This Spanish Artist Built Himself a Secret Studio Under a Freeway
It allows him to work in solitude as cars zoom overhead.
Fernando Abellanas, a plumber and designer based in Valencia, Spain, has created a secret study under a freeway bridge.
The project, whose exact location is not public, is meant to evoke the contradictions of city living. In his studio, Abellanas is at once intimately connected to the thousands of people driving across the bridge above him and also completely alone.
Abellanas has long possessed an artistic streak. As a kid, his love for painting morphed into a fascination with furniture design. Since the age of 23, he has worked as a plumber, but the creativity still burns: he has catapulted himself into numerous do-it-yourself projects, including the specially designed studio.
The studio is sparse: only a desk, a chair, a lamp, a blanket, and a shelf lined with photos are visible. In the video, Abellanas reads a book as a train goes by.
Nestled into the underside of the bridge, the floor of the study moves via hand-crank, transporting Abellanas from one end of the bridge to another. Memories of childhood crawl spaces—like hiding under the kitchen table—inspired the design.
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