La Tabacalera

It's rare that I find a place so intriguing that I have to go back again the day after finding it. La Tabacalera, however, is such a place. I heard through the grapevine that it was worth checking out, and after it popped up several times on a website I was looking at, I decided I would have to go soon.

This building/venue/place is hard to describe. For starters, it's huge. It used to be a tobacco factory back in the day, and now it's a 'centro social' that is 'autogestionado'- something like an independently run social center. It's located in Lavapiés (direct translation- wash foot) which is an area known for its wide array of social and ethnic backgrounds, among other things. It's a little rough around the edges, but it's cool. From what I've seen, this 'centro social' is made up of spaces for performances, leisure classes, art displays, child care, counseling, and for just hanging out. It's covered in graffiti and there is art hanging all over the walls. It's dirty and smelly and pretty great. One walk through the plastic sheeting that they use as a room separator and you feel like a real bad-ass. The first night I went, there was some sort of video art showing/rave going on in one of the big spaces. There was a DJ and a projector and strobe lights. If that didn't make it surreal enough, the smoke wafting through the air definitely did. The graffiti on the walls was eerily illuminated, and I wandered into the basement (also full of art and junk) even though it was mildly frightening. I enjoyed it so much that I had to see what it was like during the day.

So... I did. Ester and I went back the next day (yesterday). I walked into a large room that probably wasn't open the night before, and was met by the smell of tobacco in the air. A huge curtain of tobacco leaves hid a projection room in which a video was playing on repeat. Could this place get any cooler?

Then we went back to where we were the night before, and it was just as good as it had been then. Probably better, because there were less people around. In a simultaneous moment, I felt both like I shouldn't be there and like I belonged there. It's a good feeling. I took some shots and we explored the back area a bit, which either hadn't been open the night before or was too scary to venture into.

Either way, I will be returning to La Tabacalera, and if you're in Madrid and don't mind getting a little dirty (Ester mysteriously got ink all over her hands) I would recommend checking it out.

http://latabacalera.net/

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