Poblenou galleries and museums open doors as AR-DE returns June 3-5

AR-DE, an art and design circuit around galleries and museums in Barcelona's Poblenou neighborhood returns for its second edition this weekend, June 3-5.

Organized by the non-profit association Poblenou Urban District, AR-DE includes 11 organizations and spaces in this industrial-turned-cultural area of the Catalan capital, with performances, exhibitions, interviews and other events.

The creative multimedia agency LuzidLab has developed an app for the second year running which visitors can use while browsing the various spaces taking part in AR-DE.

As well as containing the schedule of activities, the app will provide an immersive experience through augmented reality that will allow users to see a virtual sculpture as they move around.

This year's circuit is made up of the following spaces: Galería Chez Xefo, Museu Can Framis, Noak Room, L&B Gallery, Unusual Concept Store, The Folio Club, Piramidón Centre d’Art Contemporani, Moryarty, Museu del Disseny de Barcelona, La Plataforma and Disseny Hub Barcelona.

As well as being "a good opportunity to meet emerging and established artists and national and international designers," organizers say the event is "created with the aim of bringing the programming of these spaces to the public and encouraging the sale of art and design."

Poblenou Urban District is a private non-profit association, formed by professionals, companies and organizations from the creative and cultural sector in Poblenou. Founded in 2012, its main objective is to promote the creative and cultural community of the district and position Poblenou as Barcelona's creative and cultural district.

Design hub

Poblenou is today known as one of the creative powerhouses of Barcelona, but it was not always the case. In a previous life, the area was an industrial zone, full of factories and warehouses.

The architecture of Poblenou reflects this history, with modern buildings alongside 19th and early 20th century ones, renovated and converted. Learn more in the podcast below, featuring a tour of the 22@ district.