Cross-Pollination: BCNMCR brings Barcelona design studios to the Northwest

Bringing 11 Barcelona-based design studios to the Northwest, exhibition and talk series BCNMCR aims to introduce us to work emerging from the Spanish city and forge links in the European design community. Event instigator David Sedgwick explains

Feature by Lauren Velvick | 21 Mar 2014

A month-long exhibition and day of talks organised by designer Dave Sedgwick, BCNMCR brings a section of the Barcelona design community to Manchester to display their work and to communicate and network with the creative community in the Northwest.

First held in spring of last year, the event was the result of a spontaneous proposal made during a trip to Barcelona, when Sedgwick decided that instead of sightseeing he would take some of his own work and go to visit a few local design agencies. “I was meeting a few people and found myself running out of things to say, so I just came up with this idea on the day – to have an exhibition of [the Barcelona designers'] work but back in Manchester. I've been to Barcelona around 12 times over the years, so I feel like it’s a good way of bringing two cities together that I have a passion for.” Sedgwick also sees similarities between the cities that make collaboration between the pair an engaging prospect: “We're always in the shadow of London, and have to show we can compete on that level – and I think that Barcelona has a similar relationship with Madrid, where it has to compete and to do things a little differently."

Sedgwick discovered the original five participating BCNMCR studios fortuitously, finding a web of linkages between them, and from there has used existing networks to approach twice the number for this year's event. The studios selected present a range of approaches, with bright, bold and clean styles alongside a more hand-made aesthetic. "Brosmind are illustrators, Laura Meseguer is a typographer, and then some are more corporate, so there's a real range," Sedgwick says.


“We're always in the shadow of London, and have to show we can compete on that level" – David Sedgwick


The first BCNMCR exhibition came to fruition in only six months, and, regardless of the event's spontaneity, it was clearly a beneficial experience for the Barcelona studios, as Rocío Martinavarro from Mayúscula explains: “Preparing the material for the exhibition was a great opportunity to analyse everything we had produced in the studio, but more importantly, a chance to reflect on our two year trajectory." He cites the exhibition as a way to focus on and take stock of work so far, with a view to planning for the future. Veronica Fuerte from Hey adds that "Taking part in BCNMCR was very positive because it was a cities exchange," and emphasises the benefit of finding out more about designers in Manchester.

However, reflecting on last year's event, Sedgwick hopes to improve the format. "I liken it to a difficult second album. With the first one I had no expectations and it was the first of its kind. With the second one I want to try and do better, to learn from my mistakes. I knew I had to secure some funding, which means I can be a bit more relaxed about the number of studios involved and the amount of work on show. Also, this time the exhibition is open for four weeks, instead of two, and with regular opening times."

The talks on 28 March also demonstrate this expansion: last year they sold out quickly, and so this time around the event will be held at Hallé St Peter's in Ancoats, which has a larger capacity – though “I like the idea that it's still a bit underground and cosy,” Sedgwick says. “It'll be an introduction of their studio, a chance to meet them face to face, raising awareness of the studios. I hope they'll be focusing on the idea of what BCNMCR is, which is about collaboration and cultural exchange, as well as giving a realistic idea of what it's like to work in Barcelona: is it a romantic ideal of going to the beach every day, or are there other, more interesting differences? Do they have the same frustrations as we do here in the UK?"

Another difference this year is that much of the studios' work will be unique and some will be for sale, having been created specifically with the BCNMCR exhibition in mind (while last year only a small portion of the exhibition had been new work), and Sedgwick himself has been working on one collaborative series for the exhibition with a participating designer, as he elaborates: "Laura Meseguer has done a piece of typography based on type in the city; I went around and took photographs in Manchester and she did the same in Barcelona." Sedgwick is also designing a 16-page paper that will be available at the launch, featuring interviews with all the studios.

While BCNMCR could grow and continue in a number of ways, the next logical step would seem to be staging a matching exhibition of Manchester design studios in Barcelona; however, on top of the relative difficulty of organising an event remotely, Sedgwick explains that "it's important to promote Manchester as a cultural destination. There are a lot of educational institutions that have a focus on design, and a lot of talks, events and exhibitions go on here. People have asked why I'm focusing on Barcelona and not promoting Manchester instead, but indirectly we're promoting Manchester. It’s setting up Manchester as a hub." Sedgwick's ultimate hope is that others will be inspired by BCNMCR to make their own international connections – "just to have the possibility of collaborating internationally is really exciting to me," he says. It's a sentiment shared by Rocío from Mayúscula: "Not just because of the event, but also because of it, we are more focused on the international market, where the diversity is extremely challenging and exciting," he says. “BCNMCR can promote that idea that these studios are accessible,” Sedgwick says, “and show people that you can organisean event like this if you put your mind to it. It's about looking at the bigger picture of a European design community."

BCNMCR, Twenty Twenty Two, Manchester, from 27 Mar-23 Apr

Talks held at Hallé St Peter's, Ancoats, 28 Mar

http://www.bcnmcr.co.uk