27 September will mark the start of the International Conference on the work of the Catalan architect Jujol, “Jujol:  Animar a les pedres i posar vida”, which is organised by Sant Joan Despí Council in conjunction with UIC Barcelona School of Architecture. 

The two-day conference will take place at the Centre Jujol - Can Negre (Plaça Catalunya, Sant Joan Despí) under the direction of Guillem Carabí, lecturer at UIC Barcelona. Carabí is an expert in the work of Jujol, the architect from Tarragona, and has published several books and articles on his work.  At the opening ceremony, the mayor of Sant Joan Despi, and Antoni Poveda, the Councillor for Culture, Àlex Medrano, will be present alongside the director of UIC Barcelona School of Architecture, Josep Lluís i Ginovart, and Guillem Carabí himself. 

The conference will span two days, during which experts and academics will discuss Jujol's architecture. "To examine the architecture of Josep M. Jujol is to examine a body of work that brings to light a storyline disregarded by traditional historiography in telling the story of Modern Architecture. The heterodox work of Jujol highlights a number of discontinuities in the narrative of the history of architecture that draw your attention. Indeed, they show us other possible avenues to modern architecture, while still being modern. At this point we would need to agree on what it means to have been 'modern' in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. We will talk about all of this at the conference". 

The conference will be accompanied by an exhibition, "Maquetes critiques. Jujol i modernitat". Curated by Guillem Carabí, the exhibition consists of 7 architectural models of works by Josep Maria Jujol, which have been developed by the students of the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture as part of the subject “Critical models.” The exhibit can be visited free of charge at the Centre Jujol – Can Negre until 13 October. 

The "Jujol: Animar les pedres i posar vida” International conference will bring an end to “140 years of Jujol”, a series of cultural and promotional activities organised by the Sant Joan Despí Council throughout the year to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the architect’s birth. Josep Maria Jujol is one of the most singular early 20th century Catalan architects. His most famous works include Casa Planells (Barcelona), Can Negre (Sant Joan Despí) and Casa Bofarull (Els Pallaresos, Tarragona).

The full programme can be viewed on the official website for “140 years of Jujol”. Pre-registration is required to attend the conference.