El papel del arte contemporáneo en la dinamización social del entorno urbano. Un estudio de caso: El barrio del Oeste en Salamanca

Abstract

In these early decades of the century a tendency of "recovering the continuity of aesthetic experience with normal processes of living" is observed. This aspiration of John Dewey (1949, p.11) is been updating by the rise of urban art as driving force for social transformation. Artistic interventions in the public space, although they may seem subtle, are often the trigger for a social transformation of an entire neighborhood, fostering interaction and collective habits that enrich the everyday life of people. Our contribution analyzes the relationship between contemporary art and society in response to this shift in the reception areas of art and the growing number of artistic interventions in urban spaces. This framework helps us to study the specific case of Barrio del Oeste in the city of Salamanca, a poorly planned neighborhood built five decades ago which has experienced in recent years an agile transformation into an art district. Interviews with agents involved and the analysis of specific actions will allow us to better know the circumstances that have favored this process.