Atelier ANF reimagined the Arc de Triomf of Barcelona. As a classical symbol of victory, the Arc was proposed as a new symbol of cultural pride, paying homage to the thousands of uncelebrated victories made by the LGBTQIA+ community that has led to a monumental shift towards the acceptance of diverse gender expressions and sexual identities in Catalunya, as well as the strength required to continue the fight for acceptance, love and equality.
Following the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1977, once oppressed subcultures began to emerge and gain recognition as the democratisation and liberation of the country began, notably among which the LGBT communities around the country created their own freedom of expression and fought for equal rights.
This begs the question: what victories should we be celebrating when erecting monuments today?
Queer de Triomf, an exuberant and proud 'Arch of Alterity', is a monument that celebrates the thousands of small victories and struggles in the face of oppression that has led to broader LGBTQIA+ recognition in contemporary Catalan culture, as well as those battles still being fought.
Queer de Triomf was an Augmented Reality project for the Barcelona Architecture Festival 2022, and was visible on visitors smartphones after scanning a QR code placed in front of the existing Arc de Triomf.
The Arc was a fantastical, architectural depiction of PRIDE that embodied difference and otherness.
