Basurama – Roofs

An installation by Basurama that highlights the memory of self-built housing in Nou Barris as a symbol of dignity, resistance and neighbourhood struggle.

The artist: Colectivo Basurama 

Basurama is an artistic and research collective founded in 2001, dedicated to creation, cultural production and critical analysis of production processes, waste generation, and the creative, social and political possibilities they open. Their work lies at the intersection of art, architecture, urbanism and citizen participation, with a clear focus on intervention in public space.
Throughout their trajectory, Basurama has developed projects in very diverse contexts, always working based on local research and collaboration with communities. Their installations and actions aim to make visible dynamics of urban development that are often overlooked, activating collective memory and proposing new social uses for public space.
The collective understands art as a tool to generate debate, re-appropriation and transformation, valuing both materials and the stories that shape the city.

The artwork: Roofs

Location: Plaça de Karl Marx, Nou Barris, Barcelona.

The installation Roofs makes visible the constructed memory of Nou Barris through one of its most basic and defining expressions: self-built housing. During the post-war period and up until the 1970s, mass migrations to Barcelona caused unplanned urban growth in the face of institutional inaction regarding urgent housing needs. In this context, many families built their homes collectively, often at night, outside urban planning and without permits, believing that having a roof could prevent immediate demolition.

Roofs materializes this reality through a minimal housing structure, built with metal profiles and reduced to the essentials: the frame, the roof, and the openings needed for light and ventilation. The work does not reproduce a specific house but evokes that foundational moment in which quickly building a roof became an act of survival and collective resistance. In Nou Barris, these processes gave rise to a strong neighbourhood network and advocacy, later driving struggles for basic services and better living conditions.

In this way, Roofs functions as a device of urban memory, connecting popular architecture, social struggle and migratory history, highlighting a material and emotional heritage that has defined the identity of the district.

NOU Sentit Urbà: urban art in the Nou Barris distric

This intervention is part of the 18 artistic actions of the NOU Sentit Urbà project, promoted by Barcelona City Council and produced by Rebobinart, with the collaboration of the Nou Barris District and local neighborhood communities.
The project recovers collective memories and local identities through murals, installations, and participatory processes, addressing themes such as older age, sustainability, migration, neighborhood women, vernacular architecture, or sport as a force for cohesion. Each intervention adds a piece to Nou Barris’ shared story, reinforcing the value of memory and the role of urban art as a tool for social transformation.