dirdaM | REFLECTIONS ON MADRID

In October, Intermediae presents dirdaM / Reflections on Madrid—an initiative promoted by VIC Vivero de Iniciativas Ciudadanas—that maps the influence and transformative impact of tourism on the city of Madrid, seeking to contribute to the integration of this phenomenon within local communities.

The project takes the form of a pavilion open to visitors for three days, alongside a series of public talks bringing together academics, researchers, industry professionals, activists, influencers, and communicators specializing in tourism. These encounters aim to explore and understand the complexity of tourism from multiple perspectives and to foster critical, collective reflection on the future development of this sector in the city.

Far from adopting an uncritical stance, dirdaM / Reflections on Madrid starts from the recognition that tourism is a real and inevitable phenomenon, whose challenges admit no simple solutions. The project proposes a collective exploration of how a shared image of the city is built and hybridized—between what is projected outward to tourists and how the city is valued by its inhabitants. It seeks to integrate diverse perspectives and analyze the feedback loop between the lived city and the consumed city. To this end, it creates a physical space for shared reflection and participation, a space from which to rethink the urban model by incorporating the tourism dimension and the challenges it poses for local communities.

The central hall of Nave Una will be occupied by an ephemeral pavilion or installation conceived as a meeting place that invites collective reflection through critique, irony, and cultural impact. This temporary tetrahedron-shaped structure, composed of three symmetrical pieces, functions both as a venue for discussion and as an exhibition of research results. It will also host a public program of debates with experts and civil society representatives, designed to nurture a shared space for reflection.

As part of the project, a digital platform is also being launched: dirdam.cc, dedicated to compiling and disseminating research data. The website works as an introductory section outlining the problems inherent in tourism, providing relevant data, and defining the central themes of the project. It offers detailed information on the research’s foundations and objectives, including cartographic visualizations of Madrid highlighting various points of interest. It also includes a section dedicated to the bibliography consulted during the project.

This initiative by VIC Vivero de Iniciativas Ciudadanas is supported by the Madrid City Council’s Creative Grants and presented as part of Intermediae Matadero’s “Collaborations in Network” program.

The program includes two roundtables with guest speakers, on October 14 and 16, and the possibility of visiting the pavilion freely on October 15.

> TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14

Roundtable 1: Postcards from Madrid | The city exposed through scenes and narratives
7–9 pm | Nave Una – Nave 17
Free entry until full capacity

Madrid is projected outward through images, scenes, narratives, and symbols designed to define it and attract visitors. But do these images reflect the real city? Do we recognize ourselves in the Madrid that is exported abroad? Has the shared image replaced lived experience? In this first session, we invite you to explore Madrid’s image and narrative.

Participants:

Pedro A. Monje Gil

Casilda Cabrerizo

Belén García de la Torriente

Jorge Dioni

Martín López Cano

Moderator: Julia Román (Vivero de Iniciativas Ciudadanas)

> WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15

Free visit to the dirdaM | REFLECTIONS ON MADRID Pavilion
7–9 pm | Nave Una – Nave 17
Free entry until full capacity

> THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16

Roundtable 2: Expanded Touristification | Urban life consumed in its everydayness
7–9 pm | Nave Una – Nave 17
Free entry until full capacity

Everyday urban life itself becomes a tourist attraction: gastronomy turned spectacle (foodification), the city and its spaces as venues for concerts, parades, races, or festivals (eventification), or nomadic work that blurs living and traveling (nomadification). To what extent do these dynamics reshape the experience of living in Madrid? Are we consuming the city even in its deepest everyday life?

Participants:

Enrique Alex

Pedro Bravo

Clara Martín Duque

Emilio Orduña

Sindicato de Inquilinas

Moderator: Julia Román (Vivero de Iniciativas Ciudadanas)

> Biographies of Participants

October 14

Pedro A. Monje Gil holds a Diploma in Business Studies and a degree in Communication Sciences–Journalism. He is an Official Tourism Guide with 10 years of experience as a local guide in Madrid and its surroundings.

Casilda Cabrerizo is a geographer with a PhD and an urban planning specialist with over fifteen years of experience as a consultant in public policy and urban innovation. She is the author of La ciudad negocio: turismo y movilización social en pugna (2016).

Jorge Dioni is a journalist and writer who has contributed to newspapers, magazines, and radio. He teaches at the Escuela de Escritores and is the author of books such as La España de las Piscinas (2021) and El malestar de las ciudades (2023).

Belén García de la Torriente is a sociologist, environmental activist, and tour guide. She has coordinated the Tourism and Urbanism area of Ecologistas en Acción and currently collaborates with Liberum Natura. She has contributed to reports such as Turismo en las ciudades and Transición ecosocial y alternativas laborales, addressing the need for sustainable tourism models.

Martín López Cano is a journalist and founder of Madrid Diferente, a digital guide offering cultural, leisure, and gastronomy recommendations in Madrid. A pioneer in bringing cultural and gastronomic information about Madrid to social media, he continues, 15 years later, his pursuit of what is authentic, accessible, and appealing.

October 16

Enrique Alex is a tireless traveler and content creator. His YouTube channel is the largest in Spain dedicated to tourism, with over 600,000 subscribers. He has been a UN Responsible Tourism Ambassador and currently hosts and directs the TVE program Esto es España, focused on responsible tourism in Spain.

Pedro Bravo is a journalist, writer, and communication consultant. He has written for major newspapers and magazines and is the author of books such as Biciosos (2014), Exceso de Equipaje (2018), and most recently ¡Silencio! Manifiesto contra el ruido, la inquietud y la prisa (2024).

Clara Martín Duque is a professor at the Faculty of Commerce and Tourism of the Complutense University of Madrid and holds a PhD in Tourism from the Universidad Antonio de Nebrija. Since 2010, she has combined her teaching and supervision of academic work with research on sustainable tourism, innovation, and destination management.

Emilio Orduña is an architect with more than 20 years of professional experience in Madrid, having worked in various studios and technical offices. In 2018, he founded Architoursmad, an initiative offering guided tours focused on architecture, urbanism, history, and interior design, led by local architects who provide sociological context to the city—an approach inspired by his experiences traveling the world and engaging with other architects.

Sindicato de Inquilinas (Tenants’ Union) was created with the political ambition of organizing all those who lack control over their housing. Since 2017, it has fought against rentierism and speculation, and for the right to housing, through mutual support and the construction of its own union tools. Sandra Mora is a member of the Union and one of its spokespeople.

Organizers
Vivero de Iniciativas Ciudadanas is a non-profit organization that promotes, researches, and supports processes of citizen innovation, participatory urbanism, and collaborative culture. Since 2008, VIC has worked at the intersection of citizenship and new urban processes, making visible and strengthening social initiatives that transform the urban environment through the common and the collective. Its approach combines direct action, applied research, and the creation of collaborative networks among institutions, communities, and independent actors.