The C-31 is a highway that has divided the city of Badalona since the late 60s. The highway physically separates the city and affects the way communities on each side of the road interact with each other. These photographs explore a section of this fracture.
My journey aims to capture the urban impact of this linear and homogeneous infrastructure. I document the physical boundary that separates neighborhoods, revealing the interaction between two scales: the highway and the everyday life of Badalona.
The focus is on the interaction between the infrastructure and the everyday urban scale of the neighborhood, generating reflection on its impact on the community. The mural by artist Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada establishes a contrast between the face of the neighborhood and the presence of the highway, giving voice and visibility to the people who coexist alongside it.
Each image testifies to this duality. From retaining walls, bridges, and ramps to the details of urban life, I convey the visual narrative of the city affected by the highway.
I seek to capture spaces where two seemingly opposing realities converge. To convey the essence of life that continues despite the physical barrier. It is a reflection on the relationship between the details of the neighborhood’s small scale and its infrastructural environment.
La C-31 es una autopista que divide la ciudad de Badalona desde finales de los años 60. La autopista divide físicamente la ciudad y afecta la forma en que las comunidades a cada lado de la vía interactúan entre sí. Estas fotografías exploran un tramo de esta fractura.
Mi recorrido trata de capturar el impacto urbano de esta infraestructura lineal y homogénea. Documento el límite físico que separa los barrios, revelando la interacción entre dos escalas: la autopista y la vida cotidiana de Badalona.
El enfoque se centra en la interacción entre la infraestructura y la escala urbana cotidiana del barrio, generando una reflexión sobre su impacto en la comunidad. El mural del artista Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada establece un contraste entre el rostro del barrio y la presencia de la autopista, dando voz y visibilidad a las personas que coexisten junto a ella.
Cada imagen testimonia esta dualidad. Desde los muros de contención, puentes y rampas, hasta los detalles de la vida urbana, transmito la narrativa visual de la ciudad afectada por la autopista.
Busco capturar espacios en los que convergen dos realidades aparentemente opuestas. Quiero transmitir la esencia de la vida que continúa a pesar de la barrera física. Es una reflexión sobre la relación entre detalles de la pequeña escala del barrio y su entorno infraestructural.
Carles Puig (Barcelona, 1968), is an architect that develops his professional activity in the study of architecture and design of space: puig · mir
He has taught at different schools of architecture and design. Interest in photography began from his studies at the architecture school. With a self-taught formation, his architectural activity has made his photographs the result of observation and interest in the urban landscape.
The photographs emphasize unique elements of the ancient city and the homogeneity of new contemporary growths, where an intentional and analytical search of architecture is evident. The attention to structure and relationships between constructed volumes is reinforced by light contrasts on a gray scale.
© text and pictures by Carles Puig
