[Abandoned Industrial Complex]⑧ Rusty Factory Filled with Artworks

On the 25th of last month, visitors are experiencing culture at the 'Ideal Digital Art Center' located in the Poblenou area of Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Hyunji Kwon hjk@

A dark space illuminated by blue neon signs. About 20 people sat on chairs, wearing large headsets that covered half of their faces, all staring straight ahead simultaneously. Despite it being a weekday morning, the place was bustling with a diverse crowd ranging from young children to university students and elderly people with white hair. In front of their eyes, world-famous artworks were unfolding. Although the space was empty except for the chairs, virtual reality (VR) technology transformed this place into the Louvre Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

On the 25th of last month, at the IDEAL Centre d'Arts Digitals in Barcelona, Spain. It is the first digital art center in Southern Europe offering 'immersive media art' by combining art, technology, and music. It opened in 2019 after renovating an old cinema that was inaugurated in 1917. The approximately 2,000㎡ area is used to exhibit digital artworks and provide a space where artists can focus on their creations.

The art center is located in the Poblenou area, somewhat distant from the center of Barcelona. It takes about 20 minutes by car southeast from popular tourist spots like Pla?a de Catalunya and the Gothic Quarter. Poblenou was the center of Spain's key textile and fabric industry until the 1960s, but after deindustrialization, more than 1,000 factories closed or left. As slumification progressed, it was neglected for a while as a 'dead city.'

On the 25th of last month, I visited the 'Ideal Digital Art Center' in Poblenou, Barcelona, Spain, which is the first digital art center in Southern Europe. Photo by Hyunji Kwon hjk@

Poblenou regained vitality as it is today starting in the early 2000s with the launch of the '22@ Barcelona Project.' The city of Barcelona and private companies joined forces to transform a dilapidated industrial area of 4 million square meters (1.21 million pyeong) into an innovation district focused on science, advanced technology, and culture.

Art was at the core of the 22@ project. Under the private association '22@ Network' leading the project, a Creativity, Design, and Culture Committee was formed to handle art. Recognizing that art can make people stay in the city, various cultural spaces were created. The IDEAL Digital Art Center also has a distinct presence in this regard. A representative of the art center introduced, "On average, about 700 people visit here daily. Half are local residents, and the other half are outsiders. Many young entrepreneurs and university students visiting the 22@ innovation district come here."

Besides this, the 22@ innovation district includes various cultural spaces such as an arts theater where concerts, musicals, and plays can be enjoyed, and the Can Framis Museum exhibiting contemporary Catalan artworks.

The '22@' innovation district in the Poblenou area of Barcelona, Spain, is transforming from a deteriorated textile and fabric industry zone into a high-tech industrial and technology complex. Photo by Hyunji Kwon hjk@

Mr. Jordi Seiyas (47), whom we met in Poblenou, said, "It is amazing that there are so many attractions where factories used to be," adding, "Many Catalan people (Catalonia is an autonomous community in Spain led by Barcelona) come to this area to enjoy the art center and other facilities."

The 22@ project not only created cultural spaces but also improved public transportation networks such as trams and buses to make it easy for people to visit. It developed a high-tech industrial and technology complex and created a 'compact city' (a city that concentrates functions necessary for life such as work, leisure culture, and rest) where residential areas and green spaces harmonize around it.

Based on this, the Poblenou area is regaining socio-economic vitality. The 22@ innovation district currently houses 12,150 companies, as well as 9 universities and 3 technology centers. It plays an important role in the regional economy, accounting for 14.5% of Barcelona's gross domestic product (GDP).

Editor's NoteThere is abandoned land in Korea. Its area is 24.49 million square meters, which is 5.44 times the size of Yeouido. Nothing is done on this land. It is simply left unattended. This is the story of 'industrial complexes.' Industrial complexes have been the main drivers of Korea's rapid economic growth since the development of the Ulsan Industrial Complex in the 1960s. However, due to their rapid and unplanned construction, they now suffer from chronic unsold inventory. While focusing only on building new industrial complexes, existing ones face serious aging problems. Asia Economy examines the current status of domestic industrial complexes through the 'Abandoned Industrial Complex' series and explores directions for the development of Korean industrial complexes through overseas cases.

This project was supported by the Press Promotion Fund, which is funded by government advertising fees.