral solely to art, with no mention of God. He built his house, park, cathedral – and Barcelona was never the same again. The word Barcelona has become synonymous with Gaudi, with both almost always mentioned in the same sentence.
Carlos Rosas
Like Gaudi, follow the laws of nature and rent Barcelona accommodation , making art and nature your territory.
Translated by: Poppy
