Symbolic cultural space of Bilbao where history and happy daily life coexist
- LAS Group
- Nov 13, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 17, 2018
By Irati Kim and Elena Jung in Bilbao
(Nov, 12, 2018)
Among the 17 of UN's sustaineble development goals, the 11th is sustainable cities and communities. This is to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This means that citizens have settled in cities to support a stable life. Furthermore, it requires that the government and society establish city plans for settled citizens. As part of urban planning, the government should make efforts to improve the quality of life for citizens. In Bilbao, Spain, there is a building that is a desirable example of this government effort. The name is Azkuna Zentroa.
11 Sustainable cities and communities:
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
Text and photo Courtesy of United Nations (un.org).
Azkuna Zentroa, also known as Alhóndiga was built for a winery in 1905. According to Izaskun, the information center guide, the building was used as a winery for 70 years but it closed for a while. The Basque Government declare the building a ‘Site of Cultural Interest’ in 1999. and opened in 2010 again. The building renewed with a project for socio-economic and urban transformation and became contemporary cultural center for culture, entertainment, physical entertainment and knowledge to the public. Also, in 2015 it changed its name Azkuna Zentroa from Alhóndiga to monumentalize the person IÑaki Azkuna who is the mayor of new Bilbao. So, this building is called both name, Azkuna Zentroa and Alhóndiga.
This building consists of complex parts. There are bars and restaurants on zero floor. And the place that served by BBK bank is designed to enjoy literate and audiovisual culture over the tree floors. Especially, a large part of it is for children. All children and family can come here and read books and play with the toy provided by here. The area of space for children is isolated from other parts. So, children can talk and run freely. Everyone can access to a wide variety books, daily press even audio and visual materials.
Azkuna Zentroa offers exercise facilities. It opens from 7a.m. to 11p.m. for providing to more many people. The physical activity center is 7,000 square metres over four floor. there are a swimming pool, fitness center. a swimming pool and a fitness center. Everyone who want to visit to here can do use almost any kind of exercise equipment or register in the water and ground courses already planned. And everyone can receive the information and help for purchasing the tickets for one or several days.
This center holds a new exhibition periodically. The title of the ongoing exhibition is 'homeless' from 10.25.2018 to 1.20.2019. This exhibition is modern plastic art by Angela De la Cruz. She has experimented with the language of painting for over 20 years. This exhibition presents the work made from 1996 to 2018. The exhibition takes its title from one of her fist works 'Homeless(1966)'. The works including this were created by different associations with painting and sculpture. As its title indicates, some of her topics in the work are her concerns with our present, social inequality, the political situation, effects of climate change, and images of war and terrorist attacks.
The exhibition here is usually free. Bilbao citizens have very high access to the exhibition because they don't have to pay. Anyone visiting Bilbao can see a high-quality exhibition. All this is done under the auspices of the Government. The Bilbao government shows evidence of its efforts to increase civil welfare through Azkuna. A free exhibition seems like a small thing. But ultimately these benefits can be the power of the Bilbao city and one of the ways in which it can make sustainable development.
Also there are cinema as one of facility for improving artistic sensibility. It host the main film festivals of Bilbao. It has eight movie theatres and you can even watch the 3D moves. In particular, the ZINEBI documentary film festival was held here from November 9 to 16. ZINEBI is the International Festival of Documentary and organised by the Bilbo City Council this year. A documentary festival, not a commercial film, is also valuable in terms of sustainable development. Documentaries are a minority story against commercial films. However, the directors of the documentary are artistically committed and express ethical and aesthetically the problems that society faces. The ZINEBI, which was held in Azkuna, also conveys the voices of these directors to the citizens of Bilbao. It also travels around the world in media.
The master directors of the documentary participated in the film festival. Visits and residents of Bilbao had the first chance to see new documentaries by famous directors such as Werner Herzog and Frederick Wiseman. Bilbao's Mayor Juan Mari Aburto celebrated the opening of the ZINEBI on a public occasion. ‘I would like to congratulate ZINEBI on being sixty years old, wish it much luck and success on its anniversary and, above all, a long life and even longer look at the cinema of the future. the future that is the true raw material of the Bilbao film festival.’ he said at the opening ceremony of the ZINEBI at 17 September, 2018 in Azkuna.
Azkuna Zentroa has many facilities and it improves the quality of life for the citizens of Bilbao. Also, the building of this center was reused the winery so that it has economical and aesthetic benefit. The other advantage of this place that it opens to everyone regardless of age and sex as Izaskun González said. “Everybody can use this center’s facilities even to the visitors of Bilbao.” How about enjoying cultural life in the symbolic cultural space of Bilbao where history and happy daily life coexist.
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