title. Refilling Beauty: Critical Reimagining of Urban Water Symbols
date. 2025
local. Montjuïc, Barcelona
Faced with the scenario of water scarcity in Barcelona, the presence of dozens of dry ornamental fountains in the Montjuïc neighborhood — traditionally associated with power and abundance — further highlights the severity of the crisis. This project proposes a critical and ironic reflection on the use and symbolism of water in a city where the population has recently faced consumption restrictions, while sectors such as agriculture and textiles continue to have a high water impact, and the city hall allocates millions of euros to renovate these symbolic structures with no forecast for reactivation.
The intervention unfolds in two stages: first, the deactivated ornamental fountains were mapped, and the volume of water required to fill them was calculated. Then, with the participation of MEATS students, a performative action of symbolic “reactivation” of these fountains was carried out. Each participant collected, the day before, the water used in everyday domestic activities — such as washing their face or brushing their teeth — and poured it into the fountains. During each intervention, a poster was placed next to the structure, ironically encouraging the public to do the same “in favor of restoring the beauty” of these monuments. The action is an invitation to reflect: how can we reimagine the urban symbols of water when the old ones no longer make sense?
