Art and the homeless, in Barcelona and Dublin (Friday 27 July 2007)

BT2 not just about fashion

Screenshot of part of BT2's site; it's how it gets to this point that can be alarming

Here's a good way to give yourself heart-stoppage: surf over to BT2's website and see if you don't think you've come down with an alarming virus. It's in a good cause, though: BT2 in combination with ArtDublin07, Focus Ireland and Art to Order, has been hosting an exhibition of works, all priced at 350 euro, to the benefit of the homeless in Ireland. It runs just till Monday, so drop by soon if you can. (So far they have raised 45k euro, which apparently equates to a lot of hot meals.)

Look at this shower

compiled by Rachel Simmons

The public toilet in George Orwell Square in Barcelona, in which artist Ruben Santiago installed a shower spa for a three-day installation action, image held here.

Call it a case of cleaning up the homeless – or Pirates – if you will. Last week, from the 14th until the 17th, artist Ruben Santiago installed a public shower spa in a public toilet, located in Barcelona's George Orwell Square, known commonly as "Trip Square." The action consisted of the artist installing the shower, as well as providing bath gel, shampoo, and regularly replaced towels for the use of what he calls three major groups who occupy the square; all of this was done without the knowledge of the police or public law enforcement. The three groups are as follows: one, the police force who "patrol the zone continuously and park in the square their antiriot vehicles, watching the fulfillment of the law;" two, the group known commonly as the Pirates, formed by "homeless, dealers, and consumers who hold a constant presence in the square." This group would be the frequent users of the public toilet in question, and also use the square as a center for "narcotics transactions and consumption"; third, the collection of neighborhood residents, workers at the five terraces around the square, and both tourists and locals passing through – Santiago claims that this group has the role of the public, spectators of the interactions between Police and Pirates.

The purpose of the shower installation was to improve the life and daily living conditions of the Pirates, and was done in hiding from the police, both out of necessity and in what Santiago calls an act of "civil disobedience and infiltration." The artist was also required to dismatle the anti-theft devices in use in the toilet in order to install the shower, putting them back to rights after the installation was complete. According to the artist's site, the shower was used "extensively" during the three days, but was destroyed on the third night, of the 17th, by a crowd of drunken tourists and then removed by cleaning teams.

The artist discreetly installs the shower, image held here.

Source: http://www.hangar.org/gallery/album363

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