Introducing… Cecilia

Last week I caught up with the lovely Cecilia Dupont, manager of Art Factory, in order to introduce her to you, our lovelyguests and readers. You will undoubtedly have seen her at reception, around the hostel, at breakfast, at the weekly asados, a ubiquitous presence always chatting and laughing with the guests, while staying on top of the often hectic business of running a hostel.

Leo: So, to start things off, how long have you worked at Art Factory?

Cecilia: I started at, um, I think the end of March 2008, so almost two years with a three month gap in London, but even then I was in touch all the time.

L: And can you sum up for us what you think Art Factory is all about:

C: Right now I think we are mixing. We have three areas: we have the hostel, the bar and the staff and what I’m trying to do is to make all three of these one. Because at the beginning the bar was aimed for people who weren’t from the hostel. And now we’re presenting it for the guests. We’re not interested in presenting something which isn’t for the guests, because what’s the point of having a bar in the hostel if the guests don’t feel comfortable coming? And also the staff working the morning shift didn’t necessarily know what was going on at night, so couldn’t communicate very well

L: So you’re trying to make it more cohesive?

C: Yes, exactly, in Spanish we say: tomando forma [taking form]. It’s really nice, when I started there were just 15 private rooms for thirty people on one floor and now we have space for sixty-four. That’s five dorms (twenty-four people) and a total of nineteen private rooms on two floors. We keep growing and now we are settling down and it’s like, OK, this is what we have and now we have to work with this.

L: So now you’re trying to work out what to do, with events, how to present the art, how to, um, cement an identity for Art Factory?

C: Yeah. When we first opened the bar, there was the bar, but there weren’t enough chairs and everything was all over the place but now, everything’s in place and it’s just beginning, it’s really exciting.

I’ve been travelling quite a lot, mostly in Europe, and I’ve stayed in a lot of good hostels and a lot of bad hostels. And here, what I want is for everyone who stays here to have a good experience: older guests, teenagers, everyone. My idea is to make this hostel a space for relaxing and having fun, and not restricting itself to one group of people like a party hostel.

L: Great! I’ve travelled a lot too, and for me that sounds like the perfect mix: an eclectic hostel with something for everyone.

C: Exactly. It’s funny because my work has changed so much since I started here. I started on reception, doing the afternoon shifts, it was so small and sometimes we just opened for the afternoon and had only three rooms full, and now we have this little monster that we all love so much. I think we’re learning a lot and it’s a great experience.

L: So tell us a little bit more about yourself. You’re the manager of the hostel and bar, right?

C: Yes, I run Art Factory and I have all of the staff helping me do it. And of course the owners, Manu and Javi, are here most of the time because it’s a really big place and they’re very much involved in everything that goes on.

L: And you’re an actress, Tulum’s an actress, Pato’s an acrobat… would you say that you have staff involved in the arts because of the ethos of Art Factory?

C: Yeah, from reception I have a clown, a musician, a dancer, an actress, a tattoo artist. We have a history student that does the walking tours, so yeah, we all do things to do with art, and we all get on really well.

L: Tell me what you love about Art Factory.

C: I love being here, I love talking to guests, that’s the part I enjoy the most, when I get to sit down and have breakfast with the guests and talk to them, or when we have the barbeque when there’re 20 people sitting eating here, that’s what I love the most, when they can tell me about the hostel, give me feedback. That’s what I love, but sometimes I get really, you know, like “uh, that has to be me, I have to travel as well, I want to be talking to the manager and telling them I like this, I like that”. I’m so desperate to travel again.

L: So you’re jealous?

C: Yeah! But I’m like, OK, relax, next year, next year!

L: And tell me something you don’t like about your job.

But one thing I don’t like about the job is that sometimes you meet people like Julien or Abel, and they’re here for more than a month and they become your friends and then they go home…

L: Yeah, everyone always leaves, I’m learning that at the moment.

C: Yeah, and it’s like, no way, it’s not fair, so you try not to get involved with some people. Like when I said goodbye to Julien, I was like “no, I can’t do this”, so it’s really difficult sometimes.

L: And you’re porteña, right? From Capital Federal. And you’ve lived here for your entire life, aside from travelling?

C: Yes, I’m porteña, and I lived in London for 3 years.

L: Ah yes, hence your London-ish accent when you speak English!

C: Yeah, mixed with American, Italian, French—you’re exposed to so many different accents and language here that sometimes I feel like I’m about to explode!

L: And finally tell us a little bit about your acting.

C: Well, right now I’m rehearsing a play and I’ll be doing some performances here all of which I’m really excited about.