The third episode of La culturra focuses on the meaning of home beyond the existence of a roof and four walls. The conversation approaches housing from cultural, social and architectural perspectives at a time when access to decent housing has become one of the major problems of the present.
Journalist Sergio C. Fanjul, from EL PAÍS’s Culture section and author of La España Invisible, discusses the relationship between homes and cities, the loss of shared spaces and urban models that encourage individualism. Journalist María Arranz, from the newspaper’s Gastro section and author of El delantal y la maza. Feminismos desde la cocina, examines how domestic spaces have changed and what it would mean to imagine homes without kitchens.
Architectural journalist Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, author of Todo sobre la casa, contributes a historical perspective on architecture and the evolution of housing. The episode also considers how film and literature have helped create idealised images of homes that can be far removed from the economic reality of the people who live in them.
Ángela Nahum, a set decorator who has worked on films and series including La sociedad de la nieve, Mientras dure la guerra and El búnker, explains how a home’s identity is constructed on screen and how collective imagery influences perceptions of past and present households.
From cinematic homes and shared flats to community kitchens and windows overlooking trees, the episode asks what people really need to live and why housing is more than a real-estate asset.
La culturra is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iVoox and Amazon Music. Listener complaints, questions and suggestions can be sent to defensora@elpais.es or by audio message to +34 649362138; the number does not accept calls.
Sources: El País Cultura.