The City of Culture

Last weekend I visited the "Cidade da cultura" with one of my fellow auxilars. City of culture is not, I think, the best translation, though I´m not sure what else to call this... thing. A cultural center perhaps, but I'm not really convinced. Maybe someone else can give me a name for this place after I describe it a little bit.

The complex is located on top of Gaiás hill just outside the city and consists of half a dozen or so buildings/structures that house a museum, a library (that didn't seem to have that many books), some art exhibits, a concert hall, a café-bar, and a bunch of other odds and ends that I don't know what they are. 

Back in the 1990's, the city of Santiago held a competition to design a facility to house the museum etcetera that I mentioned above. The winner was, by far and away, the most interesting, exciting, and extravagant of the entries. The winner, American Peter Eisenmann, managed to incorporate many of the prominent features of Galicia into his design. Rolling hills, seashells, the plan of the old town of Santiago, and tartans to harken back to the mythical days of the celts (we're pretty sure those days existed). 

This grand design resulted in 10+ years of construction, and many, many reevaluations of the budget. A lot of Galicians are upset over the waste of money (let's not forget about la crisis, folks) on a space that no one really uses because they're not really sure what it's for.

When I went, the facility was surreally empty and although it was pretty, there was a tumble-down, shoddy feel to it. Construction was officially stopped this year, but there are still some big holes here and there that may never get filled in.

It looks pretty from afar at least

Can you spot the hole in the facade?

The shelves of the library are designed to look like a model of the city. They're mostly empty

rust stains from the tartan stripes. Note the construction stuff in the background

One of the denizens of the place. There was also: one employee each in the museum and cafe, some German tourists, and a snail. 

It may not be a City of Culture, but I hope that something is made out of this place some day. It has potential.