The London-based guitarist is very impressed with FAC, a new arts space in a converted factory, offering cutting-edge art, music, dance and cinema
Last February, a friend invited me to FAC, or La Fábrica de Arte Cubano, an old oil factory thats now a thriving arts space in Vedado, one of Havanas residential districts. The eclectic crowd was typical of Cuban arts centres: imagine Londons Ministry of Sound, Shoreditch House, Annabels and the Worlds End in Camden rolled into one. For about £1.50 entry, I spent eight hours meeting people from all over the city. Theres an art and photographic gallery and a dance space, a cinema and a very well-stocked bar. I watched a fashion show and a live concert.
In one night you can catch some of the highest-profile Cuban artists of any discipline mixing it up with younger, talented, counterparts. X Alfonso, the man behind it, is one of Cubas most respected fusion musicians and based the place on similar venues hed seen in Europe, mostly in Germany. He belongs to a very well-connected musical dynasty that has always championed new and daring ideas on the island. I am definitely going back during my next visit in December.
Corner of Calle 26 and Calle 11, Vedado, fabricadeartecubano.com.
