Park Güell The Sounds of the Spirit

Arturo Campos invites us to delve into his article “Park Güell, The Sounds of the Spirit” from a sensory perspective, where architecture, sound, and emotion intertwine to reveal an artistic dimension that goes beyond the visible.

My date with Park Güell begins every morning with the sunrise. I’ve walked through it again and again, so much that I think I know it like the back of my hand. I know every path, corner, tree, flower, every sculpture, and, why not, every person who, like me, continually comes to admire it. What does this place have that makes it unforgettable? It manages to awaken a feeling of peace and self-discovery. What did Gaudí want to tell us with this park, so isolated from the city and its surroundings, with its forms so marvelous yet so mysterious?

Many mornings I’ve asked myself this while walking through it, without finding an explanation. Today, after hearing the commotion of children entering school, I stopped to contemplate the park entrance. At that moment, an elderly man stopped beside me. Despite being blind, he was walking briskly inside. What was that man doing there? I couldn’t understand how he could enjoy this place without seeing the beauty of the flowers, the trees, or the building itself. Curious, I decided to follow his path and find out what he was able to perceive here.

Viaductos de piedra / Stone viaducts
Fotografía / Photography: Arturo Campos

The gentleman moved skillfully and advanced without stumbling. I caught up with him on the grand staircase. The noise of the people had been left behind; now I could hear the gentle flow of water from the fountains, mingling with the footsteps of people going up and down the stone steps. It was a constant sound. People talked while admiring the water falling from the top of the staircase past the beautiful, brightly colored sculptures. The gentleman stopped in front of the fountain, sat on the stone benches, and gazed at the water as if he could see it.

It was a relaxing, continuous, and discreet sound, enriched by the soft rustling of the tree leaves moved by the wind. He was beginning to answer my eternal question. Gaudí surely knew that this would be a place for contemplation, for encounter, and he sought to make the sound of each drop of water falling from that beautiful fountain of brilliant colors represent our experiences and transport us to a fantastic world, where the sounds that surrounded us would create a unique landscape.

Gaudí sought to make the sound of each drop of water falling from that beautiful fountain of brilliant colors represent our experiences and transport us to a fantastic world, where the sounds that surrounded us would create a unique landscape.

Explorando el parque / Exploring the park
Fotografía / Photography: Travel with lenses, AXP Photography

It also seemed that after observing those reptile sculptures, we were able to listen to them and hear their message as if they were truly alive and trying to tell us something. After a long while, the blind man continued his ascent as if drawn by something. The sound of the water gradually disappeared and merged with the light, melodious sound of a violin coming from the hall of columns, which had once been a marketplace. Now it has become a peaceful place where people enjoy playing musical instruments and singing.

My friend stopped to listen. The tall, fluted columns and the small domes on the roof, covered with pieces of pottery, plates, and glass bottles, diffused the sound. Meanwhile, the children played hide-and-seek among the columns, accompanying the artist with their laughter and footsteps.

Reverberante sala hipóstila, donde se reúnen los músicos por el sonido envolvente del espacio / Reverberant hypostyle hall, where musicians gather for the space’s immersive sound
Fotografía / Photography: Arturo Campos

The gentleman continued walking; he knew exactly where to go and how to get there. He continued up the stone steps to the Greek Theater, this beautiful space with its winding, multicolored benches that seemed to merge with the city in the distance. There were people playing soccer, and the thump of the ball on the sand reminded me of my time playing. People sat gazing at the city, their voices transforming into a murmur. The wind stirred the palm trees, whose palms and leaves could be heard singing loudly. It was an isolated place. Its vast expanse, its openness, and the surrounding vegetation protected it and made it the setting for dances, theatrical performances, gatherings, festivals, and grand celebrations.

Vista exterior y viaductos con forma curva y de piedra donde el sonido parece desaparecer / Exterior view and curved stone viaducts where the sound seems to disappear
Fotografía / Photography: Arturo Campos, Mateusz Walendzik

We left that place, the gentleman first, and I, as usual, followed behind him, silent and seeking to find what he “saw” and experienced. I listened to his serene footsteps and the sound of his cane, which occasionally left a punctual footprint in the sand. We ascended the park’s viaducts. With their sloping columns that connected to the parabolic roof and merged with the stone walls, they made it seem as if sound and air entered through those porous surfaces and were lost within them.

In all the previous places, the sound seemed to surround us; it was like music. Here, it was absorbed by the architecture. Occasionally, people passed by. The sound of their footsteps alerted the man who stepped aside to let them in. In the distance, we could hear the creaking of swings and the shouts of children playing. We finally reached the viewing platform, at the highest point in the park, which offers a beautiful view of Barcelona. The wind was strong, and the city seemed silent, as if nothing were happening there. The park, its spirit, and its voice dominated the city. It was then that I realized that this man, beyond seeing, was capable of “living” and hearing what the park was telling him. He was capable of being moved by what he could hear and imagine.

Banco serpenteante multicolor en la gran explanada superior / Multi Colored serpentine bench on the large upper esplanade
Fotografía / Photography: Arturo Campos

Surely for him, this was a wonderful place, full of magic, which I myself had never discovered because I focused on seeing again and again what I always saw. I could sense each space, each one very distinct and with its own life. Nothing was accidental; the water at the entrance invited us to get to know each other, calming us. Every shape and every material now seemed to fulfill a function that went beyond what could be seen. The reverberation of the Hypostyle Hall was extremely welcoming, and the artist’s music seemed to come from everywhere. Every corner of the park had something to tell us and something we should discover with our souls.

The reverberation of the Hypostyle Hall was extremely welcoming, and the artist’s music seemed to come from everywhere.

Las formas geométricas de la sala hipóstila recubiertas de trencadís multicolor / The geometric forms of the hypostyle hall, covered in multicolored trencadís
Fotografía / Photography: Arturo Campos

Today’s walk has made me understand that beyond what we can see lies what we can hear. For years, I had thought I knew this place better than anyone, but today I truly knew it; today I “lived” it. Then I saw the gentleman make a move to get out again, and I dared to ask him:

-“Do you come here often?”
-“Yes, every morning for a long time. You too, right?”
– No…, it’s the first time.

Pabellones del Parque que parecen salidos de un cuento con sus fachadas de piedra / Park pavilions that look like something out of a fairy tale, with their stone façades
Fotografía / Photography: Arturo Campos

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Narration taken from: Author José Arturo Campos Rodríguez

The Voices of Gaudí. José Arturo Campos Rodríguez. UPC Publishing House. Barcelona 2002
The Voices of Gaudí. José Arturo Campos Rodríguez. Kookay Publishing House. Mexico 2021