PRIDE 2024

Despite the cloudy, humid day and threats of thunderstorms, thousands of people carrying or wrapped in Pride flags celebrated the New York City Pride March on Sunday June 30.

The march commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising, the spark that lit the rights movement. The New York march is the largest of its kind in the United States, with around 25,000 marchers and around two and a half million spectators expected to celebrate. There were a large number of pro-Palestinian marchers/demonstrators as well.

Barcelona's Street Art

Most large cities have street art, but Barcelona is one of these cities that perhaps welcomes it with open arms (or perhaps allow it). It's incorrect to conflate street art with graffiti, as street art is usually painted with permission or commissioned. Graffiti is word-based and its ‘writers’ are mostly self-taught and under most laws, this art-form is considered vandalism, while others appreciate it as a form of art.

Barcelona has the vibrancy of the famous artists who lived within the boundaries of its old quarter such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and Antonio Gaudi.

The history of the street art scene in Barcelona begins in the 1970’s with the end of the Franco dictatorship. During the 1980’s it was inspired by the booming street art scene in Paris. Up to around 2002 the laws were relatively lax allowing for street art to flourish in Barcelona.

As per Barcelona Navigator, here are some of the jargon words:

Throw up: A throw-up (throwie) is made up of easy-to-paint bubble style letters.

Tag: A graffiti writer’s tag is his or her unique signature, normally done in one color.

Bombing: To bomb is to paint many surfaces in a city area within a short time.

Installation: A work that is often 3D or sculptural that may combine several techniques.

Wildstyle: A graffiti style using complex lettering which intertwines within itself and often other shapes and lines making it hard to read for the untrained eye.

For larger sized photographs, click this:

Barcelona by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure

Barcelona's Barrio Gótico | Monochrome

The Gothic Quarter (in Catalan: Barri Gòtic and in Spanish: Barrio Gótico) is the historic centre of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to the Ronda de Sant Pere. It is a part of Ciutat Vella district.

The quarter encompasses the oldest parts of the city of Barcelona, and includes the remains of the city's Roman wall and several notable medieval landmarks. Much of the present-day quarter, however, dates to the 19th and early 20th centuries. 

As I mentioned in my earlier blog post, I took the opportunity of visiting Barcelona to satisfy my "hunger" for monochromatic street photography and architectural photography. It was brought to the surface by having watched the Netflix series "Ripley".

For larger photographs:

Gothic Quarter by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure