Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
This is the bizarre Nativity scene built in the city centre of Barcelona which cost 97,000 EUR and has been slammed as looking like a recycling point by netizens.
The controversial Nativity scene was built in the well-known square of Sant Jaume, in the city of Barcelona, in the eastern Spanish region of Catalonia and was officially opened on Friday.
It has been slammed by netizens who have compared it to an Amazon warehouse and a recycling point.
It was created by the artist Paula Bosch Bartrina, who was given a budget of 97,000 EUR (82,886 GBP) in July in a public contest to create, build and take down the scene.
It is created with different boxes of different sizes and materials inside. Among the items inside the boxes are items related with Christmas, such as champagne glasses, Christmas sweets and the baby Jesus.
According to the city council, the artwork is about all the full boxes of items and memories that are recovered for Christmas.
The artist said to local newspaper El Periodico: “When I think of the Nativity scene Christmas at my parents’ place comes to my mind. For me, the most important part of building the nativity scene was not setting the table and the other things so the figures could be put out, but all the previous preparation, going to the storage and opening the wardrobe full of boxes”.
Netizens have slammed the scene, such as ‘VMagnacky’ who said: “(Mayor) Colau has installed a recycling point in Plaza Sant Jaume, you can take your old stuff to recycle, ah, no sorry, it is this year’s Nativity scene”.
‘caguirre2000’ added: “This is sh*t”.
‘AlfonsoSitodos’ said: “Amazon promotes the Nativity scene of Barcelona”.
‘ignaciadepano’ commented: “In our Barcelona where everyone does whatever they want and nothing happens we should go down to Plaza Sant Jaume to take down the blasphemous Nativity scene with which Colau insults all Catholics”.
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