Taula de Memòries
#MemòriesCanòdrom Memòries del Canòdrom
🎙️ Collective documentation
This photograph from 1965 shows the house where one of the participants lived during a family celebration. Her mother, maternal grandmother, aunt, and a neighbor appear in the photo. Deciphering the details of the image, those in charge of collective documentation describe in great detail what life was like inside and outside the homes in the Congreso neighborhood. The narrative focuses on the role of women in caregiving and the economy.
Homes in the Congreso Neighborhood
The image coincides with that of many other houses in the Congreso neighborhood: the curtains, the sofa's fabric... One participant shares that as a child, she spent the day going from house to house of her friends, and all the houses looked very similar. The provider of the image comments that her mother proudly displayed her dining room, coming from a household without running water, moving to an apartment in the Congreso neighborhood felt like moving to a palace for her.
A curious element of the photograph is the tape recorder they had for the celebration. With the tape recorder, they could record and then listen to voices. Also noteworthy is the small pot under the lamp, which was used during Christmas parties and contained a small illuminated nativity scene.
Women, the Economy, and Care
The participants focus on the lamp seen in the photograph, and the provider comments that her mother used to sew this type of lampshade tirelessly. This detail leads to a discussion of women's role in the domestic economy, bringing money home through the underground economy infrastructure that existed in this country. One participant mentions that in the underground economy, women provided the house, heating, electricity... and the landlord didn't have to provide anything! Depending on the tasks, children also helped. Thus, women took care of the elderly and children, managed the household, and brought money home.
Examining the clothing of the women in the photograph, discussion revolves around the aprons they wear: their reasons for use, importance, and function. Women of that time, even if they had little money, surely had a drawer full of aprons. The apron protected their clothes, which had to last a long time. "And why did they always wear it? Because they spent the day serving others." But aprons also had other functions: they could become a bag for carrying food for the family.
A participant born in a village in the Pyrenees mentions that there were women there who only took off their aprons to go to mass. She recalls that some aprons were beautiful.
Raising and Selling Animals for Food During the War and Post-War Period
A participant mentions that her mother used to sell roosters on La Rambla: "They flew off the shelves!" In the Congreso neighborhood, it was more difficult to raise animals (like rabbits, chickens, or pigeons) due to the layout of the apartments, but in other neighborhoods of Barcelona, they were raised for consumption and sale. When talking about pigeons, a participant refers to the neighborhood of San Andrés del Palomar because all these lands were very fertile, and there was a dovecote on every farm.
👥Authors of the documentation
Alfred, Mercè, Neus, Pilar and Enric.
⚙️ Methodology
Photograph documented collectively by participating neighbors in the group Fem Memòries del Canòdrom
📸 Assignor
Joan Garcés (author) / Mercè Garcés (assignor)
Related meetings:
We Make Memories. Memory Reconstruction Group of Canòdrom
Related images
Report inappropriate content
Is this content inappropriate?
0 comments
Loading comments ...
Loading comments ...