Work in Progress

Three old men at a little table chew on a plate of food with their few remaining teeth. In the meantime, they reminisce with gentle melancholy about days gone by. Back when the El Chine neighborhood was still lively and the prostitutes beautiful – and what’s more, affordable. Now this Barcelona neighborhood with its multi-ethnic population is undergoing a transition: new houses are being built, and living there is getting more expensive. José Luis Guerin spent 18 months on the streets of El Chine with his camera, recording this process. An old apartment complex is knocked down to make way for a new building. The residents have been evicted and prospective buyers of the new luxury apartments come to look. The locals hear the thunder of the wrecking balls, see the clouds of dust descend and watch the armies of construction workers erecting new edifices. Guerin shot over 100 hours of material, including many observations of the neighborhood and its residents, and added some dramatized interludes with little storylines about the ups and downs of the various characters. The result is a layered, philosophical, often associative discourse on past, present and future. The main focus is not so much on the concrete reconstruction activities as on the impact these changes are having on the residents of this neighborhood.