Hola, Budapest! Hi, Madrid!

This interactive programme aims to find out what the people of Budapest and Madrid have in common. It provides a ’virtual window’ on each other’s culture and makes it possible to get closer to a group of people who live a thousand kilometres away, using signs and interpretation to help understanding.

Fogasház is quite a recent initiative. It opened first in the summer of 2009, then when the season was over it closed for about half a year. After some renovations and refurbishment, it opened again in May 2010. Fogasház is not just one of the (in-)famous ruin pubs of Budapest: the management’s mission was to create a cultural and social space where people would come not only to sit and talk, but also to form real communities by realizing art and social projects together. Accordingly, the regular programmes include (apartment-) theatre performances, jazz and electro gigs, film clubs and contemporary art productions – the latter can be also seen on the walls. The Demo Gallery organises photo exhibitions and sound installations, which reflect on cultural and urban themes mostly of Eastern-Central-Europe and of the Balkans. They also cooperate with the University of Fine Arts, with Impex contemporary art provider and with the Videospace Gallery. IT professionals can gather at Hackerspace to realize their creative ideas, while the Lomography shop, which is much more than a camera store, along with a bicycle store and service also operate in the building.

Matadero in Madrid, which used to be a livestock market and slaughterhouse between 1908 and 1928, is one of the most significant industrial monuments of the city today. The building, which was designed by Luis Bellido and built in a pavilion arrangement according to the standards of the period, has had various functions and has also deteriorated badly over the decades. The idea of turning it into a social space was born in the ’80s, then in the ’90s the Ballet Nacional de España the Compañía Nacional de Danza moved into the building. Restoration and renovation began in 2005, and the new cultural centre of Madrid was opened in February 2007. Matadero provides creative space for theatre makers, fine artists, dancers, musicians, urbanists, fashion designers, literateurs and filmmakers, who inspire one another, initating dialogue between different branches of art.

Paralel cities is based on the idea of Eszter Dalos, who thought that these two European cities both had such a unique cultural and art scene that they would have a lot in common at the same time. The project, which draws attention to the dialogue between different cultures, is organised by Hungarofest and Imago Mundi Cultural Association.

As the final chord of the Hungarian EU presidency, the Embassy representatives of Hungary and Spain come together for a virtual meeting in Budapest to say cheerio to the past 6 months with Hungarian and Spanish wines. Then on 30 June the projectors will be turned off. Until then, it is worth visiting Fogasház in Akácfa Street to check out what goes on in Madrid at 14 Paseo de la Chopera and to send a message to the people of this bustling city.