From 15 to 21 October Barcelona will host the Ciutat Oberta Biennal de pensament (Open City: Biennial for Thought). As part of this initiative contributors from Catalonia and all over the world have been invited to address the global changes that are transforming our cities. Throughout the week, various parts of the city will become meeting points for debate and action with a view to future planning for the sort of cities we need and desire.

The arts factories have become involved in the Biennial project by organizing a range of events covering subjects as varied as violence, diversity, art, gender and technology.

On 16 October, Sala Beckett is hosting a dialogue, on coexistence and prejudices in different societies and two plays: Ofici de tenebres (Three-Night Mass) by playwright and political journalist Joan Rosiñol and Blues, with text by Sergi Pompermayer.

On 17, 18 and 19 October, La Escocesa will be the venue for the cycle “Art, filosofia i ciutat”, (“Art, Philosophy and City”), three performances led by Enric Puig Punyet, Remedios Zafra and Santiago Zabala, which will include the participation of resident artists Marla Jacarilla, Thilleli Rahmoun, Antonio Cerezuela and Marit Tunesveit Dyre.

During the week, Tantarantana will be staging the winning play of the 2018 DespertaLab Grant, Hábitat (doble penetración), with text and direction by Roger Torns, a piece which reflects upon the individual’s need to be accepted in society.

For 19 October, Hangar has organized the collaborative workshop “Lesions queers: metodologies per a la reparació parcial... o no” (“Queer Injuries: Methodologies for Partial Repair…Or Not”) to be given by Helen Pritchard, Jara Rocha and Laura Benítez, which is proposed as a collective  composition for partially restorative research practices.

Finally, on 18 and 20 October, Fabra i Coats will be hosting two days of conferences, debates, performances and workshops encompassing three distinct themes: “Ciutats digitals, llibertats digitals: comú digital, estàndards ètics i software lliure” (“Digital Cities, Digital Freedoms: Digital Commons, Ethical Standards and Open-Source Software”), , “Cocreació i memòria: laboratori de Ciutat Oberta” (“Co-creation and Memory: Open City Laboratory” and, lastly, “Obrint el meló del núvol” (“Opening the Melon of the Cloud”), around community models for property and management of Internet infrastructures.

Ciutat Oberta Biennal de Pensament will be taking place from 15 to 21 October. Throughout the following three months (from 21 October) +Biennal will be taking place, an extension of the initiative  that will continue to host events linked to the changes in the world and our cities. For more information about the event please consult their website.