EMPTY ARCHITECTURES

It consists of photographic work on some abandoned buildings and constructions throughout the territory of Mallorca, made by the architect and architectural photographer Lluís Bort. These constructions, on many occasions, were erected to fulfill a very specific function and over the years they became obsolete and forgotten. However, this does not mean that they are no longer useful, but that they should have the opportunity to be rehabilitated to enjoy a second life, providing them with a new use for their neighbours and their environment.

In terms of the photographic work, it collects different types of construction, from a hospital that they abandoned when they built a new one on the outskirts of the city; a Majorcan textile factory that was one of the island’s economic engines during the Civil War when Franco’s troops bombed the industrial centre of Barcelona; to the largest wine cellar on the island that closed in the 90s after 4 extensions.

In the project, each building is presented as an architectural gem against an intense blue and degraded sky that allows the beauty of each of them to shine through. It seeks to highlight these constructions which were very important for the history of Mallorca, and which are often located in privileged locations, where they would have many guarantees of success if they were converted into new facilities for the cities.

This photographic project began in 2019 and it should be noted that since then adaptation work has begun on some of the buildings photographed, which we hope will allow the building to be recovered and enrich the city with new cultural offerings. In this way, this work wants to show the opportunity to rehabilitate these strategic and abandoned architectures in the Majorcan territory for new uses such as museums, exhibition halls or neighbourhood houses, among others.

Lluís Bort is an architect and architectural photographer, and his life has always been linked to the world of photography. He started as part of the photography group ‘L’art de la llum d’Onda (Castelló)’. In it, he held his first photographic contests, exhibitions and won several prizes over the years. Currently, he is also involved in teaching courses in Architecture and Landscape Photography at the Architects’ Association of the Balearic Islands.