Iñaki Domínguez Madrid
Madrid
Updated Monday, February 5, 2024-00:22
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The Miami legend never dies
The urban legend of Ultras Sur punk
The skins of the Plaza de los Cubos
A temple of graffiti in the northern Madrid area was the so-called
hydroelectric plant
, a power plant located in the
Barrio del Pilar
whose walls were full of murals and pieces by very recognizable graffiti artists. It was located on a small mountain in La
Ventilla
Park that overlooked
Sinesio Delgado
Street .
Suso33, one of the national graffiti greats, tells me about the place: «The first time I went to paint there, I went with Edu, from the
Reyes del Mambo
[graffiti crew], because right at the hydroelectric plant there was a kind of block of concrete that we painted as if it were a block of ice that came out of the mountain. I arrived there in '91, '92," Suso tells me.
It is assumed that: «It was a hydroelectric plant that supplied electricity to part of Madrid. It is said that it used the
Canal de Isabel II
to generate electricity. The canal is a tunnel that carries water and follows the path of the Paseo de la Direction. The tunnel had some walls that I painted all of them. At the hydroelectric plant, from time to time the police came and fined people. There was a hill where you could see the police cars going up. It gave you time to run away. On one occasion, several police cars came up and told us: 'We didn't come up to fine you, we came up so that you don't damage Suso's mural.' And I answered: 'If Suso is me, damn it.' "As many municipal officials are from the neighborhood, they got involved."
One of the murals painted at the Pilar hydroelectric plant.EM
The hydroelectric plant was not only a place to paint, but also a place to contemplate: «At the hydroelectric plant you could see some amazing sunsets. One looked towards the south of Madrid and the sunsets were tremendous. It was a fool's errand to paint there [also because of the landscape of the place]. I really like those disused places, those non-places. In that place, only people from the Mambo Kings and those related to the group could paint: "Whoever painted and who didn't, was carried by the
Know
and the
Sice
."
I speak with Know: «In the hydroelectric plant before we arrived there were some pieces and signatures from the first wave of graffiti in Madrid. But the one who started using it as a
hall of fame
[place where you can see many pieces] was me. Being my neighborhood, he was the one in charge there, let's say. I often did surveillance. At that time I had a pitt bull named Socio. And he gave me walks around the center. From there I could see the neighborhood and it was an area that gave me a bit of calm. If someone painted there I would cross out their graffiti. Once at the highest part I saw some people with cameras and I approached calmly. Suddenly I saw that MTV had been spray painted on a mural of mine. I told them to get out, they got cocky and I released the dog, who was a psychopath. And I threw his cameras down the hill.
The hydroelectric plant was bordering La
Ventilla
, on the border with Barrio del Pilar. «In La Ventilla in those years there were almost only shanties or low houses. I lived in the part where all the shanties were. The neighborhood was a conflictive place in the 80s and 90s.
Either you were a lamb or you were a wolf
, you had to choose. And I was always more of a wolf than anything else. It was a bit territorial. When I started painting there, I made that mine. I did not allow absolutely anyone to paint there who did not have my permission or paint with me. For more than 20 years it was like this. Then I have painted with hundreds of writers in that center. If that power station could talk...
One of the murals painted at the Pilar hydroelectric plant.EM
"I started in '89," continues Know. «Before us at the hydroelectric plant, people like
Chete
,
Wild Boys
, people from Barrio del Pilar painted. People began to paint earlier in Barrio del Pilar than in La Ventilla. I am one of the first graffiti artists in La Ventilla, if not the first. I remember a boy painting in my neighborhood who said Rompe. "Most people started painting after watching the documentary
Guerra de Styles
on TVE's La 2 in 1988," adds Know.
According to Know, it would be nothing more than a power plant: «It put a power plant in the facilities. I don't know why, but someone started with the hydroelectric plant and that name has stuck, but, in reality, I think it was a power plant. It would be from the 70s, when that entire area was fucking countryside, hills. Maybe at the beginning there was water, but there wasn't much information. We never knew who ran it, there were never any security people inside the plant, nor anyone. It was an autonomous plant. There were only people when they were doing some kind of work, some kind of arrangement. It was a somewhat mysterious place. That's part of the charm of that place. When the police came, they knew us by name. When they wanted to report us they had to contact the owners of that plant or the manager to find out if he wanted to report that we were painting those walls. And they never managed to contact them. "The same police officer told us."
The area that is today
Avenida de Asturias
was known as Chorrillo. «It was a super spicy area, very complicated. It was next to the hydroelectric plant. Today there is a police station in what was the Felipe II school, also next door. It was all shanties, mud, mountains. It was in that area where you took the stolen cars and burned them, the motorcycles. Those of us who were from the neighborhood used to step on that, because it was our playground. There was a dirt soccer field there too. "No one who was not from the neighborhood dared to pass by there."
Today, instead of the hydroelectric plant, there is a modern student residence.
Inaki Dominguez
He is the author of
Macarras interseculares
, edited by Melusina, [you can buy the book here],
Macarrismo
, edited by Akal, [you can buy the book here] and
Macarras ibéricos
, edited by Akal, [you can buy the book here] and the
Latrue story of the Moco Panda
. [you can buy the book here]