Five people sit on stage in front of an audience, engaged in a panel discussion. One woman in a red suit speaks into a microphone while the others listen. The setting appears to be a conference or seminar.Five people sit on stage in front of an audience, engaged in a panel discussion. One woman in a red suit speaks into a microphone while the others listen. The setting appears to be a conference or seminar.

International Street Arts Meetings at La Mercè 2025

Community, diversity, and representation in public space.
  • Dates: These events took place at Manchester at La Merce, Barcelona on: Friday 26 Sept 2025: 9.30 - 17.30
    Thursday 25 Sept 2025: 10:30 - 14:00

Friday 26 September 2025: 09.45 – 17.30, Barcelona.

Black and white logo for Manchester at La Merce Barcelona

This event has ended.

To complement La Mercè

International Street Arts Meetings are an official Mondiacult Side Event #MONDIACULT2025; arts and cultural professionals are invited to attend a day of panel discussions and International Street Arts Meetings, organised by La Mercè-ICUB, Manchester City Council,  XTRAX, Without Walls, ICEC-Catalan Arts, British Council, Unlimited and SDE with the support of the British Embassy.

Agenda: Friday 26 September from 10:30 to 17:00

THE EVENT WAS SOLD OUT

The moderator for the day was Clàudia Brufau, 

A woman with short brown hair, wearing a white sweater with pastel stripes, smiles while standing outdoors in bright sunlight, with a blurred urban background behind her.

Fri 26 Sept 2025: 10.30 – 12.00
Street Arts Festivals as a vehicle for community engagement: giving visibility to cultural communities in public space

In the midst of the world famous Mercè festival, as artists and citizens take to the streets in a uniquely Catalan celebration, this discussion reflected on the role of outdoor festivals as a way of bringing communities together. An international panel considered how outdoor festivals can give visibility to different cultural communities, the impact of these events and what resources are needed to make them happen.

Guest speakers:

An older man with a bald head and white goatee wearing blue glasses, a dark shirt, and a black jacket, stands smiling in front of a blurred, light-colored background.

Dave Moutrey – Chair – Director of Culture, Manchester City Council

A woman with shoulder-length auburn hair and gold hoop earrings stands outdoors in front of green leafy plants, wearing a patterned shirt and giving a gentle, knowing smile.

Liz Pugh, Co-founder & Creative Producer, Walk the Plank, Manchester

A woman in a dark coat and red scarf stands between two old brick pillars covered with green ivy, in a forest with fallen leaves on the ground, looking calmly at the camera.

Parmjit Sagoo, Executive Producer, Inspirate & An Indian Summer, UK

A smiling man with long dark hair tied back, wearing large brown glasses, a white shirt, and small earrings, stands outside with blurry buildings and a blue sky in the background.

Jordi Duran, Merce Arts de Carrer Festival Artistic Directorate

and Marta Vallejo, ORDIT project on culture, education and territory at Fabra i Coats 

Fri 26 Sept: 12.00 – 13.00
Artist presentations and pitches – a diverse artistic community

A selection of artists from England and Catalonia presented their projects and discussed their work.

Fri 26 Sept: 13.00 – 15.00
Networking Lunch

Fri 26 Sept: 15.00 -16.30
Disabled led arts in the public space and its impact on cultural rights*

*Part of the extended programme Towards MONDIACULT 2025 in the framework of the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development.  

Building on the presentations of integrated companies from the UK and Catalonia during La Mercè in Barcelona, this roundtable provided a space to spark further discussion and reflection on the impact that free, outdoor events have on the cultural rights agenda and our responsibility in continuing to drive this forward.

With a particular focus on disability, we explored the public realm as a space that democratises access to culture and provides a powerful platform for representation, active engagement and artistic freedom. 

Guest speakers:  

A woman with gray hair, wearing large white glasses and a blue outfit, sits smiling in a red velvet theater seat with ornate decor in the background.
Lorena Martínez Mier – Chair – Project Manager, Europe Beyond Access II

A man in a wheelchair lifts himself using the wheels in a spacious room with wooden ceilings. In the background, a seated woman watches him. The scene suggests an indoor activity or rehearsal.
Nadenh Poan and Lucy Glover, Stopgap Dance Company, UK

A woman with long dark hair smiles warmly at the camera. She is wearing a dark top and standing in front of a textured stone wall. The image is in black and white.
Beatriz Liebe, L’altre Festival Director

Photo requested.

Clàudia Cedó, Escenaris Especials

A middle-aged man with short dark hair wears a blue striped shirt and stands outdoors with a neutral expression. The blurred background shows a cityscape under a cloudy sky.
Bradley Hemmings, Artistic Director, Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, UK

Panel discussions will be in English and Catalan, with simultaneous translation services.

Thursday 25 September 2025: 10.30 – 14:00, Barcelona.

UNLIMITED CONNECTs BARCELONA

Unlimited presented a special event to introduce its work and that of selected disabled artists to cultural professionals.

  • Introduction to Unlimited and its work
  • Presentations from disabled artists

This event has ended. To find out more about the work of Unlimted, please contact Bron Davies bron@weareunlimited.org.uk

Funders and Supporters

La Mercè is delivered by ICUB/Barcelona City Council

The programme for Manchester as Guest City is led by XTRAX and Without Walls.

   

The music programme is presented by Manchester Music City, led by Brighter Sound.

Manchester Music City logo

Supported by Manchester City Council, Arts Council England and Unlimited

ACE lottery logo

In collaboration with ICEC/Catalan Arts, British Council and British Embassy in Spain.

Part of the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development: Towards MONDIACULT 2025.

 

Back to projects

Related Content

Show
A troupe of 6 dancers in bright patchwork outfits including a wheelchair user dancer perform outdoors

RO-TES រទេះ

Stopgap Dance Company’s latest outdoor show RO-TES-រទេះ Disabled artist Nadenh Poan makes his choreographic debut with Stopgap’s diverse and world class dancers….