Madrid, July. Squirting heat, boiling asphalt and plants asking for help. While the weather forecasts announce industrial oven temperatures, there are those who insist that “summer is to be enjoyed”. And the truth is that the closest thing to enjoyment may be to find an outlet, a book and a decent shade.
This is what the Círculo de Bellas Artes is aiming at, once again this year, with its Climate Refuge initiative, a proposal halfway between cultural policy and urban balm. The idea goes like this: they turn the Ballroom into an open space -literally and metaphorically- to read, work, play chess or simply let time pass like someone watching it rain, but without rain and with plants.
Lots of plants.
And yes, there is wifi. And plugs. And water fountains. And chairs that are not of Scandinavian design, but they work. And free admission. From 11:00 to 21:00 -that was last year, this year the time has yet to be confirmed-, the Círculo is presented as a place to cool off and rest. As if it were easy to rest with 40 degrees in the Castellana, but the attempt is appreciated.
The botanical nursery of the CBA
Between the poetic and the practical, this “refuge” also has a botanical nursery. If you go on vacation and do not want your poto to die of neglect, you can leave it safely in the same building where others queue to climb to the roof to take selfies with the goddess Minerva.
Of course, they have not yet published the definitive dates, although it is expected to open on July 10. It’s been months since they announced it, but in this as in almost everything in Madrid, you have to keep an eye on the official Instagram of the Círculo.
The institutional definition calls it “a space where you can find relief, rest and protection from extreme heat.” A sort of civilian spa without a whirlpool, but with a chair and silence. In the absence of ambitious climate policies, some cultural buildings do what they can: a contemporary botijo, with wifi and environmental awareness.
And it is not the only one.
Another climate shelter in Madrid: the CA2M becomes La Fresquera
This year, the Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo (CA2M), in Móstoles, has also joined the list of urban oases. There they have set up La Fresquera, a project that will run from July 1 to September 15. What’s there? Corners with vegetation, rest areas and a space to “do nothing”. You can’t ask for more.
The best part? They’ll also have plant nurseries, under the so-called Watering Can Initiative. From June 25, anyone who wants to can leave their pots there, which will be cared for by a team of specialists in gardening and permaculture. You have to sign up, of course, and say if your dracaena needs therapy or just water.