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Credits
Van Laun, Henri, 1820-1896 · Public domain
Point 3 of 60 of 6 completed
4,000 PRIVATE MOMENTS BECOME ONE PUBLIC KISS
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41.3851, 2.1748
On arrival
Enter Plaça d'Isidre Nonell and first view the mural from far enough away for the kiss to resolve as a single image.
Look closer
Walk closer until the kiss dissolves into individual photographic tiles; compare what the work says at ten metres with what it says at one metre.
Romance becomes a mosaic: one giant gesture assembled from thousands of lives that refuse to become one story.
At Plaça d'Isidre Nonell, step back before moving closer. Joan Fontcuberta and Ceràmica Cumella made El món neix en cada besada from more than 4,000 photographs contributed by citizens and described as moments of freedom. From a distance the mosaic resolves into a kiss. Close up, that single romantic image breaks apart into thousands of unrelated personal fragments. Streetours should resist the temptation to call every photograph a love story; the source does not say that. The more interesting, supportable reading is visual: a collective public symbol is literally constructed from private images that keep their individuality when you approach the wall.
Accessibility at this stop
Public square and exterior wall. Surface, crowding and unobstructed viewing positions should be checked in person before stronger accessibility claims are made.
These notes describe known conditions at this stop. Urban conditions can change, so assess the situation on site.
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3. 4,000 PRIVATE MOMENTS BECOME ONE PUBLIC KISS
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