- The streets of the upper neighborhoods of Bilbao (San Francisco, Bilbao La Vieja and Zabala) have appeared with all kinds of colors and have been conditioned spaces for people everywhere. It was the Open Night. This year we needed it more than ever, as the event aims to foster relationships among people and give the opportunity to enjoy the human and social wealth of neighborhoods. The organizers have had to cope with the obstacles and difficulties caused by the plague, but, despite the difficulties, the people in the neighborhoods have responded well.
Although the day has started rainy, the streets of the upper Bilbao neighborhoods have not been slow to fill with people and noise. Like the naughty protagonists of this year’s poster designed by artist Maider Aldasoro, neighbors have faced order and loneliness. Like those naughty and tidy creatures, those who have approached this year's Open Night have walked from here to there looking for the enjoyment they should bring in the corners and the drive of desires.
Open Night When:
12 December.
NoN: Neighborhoods of San Francisco, Bilbao la Vieja and Zabala (Bilbao).
In total, there have been about 35 activities distributed in 25 spaces. A significant difference with respect to the average of the 100 activities of previous years and the 90 scenarios. But the organization was clear that, in one way or another, they could not fail this year. It also had to be clear that it had to be face-to-face, as the digital format would make no sense. They have therefore been forced to make a number of changes. The openness has been maintained, collecting the proposals of the agents of the neighborhoods to respond to the needs of the neighborhoods through collaborative work.
They have sought balance in the activities organised throughout the day, and they have succeeded. These are intimate formats that have had to be carried out in small spaces. Throughout the day the interventions of the project Ellas have been carried out, which has dressed the walls with images of the women of the neighborhoods. In the Sutan space, community clay sculptures have been worked, while recycling workshops are held for children’s clothing or roulette in other spaces. There has also been space for theatre, music and cinema, such as the film produced by the Cine Club San Francisco, a reflection on the lives of young migrants from the neighborhoods. The Museum of Reproductions has hosted several performances of La Gran Fiesta Ex Traditional, dismantling the pasacalles of our peoples and filling them with different colors and creatures. These are just a few of the examples behind the streets and open doors of the neighborhood.
The night ended this Open Night, atypical but more necessary than ever. Despite the rain and the obstacles, it was essential to recover the street and be among our people, to share experiences and, as naughty creatures, to visit every corner of the neighborhoods in search of a light of hope.
Photos of Gau Irekia / Sarean:
