Medialab Prado: Images, Discourses and the Silent Erosion of Citizen Participation

Medialab Prado, renamed “Espacio Cultural Serrería Belga” in 2022, originally emerged as a counter-narrative to Madrid’s cultural policies and the promotion of the “Paseo del Arte” for global tourism. It championed the production of art, science, and technology, advocating for the citizen’s right to shape the city, opposing the museumification of urban spaces. The 2022 transformation into an art gallery raises key questions about the motivations behind this change, why the building’s form was preserved but its principles discarded, and the broader implications for urban cultural policies. This research compares the building across its phases and examines narratives constructed by citizens, media and institutions. It argues that while the physical structure remains intact, the programmatic shift diminishes user engagement, moving from active participation to passive spectatorship. The findings reveal a shift from a determined physical community space to decentralized and virtual ones, reflecting broader trends in citizen engagement to a more transient and guerilla-like approach. The current situation is reminiscent of the original name proposed by Langarita-Navarro, “Street Fighter,” a call from the citizens for their right to decide.

Iñaki Abalos

Professor in Residence, Department of Architecture, GSD, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA

Orazio Carpenzano

Dean, Facoltà di Architettura, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome

Yung Ho Chang

Professor of Architecture, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

Winka Dubbeldam

Founder of Archi-Tectonics, Miller Professor and Chair of Architecture at Stuart Weitzman School of Design

Brian Ford

Professor Emeritus, Department of Architecture & Built Environment, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

Hsinming Fung

Professor, SCI-Arc, Los Angeles CA, USA

Carlo Gasparrini

Professor of Urbanism, Dipartimento di Architettura, Universita' degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy

Rahul Mehrotra

Professor of Urban Design and Planning, GSD, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA

Antoine Picon

Professor of the History of Architecture and Technology, GSD, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA

Mónica Ponce de León

Dean, School of Architecture, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA

Jane Rendell

Professor, The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, London, UK

Peter Rich

Professor of Architecture, Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, South Africa

Michael Speaks

Dean, School of Architecture, Syracuse University, Syracuse NY, USA

Martha Thorne

Hon FRIBA, Hon COAM, Senior Advisor for The OBEL Award

C David Tseng

Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Chiao-Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan

Sarah Whiting

Dean, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA

Li Xiangning

Deputy Dean, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

Medialab Prado: Images, Discourses and the Silent Erosion of Citizen Participation

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