Some Words
Visita Guiada began as a site-specific intervention in Abierto X Obras, Matadero de Madrid.
Elena Alonso created a drawing/route/handrail around the charred space of the refrigeration hall at Matadero de Madrid. Re-opening a series of holes in the ceiling (which were made during the fire to prevent the room from exploding and allow heat to escape) and illuminating from those (false) skylights.
The 142-meter-long handrail was crafted with extreme care by hand from different materials that allowed for a visual, conceptual and tactile experience simultaneously.
The work was traversed by thousands of hands and worn down during the visit, and the piece contains the DNA of thousands of people.
The second movement consists of adapting several sections for an installation at LA PANERA (Lleida) in a former water reservoir.
From this point onwards, the work becomes fragmentary and visual, acquiring a new context and significance.
The third movement consists of selecting sections for private or public use and reworking the support to create something like an archaeological fragment that in a certain way contains and condenses Visita Guiada.
Each fragment stands on its own, but maintains the patina of a thousand hands and the presence of an element whose function is as ambiguous as it is stimulating.