Filling the Sink

As the weather gets warmer, more and more people will want to go to the beach. But lately, some of the beaches in Catalonia have looked quite different.  In some places, the beaches look like they have been swallowed by the sea. The reason for this is the recent storm Nelson, which hit the Catalan coast during this past Easter. Nelson caused an unprecedented loss of sand on some of Catalonia’s beaches, in some cases reducing the width of the beach by 25 meters.  However, this phenomenon is not new and is becoming more and more frequent due to climate change.  Recent data show that two-thirds of the Catalan coastline has receded in the last seven decades. At the same time, other beaches have grown as a result of the construction of more ports or the expansion of beaches. Cillian Shields joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to talk about the state of Catalonia’s beaches and coastline. We talk to Gonzalo Simarro, a beach scientist at the Marine Sciences Institute, about the impact of storms on Catalan beaches. We also hear from Jordi Pinyol of the Geological and Cartographic Institute of Catalonia, who explains how the Catalan coastline is evolving. On a lighter note, we also share beach recommendations, from the rocky and picturesque up on Costa Brava, to the fun Barcelona beaches, or the family-friendly Costa Daurada, as well as the windy Terres de l’Ebre. The Catalan phrase of the week is “Hi ha mar de fons,” which literally means “there is a groundswell,” and is an expression used to express that there is tension or bad vibes. 

Barcelona’s take on fashion week is the bi-annual event 080 Barcelona Fashion, which this season runs from April 9 to April 12. The event has been held at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site since 2013, and during the 33rd edition celebrated this week, a mix of 24 emerging designers and established brands presented their idea of what should be in vogue in 2024.  Over the years, 080 Barcelona Fashion has gone from being a locally focused event to catching the eye of the international fashion world, thanks to its unique mix of Catalan textile tradition, sustainability, and diversity.  In this episode, designers Eva Dimas of Simorra and Alejandra Valero of Hoss Intropia unveil their latest collections, and we also hear from 080 Barcelona Fashion’s project manager Marta Coca, who explains how the event has evolved.   Lorcan Doherty joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to talk about all things fashion.   This week’s Catalan phrase is 'passat de moda', which means 'out of fashion'. 

The number of indoor climbing gyms in Catalonia has multiplied by four in just ten years, making climbing a lifestyle phenomenon and another way of connecting with people.  At the same time, the mountainous landscapes of Catalonia have become some of the most visited destinations for outdoor climbing.   In this episode, Oriol Escudé Macià joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about the Catalan bouldering boom, and we also discuss whether it’s a sport that is accessible to all.  We visit Sharma Climbing, the largest climbing gym in Spain, owned by American climber Chris Sharma, where climbers explain why they took up the sport.  We also talk to Quim Hernández, the climbing manager of the Catalan Mountain Sports Federation about the growing popularity of climbing and how it is being received.  The Catalan phrase of the week is “Fer una muntanya d’una gra de sorra” which means to blow something out of proportion, similar to the English expression “to make a mountain out of a molehill.”

This year marks the 120th anniversary of the opening of the notorious La Model prison, located in the Eixample district of Barcelona.  The facility closed in 2017 and has since become a site for Catalan historic memory, open to the public. Behind its high beige walls lies the history of a prison that sought to be exemplary, but during the Franco dictatorship held thousands of political prisoners, many of whom were tortured or executed.  Cillian Shields joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to talk about the agonizing history of La Model and its impending transformation into a place of life.   We speak with Isabel Centeno, historian and tour guide at La Model, and we hear from Gemma and Carme Puig Antich, the sisters of Salvador Puig Antich, the last political prisoner to be executed at La Model, and their lawyers, Maria Servini and Magda Oranich.  The Catalan phrase of the week is “pagar justos per pecadors”, in English to pay for the sins of others. 

In January 2024, the Catalan government joined other European countries in the fight to regulate the use of mobile phones by young children.   A new set of regulations restricting the use of mobile phones in Catalan primary or secondary schools starting from the 2024/2025 academic year saw the light of day.  But the idea behind the regulations didn’t come from the Catalan politicians themselves, but from the parent initiative Adolescència Lliure de Mòbil, A Phone-free Adolescence, which started in the Barcelona neighborhood of Poblenou in November 2023, and soon spread to other parts of the Catalan capital, then the rest of Catalonia, and then all of Spain.   Parents and experts alike are concerned that the early use of cell phones and the easy access to social media could affect children’s mental health and cognitive development.   The new rules will mean that the use of mobile phones will be completely banned for school children in Catalan public primary schools, while older children in secondary school will still be able use them in certain circumstances, with permission of teachers.   Lea Beliaeva Bander is joined by reporter Oriol Escudé Macià to talk about what the new regulations mean and why some experts are discouraging children from using smartphones.   We will hear from Lluna Porta, one of the spokespeople for Adolescència Lliure de Mòbil about how the group got started.  Jose Ramon Ubieto, a clinical psychologist and author of ¿Adictos o amantes? offers advice on how to reduce phone time for children and adults alike.   This week's Catalan phrase is 'bufar i fer ampolles'. Literally, 'to blow and make bottles', it's used to express something that’s easy to do, similar to the English phrase “piece of cake”. 

