Exhibition links the urban spaces of Barcelona, Valencia and Palma

Barcelona (CNA) .- The Mediterranean cities of Barcelona, Valencia and Palma de Mallorca are the main subjects of an exhibition at the Barcelona Centre of Contemporary Culture (CCCB). According to the organisation, the event titled 'A history of convergence and divergence', focuses on "the present state of the three cities by linking them with their common past and future". The show, an idea of the Majorcan writer Sebastian Alzamora, is co-directed by the artist Ignacio Aballí, the writer Melcior Comes and the journalist Vicenç Sanchis. It portrays both the urban and human landscapes of all three cities.
The curator and Majorcan writer, Melcior Comes, said that 'A history of convergence and divergence' shows how the three cities "are obliged to understand each other… to look each other in the face and to think about their model of the future". He added that one way of helping this process is to put these issues on the table to show they have a common past.

The exhibition begins with a futuristic city tour, transporting the visitors to 2085, and continues with a portrait of the current situation of the Catalan language common to all three cities since the thirteenth century. The exhibition also offers a tour of the ugly part of the city, portraying economic, aesthetic and ethical ugliness, corruption and degradation. Through the interactive mosaic, 'the city of horrors' visitors are invited to create an imaginary city from the combination of the ugliest architectural spaces and urban landscapes of Barcelona, Valencia and Palma. Finally, the event covers the hedonistic present of these Mediterranean-trading cities with their pleasant climate, and ends by looking to the past, to the medieval history that forged the spirit of the three cities.

The three curators of the exhibition, Aballí, Comes and Sanchis, unanimously agreed that it is not an exhibition for specialists nor for those familiar with the cities. Comes said "it's not necessary to live in these cities to enjoy the exhibition'" and added it could be the first step towards exploring the cities for the first time, or as a way of discovering what the three cities have in common that may not be obvious at first sight.

The exhibition has the support of the institutions of the three cities, and despite the intention of the organisers to move it from one city to another, the only city confirmed as a host is Ses Voltes in Palma at the end of this year.