More Barcelona Structures

After letting the project gather a solid layer of dust, I finally found my way out the door with camera and tripod in hand to continue work on my Barcelona Structures portfolio.

This time, the targets were the area around Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes (which is currently under heavy construction), and the plant-covered Planeta building at Avenguda Diagonal and Gran Via de Carles III.

Here are is what my eye found…

Torre Glòries, or the “Barcelona bullet” if you will (formerly, Torre Agbar), figures in these first five images, along with parts of the Museu del Disseny (Museum of Design). Once construction is completed in this huge intersection area, and the heavy traffic is finally re-routed underground, the open spaces and the architecture will make it a tranquil, human bean-friendly, and photogenic hangout place. The nearby Mercat Fira de Bellcaire Encants, with its mirrored circus fun house roof is another reason to visit–it is the biggest flea market in Barcelona, and quite the show during peak hours. For me, I preferred to seek line, form, and interesting compositions on a quiet Sunday… with few humans about and just a few sea birds cawing in an ominously cloudy sky (impending storm named “Gloria,” ironically):

Plaça de les Glòries, #6, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #2, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #4, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #5, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #16, Barcelona, 2020

The next eight photographs come from a short session with the mirrored roof over the previously mentioned Mercat. There happened to be another photographer out there with his camera and tripod on this day. I guess it’s hard not to want to photograph such a strange and abstract construction. It attracts the eye:

Plaça de les Glòries, #7, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #9, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #11, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #12, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #13, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #14, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #15, Barcelona, 2020

Plaça de les Glòries, #17, Barcelona, 2020

This image requires a bit of explanation. What you are looking at is the construction mess and confusion in the middle of the Plaça de les Glòries–construction that has been going on for years and that has a lot of locals in full-tilt irate complaint mode. On the banner, some witty Latin scholar has spray-painted: sic transit glòries mundi. This is a play on the original Latin phrase, “sic transit gloria mundi,” meaning roughly “Thus passes the glory of the world.” The idea is that we should remember that earthly glory is but temporary (so don’t get a big head with all your riches and accomplishments!). Now, notice that this wit has replaced the word “gloria” with glòries” to reflect the name of this plaza and, I suppose, to say that all this effort to build a wonderful new plaza on this spot is ultimately temporary (futile, even?) in the larger scheme of things. I wonder how many passersby notice? Or care?

Plaça de les Glòries, #1, Barcelona, 2020

Moving up Avenguda Diagonal a few kilometers to the northwest, you’ll surely notice this unique building, covered with shrubbery. It is called either the Planeta building or the Banca Catalana building and was erected in 1979: