In an Olympic pool, not just anyone jumps in. In a way, this is the challenge that Juanpe González and Neus Masdeu have on their hands with the creation of the Bar Trampolí, which opened a week ago in the inner courtyard of the Fundació Joan Brossa – Centre de les Arts Lliures (Flassaders street, 40), in the Born neighborhood of Barcelona. González will be in charge of the bar's management and Masdeu of the artistic programming.
Both explain to AMIC Cultura that, when the idea was proposed to them by the Fundació Joan Brossa, they thought it fit them perfectly, as both accumulate experience in the pairing of culture and food. On the one hand, Juanpe is one of the co-owners of the Bar La Cañada del Poble-sec, where culture also pops up, and Neus, as an artist, has worked several times in this theater in the Ciutat Vella district.
Thus, Bar Trampolí is born with the idea of mixing cuisine and theatre with monthly parties that they have christened as “gastronomic olympics”. For now, the first, which they still have to announce, will be of olive pit throwing, a type of gathering that Juanpe knows closely, as it is typical of his homeland, Murcia. “Doing this is a political act, as we live in such an individualistic moment, that it is necessary to recover traditions to generate critical thinking”, says Masdeu. They also advance that they will do a drinking contest with porró and one of omelets, which was Joan Brossa's favorite food. In each gathering, a jury linked to gastronomy and the arts will choose the winner.
A cultural trampoline
The name of the bar is inspired by the first project that artists Antoni Miralda and Montse Guillén did together in Cadaqués in 1981, Flauta i Trampolí. This show is a great reference for Masdeu, according to what he explains, and which he has recovered in his shows, such as La Festa del Llagostí and Seitons Masdeu i Hola i Adeu. At Trampolí now an homage is made to Flauta i Trampolí with a small photo frame with an image where Miralda, Guillén, Brossa and Pepa Llopis, founder and president of Brossa, appear. “We wanted the name to be general and fun. In addition, a trampoline implies movement and evokes what the public feels when they go to the theater, since the arts always transport us somewhere”, adds the artist.
Although the project is still in its infancy, González, for his part, points out that he wants to program senior musicians: “I would like to work with indie groups. Currently, we let ourselves be carried away by the emergency and, although the albums of young people may be more passionate, we cannot lose artists who are 40 and 50 years old”.
Officially, the bar started engines last April 11, when they held an inaugural event by Masdeu herself to kick off in the form, as they say, of a "comparsa", where the big-heads of the two souls of this space, Pepa Llopis and Joan Brossa, were presented. Right now the bar is also decorated with letters made with papier-mâché in the shape of gilda, omelets and various cold cuts. The gathering on the 11th ended with a concert by Dudu Alves.
Finally, González and Masdeu point out that they want to ensure that this new space is “a meeting place for people of culture” and that at the same time it appeals to the Born neighborhood: “We want to create a protected bar in a very gentrified, damaged area,” they conclude.
