The head of FUGA talks about the construction of the Bronx Creative District (BDC) in the National Vote, which will allow reconnecting this area with downtown Bogotá.
What is the main wealth of downtown Bogotá?
Definitely, the wealth of this area lies in the diversity in cultural and economic terms, in all the conversations so varied and rich that they give unique results that benefit the city. The center of Bogotá is recognized for its mix of cultural and creative activities, always in communication with traditional trades. A mixture that responds to the transformations that have been taking place there for decades. In the town of Los Mártires, for example, we see so many dialogues: we have marble, printing and carpentry artists, and also food, textile, hardware, paint and auto parts merchants.
Why create a creative district in Los Mártires, more exactly in the National Vow?
Building the Bronx Creative District (BDC) in the National Vote will allow to reconnect this area with the city center, which was isolated from what we now know as the historic center, due to the construction of Carrera 10 and Caracas Avenue. It must be taken into account that a creative district is built in conjunction with its surroundings, recognizes the potential of the agents that surround it, energizes and detonates the relationships between the actors of the cultural and creative industries, and in many cases, recovers the heritage material to make it available again for the enjoyment of the city.
View this post on Instagram
What is the Bronx Creative District?
The Bronx Creative District is a meeting space for collaboration, creation and social inclusion, which encourages the encounter of citizens with memory and heritage. The BDC is part of a comprehensive strategy for the evaluation and reactivation of downtown Bogotá developed by the district administration. To achieve its purpose, this project will transform underused spaces into flexible and collaborative places for local artists, creatives, managers and artisans with traditional knowledge and crafts, as well as supporting entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative economy of the city. It will be an open space for everyone.
What will Bogota citizens and visitors find there?
Being a space that encourages expression, culture and creativity, in the BDC there will be areas for collaboration and inclusion represented in workshops for the creation, production of creative works, content and products; spaces for the exhibition and commercialization of said products, made by creatives and masters of traditional crafts; and a site called La Esquina Redonda Creation and Memory Collaborative, in which a new story about the city can be written, an inclusive story with artists, creators, residents and street dwellers, cultural managers, researchers, students and neighbors.
Follow the news of El Espectador on Google NewsView this post on Instagram
Why is it important to preserve the memory of the area?
The territory where the BDC is built has, on the one hand, a great patrimonial wealth: its architectural component, as well as the tradition of the trades that have taken place in this area; and, on the other hand, the urban phenomenon known as the “L”, which left traces and transformations that also shaped the territory and are part of its history. The exercise of memory reconstruction must go through all this to honor the lives of those who have inhabited these places, thus promoting a space for meeting, creation, memory and care.
How will this creative district articulate with the cultural ecosystem of the center?
The BDC dialogues and offers value to all the actors of the ecosystem of the center. We seek to strengthen them so that, once the infrastructure component of the BDC is completed, they can occupy these spaces. To achieve this, we have projects to strengthen artistic, cultural and creative practices, supported by the visibility and recognition of actors and training programs in business skills around the cultural and creative sector.
What will the operation of that creative district look like in the future?
It will operate through a public-private model that guarantees its maintenance, without losing sight of the spirit of the cultural and creative industries, as well as the inclusion that governs the project. For this, in the structuring process we are defining the minimums that the structuring company must respect, ensuring economic sustainability, as well as the principles of creation, collaboration and inclusion.
View this post on Instagram
There is talk of a rebirth of The Bronx, what do you think of this?
The Bronx is a living and resilient territory, accustomed to growing and transforming itself due to the strength and determination of its inhabitants. Its rebirth began five years ago, when we all agreed to transform this space into a symbol of the caring city that is Bogotá. The Bronx has already entered another stage of its life and requires the contribution of all citizens for its transformation.
How do you dream of the Bronx Creative District?
We dream of it as a space with a lot of vitality, which invites us to meet and promote creation. A place to enjoy the difference, to recognize the potential that as human beings we have within. An open meeting point, mainly for residents of the town of Los Mártires and for cultural managers, researchers, students and artists interested in the creative potential that arises from the encounter and diversity.