Society of the Snow and Robot Dreams miss out on coveted Academy Awards, but plenty of fun is had along the way.  In Los Angeles, Natàlia Segura catches up with the nominees – Barcelona filmmaker JA Bayona, director of Society of the Snow, Montse Ribé and David Martí, nominated in the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category for their work on the same film, and Pablo Berger, director of Catalan production Robot Dreams, nominated for Best Animated Feature.  On the big night itself, Natàlia heads to an Oscars party at the Teleferic Barcelona in LA, meets a survivor from the Uruguayan plane crash in 1972 that inspired Society of the Snow, and fills in a weary-eyed Cillian Shields back in Barcelona.  The morning after the night before, Lorcan Doherty joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about Catalonia's Oscars history and the two nominated films.  Robot Dreams' lead character designer, Daniel Fernández Casas, explains the secret of the movie's success.  This week's Catalan phrase is 'somiar truites'. Literally, 'to dream omelettes', it means to dream big, perhaps unrealistically so!

March 8 is International Women's Day. To mark the occasion, Filling the Sink pays homage to ten women who changed Catalonia.  Writer Caterina Albert (aka Victor Català), educator Francesca Bonnemaison, anarcho-syndicalist Teresa Claramunt, trans activist Silvia Reyes, flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya, operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé, singer and songwriter Rosalía, chef Carme Ruscalleda, middle-distance runner Carmen Valero, and footballer Alexia Putellas.  This week's Catalan phrase is 'Visca la lluita feminista' – 'Long live the feminist struggle'. Presented by Lorcan Doherty with Lea Beliaeva Bander.

The world's biggest mobile technology fair is taking place in Barcelona once again, but Mobile World Congress goes way beyond phones. MWC 2024 showcases all kinds of emerging technology from tech giants such as Samsung, Google, Huawei and Microsoft, with artificial intelligence the buzzword on everyone's lips.  Lorcan Doherty chats AI with Mobileum founder Avnish Chauhan, Dell's beer guy (and business development manager) Warren Jackson, and IMA CEO Eyal Reshef.  Lea Beliaeva Bander talks to two Catalan companies at 4YFN (Four Years from Now), the startup space at MWC: Francesco Pititto, CEO of Envjoy Nature, and Dhespina Mena from WindowSight.  Oriol Escudé Macià checks out one of this year's top attractions, Alef Aeronautics' flying car prototype, as well as other aviation innovations – SK Telecom's urban air mobility (UAM) aircraft, an AI-assisted drone used by Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra police, and Aalto's High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS).  Cillian Shields heads to a session called 'Quantum Industry: A Bird's-Eye View' to discover more about this cutting-edge technology and how it is evolving in 2024.  This week's Catalan phrase is 'A camí llarg, passa curta', which means 'On a long path, short steps'.

All across Europe, farmers are protesting, stopping traffic with their tractors to sound the alarm on what many feel is the slow death of the agricultural sector. On February 6, Catalan farmers drove their tractors out of the fields, draped them with slogans such as “La nostra fi, la vostra fam”, or “Our end, your hunger” and marched slowly but determinedly toward Barcelona in one of the largest coordinated protests in years.  We hear from 12 farmers who took part in the protests about the disappointments, demands, and dreams of a sector that feels neglected as it deals with everything from environmental regulations to rising production costs, excessive red tape, and a lack of drought relief, just to mention a few.  Lea Beliaeva Bander is joined by Oriol Escudé Macià, who sheds light on the farmers' protests and explains what lies ahead.  This week's Catalan phrase is 'picar pedra'. Literally, 'to crush stone', it means to work hard at something without necessarily achieving a gain in the end.

Viquipèdia, the Catalan version of the free, collaborative online encyclopedia, is a real success story, with almost 750,000 articles and over 1,000 active editors. Wikipedians Xavier Dengra and Àlex Hinojo explain what drives them to volunteer their free time and contribute their knowledge to the project. Lea Beliaeva chats to Núria Ribas, president of Amical Wikipedia, and Carme Fenoll, a wikipedian and librarian, about gender bias on the website and how Viquipèdia is trying to increase diversity, in terms of contributors and content. This week's Catalan phrase is 'ser un setciències'. Literally, 'to be a seven-sciences', it means 'to be a know-it-all'.  Presented by Lorcan Doherty.