Coinciding with the centenary of the Quinta de los Molinos, the Architecture Week, and Madrid Otra Mirada, Espacio Abierto Quinta de los Molinos, the cultural center for children and adolescents of the Area of Culture, Tourism and Sport, presents its new cycle of activities titled ‘Past Utopias. Present Cities’.
The proposal is dedicated to César Cort, the architect, engineer, and urban planner who created the Quinta de los Molinos, where he expressed his ideas on the relationship between city and countryside, architecture and cultivation, infrastructure and daily life. The program aims to discover heritage through multiple perceptions, explore ways of inhabiting it, and invent new utopias through visits, workshops, installations, tours, object theater, and collective creation experiences.
From October 1 to January 10, 2027, the Urbanoteca will be transformed into a play space inspired by the orchard, irrigation channels, and agricultural architectures. ‘Huerta en construcción’ (Orchard under construction), created by Silvana Andrés, proposes a collective infrastructure in permanent transformation, capable of being explored, traversed, reorganized, and inhabited in multiple ways according to age and form of participation.
On October 3, ‘Código Cort. Descifrar la Quinta de los Molinos’ (Cort Code. Deciphering the Quinta de los Molinos) will be presented, a tour-workshop by Chiquitectos. The objective is to analyze, explore, and discover the secrets held within the small palace that houses Espacio Abierto and its gardens. Participants will be encouraged to look at their surroundings with new eyes, draw, and walk to understand the park's intricacies and history through direct experience, delving into its architecture and gardens in a practical and playful way, using plans and sections, and discovering the four basic codes that César Cort considered in the project. The activity is included in the Madrid Otra Mirada program on its next date, October 16.
Two other workshops will delve into different ways of building. On October 10, ‘Ciudades’ (Cities), by Criaturas Infinitas, will involve the collective construction of an imaginary city using small pieces to shape houses, parks, squares, and streets. On October 17, Clara Megías will lead ‘Taller de creación de nidos: urraca’ (Nest creation workshop: magpie) and ‘Sesión de experimentación de colores de las aves’ (Bird color experimentation session), focusing on creating nests through observation, material experimentation, and artistic creation.
October's programming also includes artistic activities from the past season: ‘Utopía Cuerpo’ (Body Utopia) (October 3 and 4) and ‘Instrucciones para bailar como un bosque’ (Instructions for dancing like a forest) (October 4), both created by Arturo Babel. Additionally, ‘Canciones de cuna y nido’ (Lullabies and nests songs) and the creation sessions ‘Lullaby project’, both by Christian Fernández Mirón (October 24), and creation workshops by Colectivo Hul Grapas, Líneas, Papel y Maratón (all on October 18) will be featured.
The scenic proposals for this month include the piece ‘Aquí solo hay paisaje’ (There is only landscape here), by Lupe Estévez (October 11), and the documentary theater play ‘Como si ya hubiera pasado’ (As if it had already happened), performed by Mundo Quinta and directed by Cross Border (October 16, 17, and 18). An advance of the elPetit festival will also arrive in the form of a workshop, ‘Xarza/Red’, by Eva Vázquez Abraham.
The complete agenda, with dates, times, ages, and ticket prices, is available on the Espacio Abierto Quinta de los Molinos website. In addition to online purchases, the center always reserves a quota of tickets at the box office for same-day performances.
