Artists REC

Photographer Bea Schulze undertook to document the entire two-year project management and development process. From the moment we first broke ground and discovered ancient archeological remains, throughout the entire design process, and even into the final stages of construction, she’s been by our side, capturing every step of the way. The resulting photographs visually relay the meticulous and arduous process of working on such a complex and protracted project, an endeavor now documented in hundreds of unique and impressive photographs.

The tireless Joan Tarragó has created a super-sized 15-meter mural that greets guests on the ground floor, complemented by textural motifs installed on the façade’s front window. On each floor of the hotel, he’s furnished a neon door leading to imaginary rooms, and on the first floor he’s installed an 8-meter mural featuring a neon eye and an aquatically-inspired flow. He’s also left his inimitable mark on the ceiling of the Lounge on the hotel’s top floor, with a collection of water and mineral symbols in neon, and a flowing web of lines and waves that infuse the space with a unique and coherent sense of movement.

Marga López’s meticulous and patient pen brings a sweet sensibility and a unique sense of place to a neighborhood map that boasts rich details and personality. She’s also customized the REC logo with her characteristic organic style, and created various illustrations that have been used to embellish our pillowcases, tote bags, and framed works that can be found throughout the hotel’s rooms.

Her work is a delight to behold.

The innovative and prolific Sergi Delgado collaborated on the hotel’s visual communication technique, by developing four numerical typefaces which were used to label the hotel’s different room and floor numbers. For the rooms, he’s used “fluid” motifs with pop-art influences, while the floor numbers change the register a bit with elaborate geometric forms crafted out of wooden slats, which blend perfectly into the hallways’ interior design. Upstairs in the Lounge, he’s helped to beautifully sift natural sunlight with a composition illustrating the logo in thousands of little dots. Another 5 works can be found in the rooms themselves, showcasing typographic compositions and fun pop-art flourishes. Finally, although in reality it’s the first thing guests see, he’s created an animation displaying the hotel logo for the videowall at the hotel entrance.

We sought out Michael Roschach because we wanted something a little different for the hotel’s unmarked entrance. Since Roschach specializes in thinking and seeing differently, and is immensely skilled in concrete, we knew we were bound to get a totally unique and visually intriguing artwork. The fruit of this commission is a piece that reflects the spirit of the REC project in an evocative sculptural element that symbolizes the passing of time and pays homage to the 2,000+ year history that flows beneath our feet.

40 Plumas is an artist studio specializing in glass works. They’ve brought their innovative design to the project by equipping the hotel bedrooms with glasses crafted from up-cycled bottles, each featuring engravings of the REC logo.

Miscelanea, the city’s premier illustration and design studio, oversaw the selection and installation of artworks throughout the hotel bedrooms, soliciting the contributions of various artists who specially created works in homage of our project’s philosophy.

The studio also took care of producing, printing, and framing the over 200 drawings and photographs exhibited on the hotel’s walls; designing and fabricating 4 different silk-screened tote bags; and printing a whimsical mini-guide to the hotel and neighborhood map, a gift to all our guests.

In a engaging and light-hearted way, Amaia Arrazola has illustrated the tale of the Rec Comtal for us and the way it has shaped the Hotel REC project. Her illustrations are presented in a pocket notebook that guests receive as a gift when they arrive in their room.

With her extremely personal and characteristic style, Laura Liedo makes us reflect on memory and changing human relationships, ebbing and flowing like the course of a river.

With precision and exquisite elegance, Mariadiamantes makes us navigate delicately through a world of geometric paths, intertwined in some way, yet still clear and sharp.

Javier de Riba takes us back to times gone by with sayings from the past related to water’s contribution to the city, such as “a mill cannot grind with water that is past” and “water under the bridge”, with a masterclass in synthesis and communication.

Marina Capdevila transports us to her personal world in which the protagonists are older people who are getting on in years but who show a youthful, fun spirit.

Josep Abril, the iconic Barcelona-based fashion designer, has also been invited to participate in the design of our clothing, creating a groundbreaking, casual look: the non-uniform. His vision is to dress the staff as though they were anybody who had just come in off the street, in t-shirts, casual trousers, dungarees, and sweatshirts. With a very urban style incorporating the project’s graphics printed on t-shirts, he creates an empathic way of connecting guests and staff, breaking down old formalities that are now obsolete.