72 hours of non-stop partying in the best nightclubs of the Valencian Community, the perfect setting for the desire for freedom, creation and avant-garde of the youth of the 80s. Something like that (and much more) was the “Ruta Destroy” or “Ruta del Bakalao”. Now, almost 45 years after its inception, Bombas Gens Centre d’Arts Digitals is producing the exhibition La Ruta: modernity, culture and uncontrol, an enhancement of this cultural phenomenon. After its successful premiere in Valencia, the exhibition will close its doors on February 1 and tickets for the last sessions are already on sale; get them here.
La Ruta: modernity, culture and out of control is a sensory journey into an exciting chapter of our recent history through original objects, real testimonies, VR360º and laser-mappedprojections. In the past there have been other exhibitions in Valencia about the popularly known “Ruta Destroy”, but none like this one, which relies on an immersive format with which viewers can interact.
Farewell round tables
Below we tell you more details about this complete exhibition, but first, good news. Although there is little time left for it to close, it will do it with a golden brooch: the last three Thursdays of January at 20:30h Bombas Gens Centre d’Arts Digitals will host three round tables that will complement what can be seen in La Ruta: modernity, culture and uncontrolled. Access to the activities is free (until full capacity). Here you have the information:
January 15: La Ruta de las mujeres. Artists, dj’s and public relations of the Valencian march.
Presented by Eugenio Viñas, cultural journalist with numerous reports on “La Ruta” and author of the podcast València Destroy. The untold story of the Ruta del Bakalao.
Participants
- Charo Campillos. Dj, singer and announcer.
- Begoña Kanekalon. Artist, model, dancer.
- Cani Monteagudo. Manager and public relations.
January 22nd: From Camden to Alboraya. On the influence of new wave in Valencian composers.
In collaboration with Fundación SGAE València. Presented by Miguel Jiménez. Manager and music editor.
Participants:
- José Luís Macías. Composer. Glamour / Last emotion.
- Miguel Ángel Pastor. Musician and journalist. Las Provincias Magazine.
- Germán Bou. Musician and producer.
January 29th: The legacy of La Ruta in the XXI century. History of clubbing in Valencia from the 80s until now.
Presented by Antonio J. Albertos (H4l9000). Music journalist, dj, cultural curator and co-author of Ruta Gráfica. The sound design of València.
Participants:
- Aurora Mora. Creator of the electronic music podcast sampleòpolis.com.
- Julio Andújar. Owner of ACTV. Designer and interior designer.
- Dioni Sánchez. Designer. Resident DJ at Le Club.
To attend these round tables you must reserve your place free of charge by sending an email to info@bombasgens.com.
And also, a unique end of party
Once the exhibition closes, from February 5 to 8, Bombas Gens Centre d’Arts Digitals will host the special event Universes of Light. Perception and space. With Radiant Light Art Studio. This is an exhibition of light art (with one of its installations, VERGE, internationally awarded) and is a fascinating experience for all ages. In addition, every day at 19:30h will feature the live session No Kepler, by Iván Llopis. Here you can get your tickets.
Much more than partying and hedonism
To talk about the “Ruta” we must go back to the early 80’s and the surroundings of the CV-500, a road very close to the city of Valencia and that runs along the beach of Les Palmeres and towns like El Saler or Pinedo, where some of the most successful nightclubs of the time were located.
Every week thousands of young people congregated there to enjoy endless nights of partying, chaining one club after another. But what began as a meeting point for young people who went out to “party”, soon became something much bigger: inside and outside the Valencian clubs a movement that included electronic music, graphic design and fashion, among other disciplines, was born.
La Ruta: modernidad, cultura y descontrol uncovers this countercultural movement, overthrowing all the myths about the “Ruta del Bakalao“. Partying and hedonism were combined in this period with moments of splendor in fields such as Valencian design or fashion and in an authentic musical revolution, always with a very disruptive, independent and alternative character.
The so-called “Ruta Destroy” was the most mediatic expression of the Valencian “movida” and was so important that it is comparable to movements of those years that took place in much bigger cities like Manchester, Madrid, Berlin or Amsterdam. With it, the city of Valencia, normally on the fringes of the big cultural centers, was put in the spotlight for more than a decade.
What we will be able to see in La Ruta: modernity, culture and uncontrollable
Throughout the 10 rooms of Bombas Gens (more than 2,000m2 of exhibition space), La Ruta: modernity, culture and uncontrol takes us by the hand to know all the details of this exciting chapter of history, from its beginnings in the early 80s to its decadence, well into the 90s. It does so by combining historical and documentary rigor with a playful and festive approach, which makes it recommendable for all audiences.
What will we find in the 10 rooms of Bombas Gens? The first two rooms explain the origins of the movement, which gained strength 45 years ago, at a time of opening in the country where the first youth idols, the protest song, the first discos and the birth of the so-called Movida Valenciana converged. While all this was happening, the club culture was born in Valencia and, with it, the germ of the “Ruta del Bakalao”. “Ruta del Bakalao” (Bakalao Route).
Next, a room dedicated to show objects of the time: from technology or vehicles (such as the mythical Vespino GL) to collectibles of the time and lots of material rescued from the discos of the 80s and 90s. If you lived through those years, you will be overcome by a pleasant nostalgia.
The walk through “La Ruta” continues with the spectacular immersive room. The content of this room is like a trip back in time to the best discos in Valencia. This is possible with the combination of digital scanning, a very precise lighting design, laser-mapping and other technological elements that put us right into the narrative.
The “Labyrinth of creations” room shows everything that the movement brought with it: graphic design, architecture and interior design, fashion, performances or subversive theater. This room, which also includes audiovisual pieces, is followed by another where a complete documentary is projected.
Music also has its own room, which pays tribute to both record stores, which supplied the DJs, and some of the designers and main creators of the graphics of “La Ruta” and where we will discover everything about what was playing at that time.
The exhibition ends with two art installations of which we won’t give you spoilers, as well as with a virtual reality experience that works as an emotional end to the trip. If you also want to get excited, you have no other choice but to go to La Ruta: modernity, culture and uncontrolled.
This is the first production of Bombas Gens Centre d’Arts Digitals The center is recognized in Valencia (and in the rest of the state) for offering immersive experiences with cutting-edge technology. The center has worked with a disciplinary and mostly local team and with the collaboration of prominent profiles that lived “La Ruta” in first person: DJs, designers, creatives and nightclub managers, among others.
The curator of the exhibition is Artur Duart, director of the center; the production management has been in charge of Monica Perez Blanquer, director of operations of the center; Jordi Sellas, artistic director of the center, heads the team of Layers of Reality, responsible for the virtual reality content of the exhibition.