CÍRCULO DE BELLAS ARTES

Global warming is an undeniable fact of life, as is the effect of the “heat islands” that form in urban areas. So, even though the month of June was pleasantly benign, adapting to the city heat is an urgent necessity.

WHY THE CÍRCULO / WHY CULTURE

Here at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, we believe that cultural centres can play a central role in helping cities to adapt to the increasing number of heat waves brought on by climate change:

By and large, most of these centres have lots of space, with air conditioning in accessible and well-connected places where people can shelter from the heat. Serving the public is our vocation and part and parcel of our DNA. We’re also experienced in welcoming a very diverse public and adapting to their interests and needs.

Science has succeeded in making a broad social majority aware of the magnitude of the crisis, but we need to do more: to paraphrase Raymond Williams, the task now is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing. And the humanities, arts and culture in general are at the cutting edge of this objective. Given the climate anxiety generated by an impression of collapse, it is essential to create future scenarios that prompt us to act; on the map of the abyss we are fast approaching if we do nothing, we urgently need to put down in a visible place actions, projects and ideas that will allow us to change direction. Technology and the hard sciences offer answers to the questions we ask ourselves as a society, but only the humanities and the arts have the capacity to change the questions, to put forward new narratives that disrupt our value systems.

WHAT THE CÍRCULO DE BELLAS ARTES REFUGE IS LIKE

Our climate refuge opens from 11 July to 31 August, from 11am to 9pm. It occupies the Ballroom, the Círculo’s largest and most beautiful space. Our aim is that it should be like a city square, but one that’s covered and nice and cool, with lots of vegetation and places to rest, meet people, work, relax, read or play chess. To make this space even more welcoming, we asked Basurama to design the facilities and the furniture, and we borrowed more than 200 plants from the City Council's Vivero de Estufas nursery. The artist Sayaka Fujio, from the SUR School, has created a special sound installation for the space, called Plant Permanence (Permanencia Vegetal). 

Permanent facilities:

Plant crèche: If you’re going away, you can leave your plants with us and we’ll look after them as best we can.

Work space: You’ll find desks here, with Wi-Fi access and charging points for your mobile phones and computers.

Rest area: Take a break in our relaxation area. You can enjoy a guided meditation session with Sayaka Fujio.

Water fountain: Make sure you’re properly hydrated! Don’t forget to bring your reusable bottle, you can fill it up as often as you like. 

Chess corner and reading corner

ACTIVITIES AT THE CÍRCULO DE BELLAS ARTES REFUGE

We’re going to have lots of visits! Children from several urban camps run by Madrid’s public schools are coming to visit us, as well as senior citizens from centres in the Centro district and various other groups, but we'll also have activities open to the general public:  

Vibra-tó

Concert for families 

Saturday 13 July, 12:30pm 

Vibra-Tó is a fun and educational concert in which two musicians cum teachers, who just happen to be multi-instrumentalists, perform magic with their own compositions and folk tunes from all over the world, using amazing instruments made from waste materials.

Chess

Sunday 14 and 21 July, from 11am to 2pm

Workshops and tournaments organised by Chess in the Park (Ajedrez en el Parque)

The Refuge also has a permanent chess corner open to all comers.

Repair café

Saturday 13 July, from 11am to 2pm

A workshop-space open to all, with tools, materials and lots of shared knowledge to help you repair all sorts of things: clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, toys... It’s a great and really simple idea: bring stuff that doesn’t work and fix them with the help of our experts.

The Brave (Valientes)

Storytelling with music for the whole family

Saturday 20 July, 12:30pm 

A show that combines live music with oral narrative, courtesy of Vanesa Camarda and Camila Monasterio from Pandora Mirabilia.