North or South, You Can't go Wrong so Take Yer Pick

When comparing my time in Seville and other places in Southern Spain against my experience in Barcelona, the characteristics of each begin to more clearly explain the personality and direction of the two regions. For example, prior to our trip I was aware of Barcelona’s reputation as a very liberal city, though I was only occasionally made aware in examples such as the large public artworks or the persistent marijuana odor. However, when compared against Seville the context of Barcelona becomes more apparent, the architectural and historical differences more pronounced. Seville is in many ways the national and global image of Spain; a mountainous terrain inhabited by tapas-eating bullfighters and flamenco dancers. Everything from the meter wide streets to the mostly untouched urban fabric of the city attests to a city with a strong tradition of tradition. Of course Barcelona does not lack interest in its tradition, but how it approaches it becomes the decisive difference between North and South. Where Seville is more the static gatekeeper of a national identity, Barcelona is, especially through its architecture, actively interpreting its past. For example, in the context of Franco’s Spain, Seville benefited from the fascist national identity because both served to strengthen their cultural dominance. However, for Barcelona and Cataluña, this meant the active destruction of their culture in the creation of a national Spanish identity. Hence, while the cultural (and therefore architectural) goal of Seville is complete stasis and consistency, Barcelona’s becomes one of self-reflection and active interpretation against the noise of a national conscious. While approaching a historic project in Seville, the goal is to blend in to the overwhelming presence of what is already there; In Barcelona, it is to tell and maintain a history that is not always visible.