For the past editions, Manifesta has worked with urban and architectural specialists who mapped out the geographical territory of the Host City and presented this in an “Urban Vision”. Barcelona is a city and a region with a long tradition of urban researches and therefore, for the 15th edition of Manifesta, the team successfully worked with New York based Spanish architect and arts administrator Sergio Pardo who analysed the history of the territory and together with local key stakeholders identified social and geographical crossroad or nodes where Manifesta 15 will conduct its research. 

Manifesta 15 Barcelona will have an alternative approach in comparison to its three past editions. Rather than creating a new urban vision for the city of Barcelona, Pardo has delved into the already extensive urban research conducted over the past four decades in Barcelona.

Sergio Pardo, Manifesta 15’s 1st Creative Mediator has been working for the past 6 months together with the Manifesta 15 Team to create the thematic framework which the collectives will use as their departure point.

His research will take into account the municipalities which supported the bid: Badalona, Cornellá de Llobregat, El Prat del Llobregat, l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Granollers, Mataró, Sabadell, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Terrassa.

About Sergio

Sergio Pardo is an arts administrator, curator, and architect based in New York City, with a specialisation in cultural policies, creative place making and public art. He has participated in the curation and management of projects with institutions including The Venice Architecture Biennale, the Canal de Isabel II Foundation, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and advises federal and city governments globally on strategies for using culture as a tool for social engagement, civic pride and economic development. Sergio is currently the Director of the Percent for Art Program at the New York Department of Cultural Affairs and is an Adjunct Professor at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.

We are delighted to have Sergio join our team, and look forward to seeing how his research informs the direction of Manifesta 15 Barcelona.

For more information about Pardo, head to his official page here