catalan culture

The Institut Ramon Llull (IRL) is a public body in charge of promoting Catalan culture and language abroad. On Thursday, "it expressed optimism for the first time" about a collaboration with the new Governments of Valencia and the Balearic Islands, both led by left-wing coalitions. The Director of the institute, Àlex Susanna, said that, following the May 2015 elections, "positive signs" are emerging but still could not confirm any conclusive agreement. According to him, the new political landscape opens a "great opportunity" to promote the international mobility of artists and intellectuals from Catalan-speaking territories. Asked about the new Head of Barcelona City Council – part of the consortium constituting the institute – Susanna said that he foresees "continuity" with the work of previous local Executives.

Barcelona ranks 9^th in the list of the cities with the best reputation in the world, according to a study presented by the prestigious ESADE Business School. The Catalan capital stands out especially in areas of tourism, sport and culture. The City RepTrak 2014 study was presented on Tuesday at ESADE, which has its headquarters at the Catalan capital. The report measures the reputation of 100 cities around the world, and the 5 cities at the top of the list are Vienna, Munich, Sydney, Florence and Oslo. European cities were the highest ranking, followed by those in the United States, and well ahead of those in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa. While Barcelona has risen from being 23^rd to the top ten, Madrid has dropped from 27^th to 32^nd place.

Catalan author Jaume Cabré’s latest novel 'Jo confesso' has been translated into English and is finally hitting bookstores in the Anglophone world for the first time since its original publication in 2011. It was translated by Mara Faye Letham and published by Arcadia books. The novel, which this year won the Courrier International Prize for 'Best foreign novel', as well as several Catalan literature awards, has already been translated into Spanish, German, Italian and Chinese, among others. This is another success for Catalan literature, after the publication in English of 'Quadern gris' ('The Grey Notebook') by Josep Pla and the Joan Sales classic 'Incerta Glòria' ('Uncertain Glory'). Catalan literature is blossoming among English readers, thanks to the recent translations of several other classics.

Three of Catalonia´s most popular music groups played in Central Park in New York City on Sunday 21^st July as part of the SummerStage Festival. The three Catalan performers, Mishima, Txarango and Headbirds, participated in the event under the slogan ´Catalan sounds on tour´, with the aim to internationalise Catalan musicians and performers. The festival is organised by New York´s City Parks Foundation with the object to raise awareness of the richness of different cultures, and this year includes the participation of the Ramon Llull Institute (IRL), Catalonia's public body to promote Catalan language and culture abroad.

From April 2014, thanks to an agreement signed with the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL), the public body in charge of promoting Catalan culture abroad, the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) will offer a comprehensive course dedicated to the Catalan language and culture. The TUFS, one of the most prestigious institutions for language studies in Japan, will be the second university in the country to provide such training after the Hosei University - also in Tokyo - implemented a similar course in 2010. In the coming months, the TUFS will also host several events to strengthen the bonds between Catalonia and Japan, notably the symposium ‘Facts and fiction about independence, a plural view on Catalonia’.

The Dalí Museums welcomed a total of 1,580,517 visitors in 2013, meaning an 8.42 % increase over 2012. This is the most important figure ever achieved by all three museums of the Dalí Foundation, located in north-eastern Catalonia: the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the Gala-Dalí Castle in Púbol (near the Costa Brava) and the artist’s house in Port Lligat, Cadaqués (a Costa Brava town). The Dalí Foundation congratulated itself and insisted such record attendance would spread even further the artist’s legacy in Spain and across the world.

The Catalan Government has published a report listing all the Spanish Executive’s disloyalties towards Catalonia including not respecting legislation, devolved powers and cultural aspects. The 50-page document has a chapter quantifying the costs of such disloyalty, which totals €9.375 billion, according to the Catalan Government. €5.748 billion correspond to infrastructure which has not been built; €672 million to a reduction in institutional transfers; €1.715 billion to spending increases due to the Spanish Government’s unilateral decisions; and €1.239 to revenue reductions due to similar unilateral decisions which have never been compensated. The report does not take into account the so-called fiscal deficit – the €16.5 billion that each year Catalan tax-payers transfer to the rest of Spain. The Catalan Government emphasised that there has been “a permanent disloyal activity” since 2000.

This weekend, the city of Tàrrega will be transformed as its annual arts festival kicks-off with over 400 performers entertaining crowds. The event, in its 33rd year, will have 24 venues and a total 300 shows. It prides itself on showcasing the best up-and-coming artists as well as placing an emphasis on more unconventional performances. There are numerous shows on offer including theatre, dance and music as well as events for children such as puppet acts and circus performances. The festival attracted 147,000 visitors in 2012 and is located in central Catalonia in the village of Tàrrega.

The medical director of the Coordinadora de Colles Castelleres de Catalunya (the coordinating committee of the human towers of Catalonia – CCCC), Daniel Castillo, has announced that the tradition is just as dangerous as practicing any other sport. Two weeks ago, a casteller (Castell participant) was seriously injured in Barcelona during the construction of a Castell. However, in an interview with the CNA, Castillo highlighted how that historical tradition is, in fact, becoming safer with only 2.5% of the 6,500 Castells of 2013 collapsing. “During the 1990s about 7% of Castells collapsed”, he noted. Castells is a tradition unique to Catalonia and in 2010 was declared a UNESCO element of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Classic and contemporary authors from Catalonia, writing in Catalan or in Spanish, are one of the main attractions of this year’s Salon du Livre in Paris, which is one of the main book fairs internationally. Running from Friday the 22nd to Monday the 25th of March in the French capital, this year the book fair has Barcelona as its guest city under the title ‘Barcelona, ville des prodiges’. The Institut Ramon Llull, the public body in charge of promoting Catalan culture abroad, is organising the presence of Catalan literature at the fair. During the first day, the visitors were mainly interested in Eduardo Mendoza, Carlos Ruiz Zafón and Josep Pla, who wrote ‘The Grey Notebook’ which has just been translated into French.

The coastal city, located in southern Catalonia, is experiencing a significant renovation of its cultural infrastructure and will host special events throughout the year such as the inauguration of the Tarragona Theatre. Tarragona’s new status as Capital of Catalan Culture 2012 has triggered this year’s local artistic activity with a vast cultural agenda accessible to all citizens. Activities started in February with the first Congress of Catalan Booksellers. Initiatives like the inauguration of the Tarragona Theatre, the Historical Archive, the new Center of Contemporary Art and the Banc de la Cultura are some of the novelties expected to take place at the city this year.

Organisers encourage the continued investment in the promotion of Catalan culture across Europe

The county of Garraf, 20 minutes South from Barcelona, has recently begun a new programme for tourists of the area, a route that combines elements of landscape, culture, and gastronomy. The itinerary includes panoramic views of the Garraf Natural Park and wine tasting, among other activities.

Two exhibitions of the internationally recognised artist Miquel Barceló begins today and tomorrow at the Santa Mònica Museum of Art and the CaixaForum. The exhibition is a retrospective of the artist?s trajectory from his beginnings in 1973 until today.

Independent and avant-garde fashion designs are currently being showcased at the 6th edition of Barcelona?s 080 Fashion Fair. 2010?s fair brings 10% more exhibitors than last year.