Antoni Amatller’s old photographic studio in the attic of the Casa Amatller, located on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, is the setting for Vespres Culturals (Cultural Evenings), the new lecture series from the Faculty of Humanities that launched last Wednesday, 6 March in conjunction with Cases Singulars and the Fundació Institut Amatller d’Art Hispànic. With the help of experts and lecturers from the faculty, each fortnight the university community and all those interested in culture are invited to discuss “current topics that are close to our hearts in this beautiful space”, explained Judith Urbano, faculty dean, during the introduction to the series.

Urbano made special mention of the two collaborating institutions of the series: “The relationship between Cases Singulars and UIC Barcelona is a long one and we have made many interesting proposals together, such as conferences and visits to museum houses. It is also worth mentioning the work done by the Fundació Institut Amatller d’Art Hispànic, one of the reference centres for the research and dissemination of the history of art, which is currently in the process of digitising analogue photographs; one of the topics that will also be discussed in one of the sessions.”

Isabel Vallès, co-founder of Cases Singulars, began the event recalling the years of collaboration with UIC Barcelona and showing her satisfaction at celebrating the series in the old photography studio: “At Cases Singulars we like to really experience the houses, not just visit them, and with this course attendees can enjoy this unique space”.

The presentation was followed by the first conference in the cycle entitled “Israel-Gaza Conflict. Historical reasons to understand the present.” The presentation was given by Dr Xavier Baró, lecturer of the faculty specialising in Modern History, who explained the context and the keys to understanding the current war in Gaza.

The next sessions of the bi-weekly cycle will be “Feminism and environmentalism”, with Dr Albert Moya; “The Completion of the Sagrada Família”, with Dr Judith Urbano; “Eureka! Dalí and science”, with Anna Pou; “Will AI be our new friend? The positive and negative aspects of social robotics”, with Dr Gabriel Fernández, and “The photographic archives of the Amatller Institute, from analogue to digital”, with Santiago Alcolea, director of the Fundació Institut Amatller d’Art Hispànic.