Madrid has an appointment with thought, debate and reflection. From September 18 to 21 the city hosts the 2nd edition of the Festival of Ideas, a free event that turns streets and squares into spaces for philosophy, art, music and the exchange of ideas.
The event, organized by the Círculo de Bellas Artes and La Fábrica, a company dedicated to cultural management, seeks to promote the meeting and debate among citizens. It also counts on the participation of influential figures in national and international thought. Argentine writer Camisa Sosa, Frenchman Michel Houellebecq, thinker Michael Ignatieff or feminist philosopher Adriana Cavarero are just some of them.
Last year, in its first edition, the Festival of Ideas gathered 10,000 people in four days and now returns with a broad and multidisciplinary program, in which artists such as C. Tangana will collaborate. The main venues will be the Allianz stage in Plaza de España and the Círculo de Bellas Artes. The former is intended for conferences, talks, shows and concerts, while the latter will be dedicated to more leisurely and reflective events such as round tables and conversations.
Labyrinths, senses and nonsense
The festival revolves around the great dilemmas and contradictions of the present. For philosophers Marcela Vélez and Javier Moscoso, content directors, “labyrinths, senses and nonsense” is the slogan that best expresses it.
They consider that labyrinths are present in stories, art, music and also in our own body, through fingerprints or the internal structures of the organs. All these twists, turns and contradictions are a metaphor for the paradoxes in which we live. “They are places of seclusion or refuge, where our desires for liberation, our false liberators and our monsters are,” they write in the Festival’s manifesto.
Multiple voices
To address these problems of the present, different disciplines converge at the Festival of Ideas: anthropology, biology, sociology and journalism join philosophy in a wide-ranging and varied program.
In addition to conferences and round tables, there will be concerts, exhibitions of plastic arts and photography, theatrical and musical performances. There will be space for both performance and reflection. For example, British critic Simon Reynolds will talk with C. Tangana about the mix between tradition and experimentation in today’s sounds on September 20 at La Casa Encendida.
In the so-called Philosophical Walks, small groups guided by a philosopher will be able to walk around the city while reflecting on different concepts. New perspectives will be built on spaces such as Ortega’s Madrid or the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.
On the other hand, “Speakers Corners“, open microphones will be installed in strategic squares such as Callao, Sol or Red de San Luis, where citizens will be able to express themselves freely and encourage collective debate.
Connecting body and mind
New this year are activities that connect thought with the body and hands, such as the yoga, dance and meditation workshops that will be held in the Allianz space.
Another innovation is the intergenerational meeting, with talks aimed at families, such as those to be held at the CaixaForum on disinformation and migration. Contact with the elderly will also be sought through conversations about grandchildren and grandparents, and a speed dating event will be held with residents of senior centers in Madrid.
