The Death of El Patio

Para vivir… morimos

(In order to live … we die)

Last Saturday, 8th July, El Patio died. The organisation was ‘killed’ with a two day party in Malasaña. In the style which befits the organisation, the party was spread, slightly shambolically over two nights and filled with friends made over the last 10 years. The Friday evening was a bar crawl, starting at Solar Antonio Grilo, an ‘okupado’ urban garden and which continued around Malasaña. On Saturday I went with a purpose: to act as a point of collection for any photos or documents that people brought along and wanted to add to the archive, and with an SLR camera, ready to record any short memories from people at the party to add to the archive. This brief was discussed and agreed with a key member of El Patio the week before and he said he would arrange a table and chair, and I should arrange any signs or flyers.

When I arrived at the Plaza de las Comendadoras on Saturday evening the party was just starting. The plaza is a very beautiful square in the north west of Malasaña – slightly off the tourist trail and much quieter than the streets around the Plaza de Dos Mayo. There were a few tables selling t-shirts and a bar next to a smallish stage. I found my contact and he moved a few boxes off a table so I could set up my own next to the t-shirts. It was clear from the party atmosphere that few if anyone had brought things to transfer to my laptop, so I concentrated on getting the word out about the recordings.

The first, slightly disheartening aspect was that no one seemed aware I was coming, or were too busy selling beer or t-shirts to worry. The members of El Patio selling t-shirts next to me had no idea what I was doing. I did not let it phase me, continued to set-up my little area with a sign and flyers (see below) and observed the party for a little. I tried to intercept people coming to the t-shirt stall next to me – this worked pretty well as there were a lot of people waiting to buy t-shirts and only a few servers, so they had a chance to listen to me. On the whole, people were not very enthusiastic about being recorded at the party. I left my stand a few times and went out around the groups of people chatting, explaining what I was doing, and gave them flyers to pass around to get the word out (I thought getting them passed person to person might help generate interest, and told the people I spoke to where I would be). Then the bands started and it was clear no recording at the party would be worthwhile due to the background noise. I did in fact make one recording as the lady was really keen to be videoed, but the sound was not good. I changed tack: I had planned to take names of people who did recordings, for my records and to see if they wanted to do a follow-up oral history, but I decided to give up asking about recordings now at the party and only get names for people to contact at a later date. People were so reluctant to take time out from the party, I thought just getting email contacts would be easier. It was easier to get people’s emails, but still the majority of people were not interested. The reasons fell into these broad categories:

1. I am not central enough to El Patio to be included e.g. I only went to some events
2. I personally do not want to be recorded / I am not interested
3. I have moved away from Madrid/ I do not have time

When people said they were not central to the organisation I explained that their experiences and memories related to El Patio were just as valuable, but rarely did people change their mind. I decided to use these excuses as opportunities: if someone did not want to do a recording I asked them if their friends would be interested. Often this worked well because people felt bad at refusing me and when they asked their friends to do it with me standing there, they tried to encourage them. I also went up to people I knew or recognised from La Ingobernable, and again used the same tactics. A couple of people bought me beers and introduced me to their friends, and my list of names grew. I left before the end, conscious of having an SLR and my laptop with me, and the fact that the later it got the more difficult it was to join people’s conversations.

Enough about what I was doing. There were other things happening at the party. The stage had different bands playing, who most people seemed to enjoy or know. There were also ‘awards’ given on the stage to key members of El Patio. This part felt a little too insular, as it was the same one group who gave and received the awards (or so it seemed!). There was also a lack of information or signage – maybe this deliberate, under the assumption that everyone there knew exactly what El Patio had been. However, a lot of people I spoke to had come with friends, and had never been involved. There were posters and t-shirts for sale. The t-shirts seemed to be the most popular part, and the bar!

It is hard not to feel disappointed by the party, having spent 6 weeks in Madrid with everyone I met talk about how special and amazing the death of El Patio would be. I am sure the party would have been more fun had I known most people there (which was the case for those involved in El Patio). However, I do wonder whether I am missing something culturally or about ‘okupados’ in Madrid. Was the party exceptional for the context? It seemed to me pretty average. From what people had led me to believe all the collectives involved in El Patio would be represented. I wonder if more could have been done to show how much of a cultural contribution El Patio had in the community? For example, using the collectives to do different demonstrations, or having each collective with a stand, so they could meet new members and show how El Patio will continue within its many collectives, even if the umbrella organisation is gone. I personally learnt a lot from the party, mainly that when trying to meet people and get them to agree to helping with research: beer, sympathy and persistence all help. The party was essentially created for the people who organised it, and I am sure they would defend its ‘cliquey’ nature: it was afterall a celebration for the people who had worked with El Patio for 10 years. I am left with the nagging question about whether it achieved anything more. Could it have made more of a statement to Madrileños, or the city council? I did not see anyone else with a camera and there was no sense that any of the actual party needed to be documented for posterity or to make the news. They probably wanted to focus on enjoying the party, and any videoing may have felt like overkill. But I cannot help feeling that for such a political organisation, this was a missed opportunity to announce their legacy.