Rimini Protokoll's Urban Nature at CCCB Barcelona

The German collective Rimini Protokoll presents 'Urban Nature' at the CCCB in Barcelona, an immersive installation that transforms visitors into active participants. Using tablets, visitors navigate a dozen spaces—including a dormitory for asylum seekers, a night bar, an investment consultancy, a tennis court, a metro station, and a petit-bourgeois interior—while listening to ethnographic interviews with urban protagonists. The work critiques social segregation in cities, using doors and thresholds as metaphors to encourage role-playing and perspective-taking. The installation runs until September 19, 2021, before moving to Kunsthalle Mannheim from July to October 2022 in collaboration with the Nationaltheater Mannheim. The piece reflects on urban mechanics, climate change, and democracy, ending with a panoramic view of all visited spaces. The review is written by Laurent Perez, who also voices an urbanist in the installation, arguing that urban living is more energy-efficient than rural housing in the context of the climate crisis.