Interview with Francesca Tur Serra aka happy

August, 3, 2022. Written by Clara De Nadal Trias

Today I come back with an interview, a really special one in fact. When I discovered the exciting world of Coolhunting and trend research in 2009, I also discovered Francesca Tur Serra. Since then I have never stopped admiring her work and following her closely. (For me) she is pure inspiration and if I could make a wish with each person that crosses my path (how cool it would be to be able to do that), without a doubt mine wish with Francesca would be to not have her too far away so I can always learn from her. 

She defines herself as: "mentor and investor in emerging projects, fan of young talent and of mixing 'gray hair with desire', Ibizan and a happy person". 

Professionally, she is a trend analyst, the creator and director of Tendencias.tv and has been named by Forbes magazine as one of the 40 best futurists in Spain, analyzing the context and the current times from different perspectives: media, creativity and teaching. She collaborates with projects, companies and initiatives in creative strategic advice on futures. She also co-directs the Master's Degree in Creation of Fashion Brands at EsDesign and teaches classes in master's degrees and Postgraduate courses at Escola de la Dona, IED, Blanquera-URL or LCI Barcelona. And she also publishes in different media and was the trends specialist in the TIPS program of RTVE.es

Please tell me a confessable secret…
An open secret about me is... That despite what I may seem from the outside, inside me I carry a little hippy-punk who questions everything, very rebellious, likes like simple things, nature, very connected with life, energies... And that makes me always question things and look for another point of view. 

Professionally, what do you think is your greatest contribution to the city of Barcelona?
Difficult question to answer… Well, more than contributing, I think that one of the great things that Barcelona has is its people and I consider myself part of that cosmopolitan, different people, a mixture of many cultures, religions, etc. 

I guess that my contribution comes from teaching, since I have been teaching for more than 10 years by now, always listening to young people and trying to give them a voice and amplify them as much as possible. My motto is “gray hair with desire” and I think that what I do constantly in Barcelona, ​​or in other places where I live (since I move between different cities) is to try to amplify, collaborate, connect and guide these young people whom are willing to do things.

According to your personal experience... What is the best thing about living in Barcelona? And the most curious thing?
Barcelona has many good things to experience and, obviously, others not so much. Depending on where the sun is, we would see its shadows too... One of which stands out, for me, right now, would be the ability to use a bicycle as transportation to get to Sónar at night, or even to Badalona, ​​to the galleries of Hospitalet, or to hold meetings… I always calculate it and it is difficult to take more than 15 minutes from one place to the other, to go to the University or to see a client. Barcelona it’s very easy to move around and that is one of the things that fascinates me about, ​​compared to other cities. 

And the most curious thing is that precisely when you ride a bike, you discover everything. For instance… The other day, for example, I discovered a small place where some Filipino girls use for dancing. Or a small space where Korean girls find cd’s of their favorite artists, or small corners where skaters meet. So riding a bike in Barcelona is what constantly makes me discover curious things.

What is your favorite neighborhood in Barcelona and your 3 favorite restaurants or bars?
My favorite neighborhood in the city but always keeping an eye on your belongings is the Raval neighborhood. I love getting lost around there!

Favorite restaurants or bars? Well, from Bar Pollo, to the bars that surround the MACBA square, Two Schmucks for cocktails, or the always classic that is on the corner of Joaquim Costa street, Betty Ford. I'm not much of a repeater but more of getting lost and if you see people, well, go in! I also like Koku Kitchen in the Gothic Quarter, or Contraban, which has very fine food and is totally recommendable.

If someone who has never been to Barcelona asks you... what can't I miss, do or not visit?
If someone tells me they are coming to Barcelona… I would definitely tell them to rent a bike and ride from the Sagrada Familia to the beach and from the Poble Sec neighborhood to the Arc de Triomf area. Also to stop and have a beer in the MACBA area and for all the great atmosphere that is around there. And then also visit some of the galleries that we have, above all, super young art that is in the city like Aula 46 (my special recommendation).

What is your favorite plan in the city?
My favorite plan is “to have no plan and not to plan” and let myself get lost without the feeling of “having many things to do” and go with the flow with my friends. Usually when we meet we let the day takes us from one place to another. In the end in Barcelona there are always many markets, meetings points and it is a city that with a couple of Google searches you can find very fun plans. And many time I like to asking people in the street to know what’s going on.

If you didn't live in Barcelona... Where would you live? 
Well, even though I've been in Barcelona for 20 years, I still enjoy it as a tourist, I'm always up and down and I also move around many cities. So if I didn't lived in Barcelona, ​​although I don't think I can say I live 100% in the city either because I share myself between many places at the same time… I think I would live in Ibiza, because it's part of my base camp and my roots (I’ve born there). I also love Berlin but I'm a big fan of Paris as well. I would also love to live in Antwerp, so I am in love with the cities that are close to us. Or even I could happily live in Dakar for a while!

And if Barcelona was a person... Who would it be?
This question is so difficult to answer because it is no esy to summarize, to search for the essences. I believe that life is a matter of details and nuances and cities have many edges. So I would talk about a sum of people from the tenacity and positivism like (Josep) Guardiola, who I think can represent the city well, as a wild and happy point of view. And then a social and ethical side of those people who question what they do and put a head on it and many profiles would come in here. 

To end up... Please mention someone who you think I should do this interview to:
To the girls of All Skinwear, an inclusive Catalan clothing brand. I think that Barcelona is a city where there are many interesting projects and artists that start and develop like them and their brand.

More info about plans and people from Barcelona here

Written and translated by Clara De Nadal Trias