The Eagle. Four glances
The Eagle. Four glances
Four photographers, four personal and diverse views on El Águila, one of the best-preserved industrial buildings in the Community of Madrid. From the encounter between the special character of its spaces, its current function and the contemporary artistic vision of Jonás Bel, Alejandro S. Garrido, Andrea Santolaya and Marta Soul, this 2022 calendar of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage was born.
The proposal is an invitation to rediscover the property of El Águila, a cultural complex that through its exhibitions, conferences, concerts and multiple activities acts as a space for reflection, conservation and dissemination of cultural heritage.
At the end of the XNUMXth century, the Mansilla + Tuñón Arquitectos studio designed the rehabilitation project for the buildings that had been part of the old brewery, almost a century after its foundation. From then on, El Águila went from being an old industrial building to the new headquarters of the Regional Archive of the Community of Madrid and the Joaquín Leguina Regional Library of Madrid. Today El Águila is an outstanding example of recovered industrial heritage, in which contemporary architecture and design are put at the service of the primary functions of both centers.
These four photographic projects travel the terrain between past and present, continent and content, preserved heritage and the people who guard it, to contribute new visions about El Águila as an open cultural institution committed to cultural heritage in all its dimensions.
Jonah Bel
Part of the photographic collections kept in El Águila leave the warehouses to dress the walls of the building that houses them. It is the artistic proposal of Jonás Bel who, assisted by a digital projector, presents a photography and videomapping project that shows a contemporary look at Madrid's historical legacy.
Alexander S. Garrido
Alejandro S. Garrido's artistic gaze goes back to the origins of the old brewery to recover the building's productive tradition. Alejandro portrays the current work processes: conservation, research and restoration of heritage, in an industrial setting whose footprint and memory have survived the passage of time in the different spaces of El Águila.
Andrea Santolaya placeholder image
Andrea Santolaya's photographic project is inspired by the idea of heritage based on the documentary and bibliographic funds kept at El Águila and the professionals who safeguard them. With a series of singular portraits in which the historical document takes center stage, Andrea shows us the most hidden face of cultural institutions in order, in her words, to understand "who we are."
Martha Soul
Marta Soul's photographic project uses the architectural spaces of El Águila as a backdrop for the creation of a series of atypical situations featuring various characters. A young woman walks through the different rooms of the Regional Archive and Library, its warehouses, stairs and corridors, meeting several men in her path. Marta Soul's artistic gaze takes us to a universe with surreal nuances and some cinematographic references.