Economia Social i Solidària

The historic venue on Avinguda Paral·lel, now called Paral·lel 62, is the new facility which, from the Social and Solidarity Economy and under municipal ownership, aims to promote music, dance and other performing arts. Its goal is also to strengthen the cultural and community fabric of the neighbourhood.

Paral·lel 62 is managed by the Unió Temporal d’Empreses (UTE – temporary joint venture) formed by Sala Upload and two cooperatives Quesoni and L’Afluent, which won the municipal tender and wants to add to the history of the legendary Av Paral·lel venue, aware of its heritage and historical value in terms of the city’s cultural life.

One important aspect of the project is its horizontal governance and the way it works from and for the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). Thus, it will offer its services through suppliers in the area and will organically integrate the groups that form a part of it in the management and governance of the space. The intention is to create new jobs, and involve these entities in governance and participation in the project. There will be a gradual transition of services which has already started with the online ticket sales service, through the non-profit ticketing cooperative Tickètic, or the catering service, with the non-profit social cooperative Abarka, which arose from the need for racialised migrants to self-organise.

The project is based on music, as well as dance and other disciplines, while also promoting and collaborating in socio-cultural projects in Barcelona. It does so by promoting an intercultural vision that breaks with different socio-cultural and economic hegemonies. So it will welcome projects that generate a dialogue with other artistic disciplines, such as dance, circus and theatre. The new team will strive to continue collaborating with programmes that have already passed through the venue, such as the Grec Festival or Primavera Sound, and to team up with Barcelona Acció Musical (BAM). It will also strive to hold onto the audiences that have frequented the venue until now, continuing to host proposals promoted by the previous management.

However, besides all that, Paral·lel 62 will be networking with local organisations and associations, to promote and support local talent from Raval, Poble-sec, Sant Antoni and the rest of the city. So the Sala Club will have an ongoing programme in the neighbourhood with start-up and zero-kilometre initiatives. The new cultural project will offer grants for live productions, studio recordings, audio-visual production, creation and composition, among other things.

Paral·lel 62 will soon be part of the Cases de la Música Network, a socio-cultural project that aims to promote training, creation, exhibition and dissemination of popular and modern music throughout Catalonia. The Cases de la Música complement municipal cultural infrastructures by organising activities aimed at both artists and creators, as well as the general public.

About the venue

The building retains two halls for concerts and shows, a professional kitchen, a recording studio that currently has no equipment and a number of smaller rooms that can hold training sessions, association meetings and workshops. The versatility of these spaces and their uses provide a great opportunity for attracting diverse audiences:

• Sala Gran, the biggest and most versatile, has stalls, a first floor with side and front boxes, and a second floor with an amphitheatre and side boxes. It also has five dressing rooms and a stall bar service.
• Sala Club. Small with great views of Avinguda del Paral·lel.
• Vestibule, a showcase for the neighbourhood and the city, is to be transformed into a new space for activities in the surrounding neighbourhoods.
• Following years of inactivity, a catering project is now underway with the Abarka cooperative to offer a unique service that goes further than just the Paral·lel 62 project.
• Room for training, workshops and meetings organised by local associations and organisations.
• Recording studio. Still not in use but the aim is to equip it and get in up and running with an entity that will revive it and manage its use.

Paral·lel 62 intends to encourage participation and cultural exchange that goes beyond its four walls and open itself up to the Raval neighbourhood and the city.