Graffiti art

19 May 2009

It took a week and a half. I found a part of Sevilla that I don't like.

It is the area to the north of the city core, on the west side of the Rio Guadalquivir. This area was developed for Expo 92. Our guide book (Frommer's) notes, "Over 42 million people visited the event over six months. Its legacy was less impressive. The city was left with debts of 360 million Euros and many of the Expo buildings now lie forlorn and dilapidated."

In the ten days we've been in Sevilla, I've crossed the Rio Guadalquivir on several different bridges. All were (very) pedestrian friendly.

The northmost bridge on our maps -- Puente del Alamillo -- has an impressive suspension system. You can see it in the distance in the photo below. I wanted to cross the bridge for the opportunity to photograph it closely.



I tried to approach the bridge from the west side of the river. I walked along a nice enough sidewalk, although it was aggressively fenced in on one side and weed lined. Also, the fence was topped with barbed wire in places, the first of this unpleasantness I've seen in Sevilla. On the other side of the fence, I could see a beautiful lawn lining the river bank. Access restricted. I couldn't see a way to get there. I made my way to the base of the bridge. The sidewalk died. No sign banning pedestrian crossing, but no shoulder, either. I was unable to get to a position to see clearly, but all impressions sent this message: Pedestrians go away!

I doubled back to the bridge I originally traversed (the lovely Puente de la Barqueta) and crossed to the east side of the river. The shot above illustrates the view north from this bridge. Note the graffiti along the wall on the right side of this photo.

Along the pedestrian and cycle path on this side of the river, extending for at least a kilometer, was a fine display of urban art. Now, I'm definitely not a fan of tagging; I find it distasteful and an insult to my sense of the propriety of public space and private property. On the other hand, the graffiti displayed here was of an entirely different kind. It provided nice decoration for what was otherwise a rather dull pathway, especially in the warm afternoon sun when everyone save for the random fisherman, cyclist, or rower was taking a siesta.

Apparently, the attitude about graffiti is somewhat more relaxed in Sevilla than I am accustomed to from California. See the photo at right. In the Alameda de Hercules is a city-sanctioned display of European and Mediterranean graffiti. (That display was way less impressive, however, than this tolerated, but-not-so-clearly-sanctioned one along the river!)