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Artists face forced Eviction of STOP in Porto, the largest DIY Studio complex in Europe
For over 10 days, more than 500 musicians in Porto have been forcibly evicted from their workspace, by police and the city hall, with over 100 rehearsal rooms and workplaces closed down in the STOP Shopping Center, located in the city center, in what has been called the largest DIY Studio complex in Europe.
For over 10 days, more than 500 musicians in Porto have been forcibly evicted from their workspace, by police and the city hall, with over 100 rehearsal rooms and workplaces closed down in the STOP Shopping Center, located in the city center, in what has been called the largest DIY Studio complex in Europe.
Outraged, they called for a demonstration attended by thousands of people, artists, and cultural agents in Porto and Lisbon, recognizing the importance of this community for Portuguese culture.
The peak season for concerts is during the summer, and most of these professionals need their workspace to prepare, store their materials, etc.
The mayor of Porto, who is also the city's cultural councilor, fails to understand the disruption it is causing in the lives of hundreds of workers and their families, as well as in the cultural activity of the community as a whole.
Porto has undergone significant changes in recent years under its political management, losing its identity and losing thousands of inhabitants due to the housing crisis. Furthermore, its administration is being investigated for real estate speculation activities and favoring economic interests.
Now, the countless number of creators and technicians who have passed through the STOP Shopping Center in the last decades join forces with these 500 musicians, and in unison with their neighborhood and city, they will not allow themselves to be turned into new victims of ambition and profit.
contact:
stopmanifesta [at] gmail.com
https://www.instagram.com/stopmanifesta
https://www.facebook.com/STOPmanifesta
Outraged, they called for a demonstration attended by thousands of people, artists, and cultural agents in Porto and Lisbon, recognizing the importance of this community for Portuguese culture.
The peak season for concerts is during the summer, and most of these professionals need their workspace to prepare, store their materials, etc.
The mayor of Porto, who is also the city's cultural councilor, fails to understand the disruption it is causing in the lives of hundreds of workers and their families, as well as in the cultural activity of the community as a whole.
Porto has undergone significant changes in recent years under its political management, losing its identity and losing thousands of inhabitants due to the housing crisis. Furthermore, its administration is being investigated for real estate speculation activities and favoring economic interests.
Now, the countless number of creators and technicians who have passed through the STOP Shopping Center in the last decades join forces with these 500 musicians, and in unison with their neighborhood and city, they will not allow themselves to be turned into new victims of ambition and profit.
contact:
stopmanifesta [at] gmail.com
https://www.instagram.com/stopmanifesta
https://www.facebook.com/STOPmanifesta
For more information:
https://www.instagram.com/stopmanifesta
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Musicians say Porto’s DIY studio complex Stop is a crucial arts space in a city dominated by tourism, but authorities say it’s unsafe and must close
Joel Barnett
Thu 5 Dec 2019 02.00 EST
A mile east of the Luís I Bridge in the middle of a residential neighbourhood in Porto, Portugal’s second city, sits a bleak and decaying building.
Initially a three-storey car park, then a thriving shopping centre, the building has more recently suffered from years of neglect. Its walls are sprayed with graffiti and plastered with stickers, and the windows are blacked out.
But listen closely and you can hear the windows rattle to the sound of drums and electric guitars from dozens of rock, funk, blues and jazz bands.
Diogo Azevedo, singer of the thrash metal band Jarda, is one of an estimated 300 musicians and artists who helped turn Centro Comercial Stop – known as Stop – into a unique, and controversial, music studio complex.
“It’s part of the underground scene in Porto,” Azevedo says, attractive to its bohemian occupants, but a headache for city hall.
Porto’s authorities claim the building is illegal: it was never intended to be a music studio, they say, and it fails to comply with modern safety requirements.
The musicians feel differently. For the past 10 years they have battled to keep the building open, citing its cultural relevancy at a time when locals feel they’ve been priced out of the city by the ever-increasing demand from tourism.
“We have so many friends here,” Azevedo says. “We rehearse, jam. It ends up being a waste if this place was demolished to be one of many other hotels in Porto.”
read more...
Joel Barnett
Thu 5 Dec 2019 02.00 EST
A mile east of the Luís I Bridge in the middle of a residential neighbourhood in Porto, Portugal’s second city, sits a bleak and decaying building.
Initially a three-storey car park, then a thriving shopping centre, the building has more recently suffered from years of neglect. Its walls are sprayed with graffiti and plastered with stickers, and the windows are blacked out.
But listen closely and you can hear the windows rattle to the sound of drums and electric guitars from dozens of rock, funk, blues and jazz bands.
Diogo Azevedo, singer of the thrash metal band Jarda, is one of an estimated 300 musicians and artists who helped turn Centro Comercial Stop – known as Stop – into a unique, and controversial, music studio complex.
“It’s part of the underground scene in Porto,” Azevedo says, attractive to its bohemian occupants, but a headache for city hall.
Porto’s authorities claim the building is illegal: it was never intended to be a music studio, they say, and it fails to comply with modern safety requirements.
The musicians feel differently. For the past 10 years they have battled to keep the building open, citing its cultural relevancy at a time when locals feel they’ve been priced out of the city by the ever-increasing demand from tourism.
“We have so many friends here,” Azevedo says. “We rehearse, jam. It ends up being a waste if this place was demolished to be one of many other hotels in Porto.”
read more...
For more information:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/de...
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