Miguel Martínez Perallón Terra Project. Plan for the recovery and enhancement of the Cultural Landscape of Camp d'Alacant.

The Comarca of L'Alacantí has become a paradigm of territories with valuable patrimonial and landscape resources threatened by an unstoppable urban development pressure and the abandonment of a large part of these assets. The Huerta of Alicante constituted for centuries a true system of systems through which Alicante achieved worldwide fame and prestige. In a context in which most heritage preservation policies and citizen participation for urban planning models have failed, the Terra Project emerges, promoted by the NGO Arquitectura Sin Fronteras and the College of Architects. Terra is an education program for global citizenship that brings together around thirty citizen associations and interested individuals, along with key institutions in resolving this serious conflict.

In recent days, Alicante media outlets are echoing the Wines of Alicante DOP campaign, in which a new image is adopted based on the creation of the "Junta d´Inhibició del Ví foraster d'Alacant", a privilege granted by Ferdinand the Catholic in 1510 in Valladolid. The campaign has been made possible thanks to the work carried out by researchers from the MARQ and the University of Alicante, and they demonstrate that this organism would constitute one of the oldest Designations of Origin in the world.

The results of this study, well celebrated by Alicante society, contrast sharply with the state of ruin in which the cultural landscape that gave rise to the production of those colossal wines is found.

In a semi-arid environment such as that of the comarca of L'Alacantí, the miracle of the ancient huerta was possible thanks to the creation of a network of hydraulic infrastructure formed by weirs, such as those of Sant Joan and Mutxamel, irrigation channels, lateral channels and secondary channels, along with the Tibi Dam, which came into operation in 1594 under the reign of Philip II, for centuries considered the largest dam in the known world. Most of these elements still exist today, although they present a very poor state of conservation in many cases. In addition to these patrimonial resources, the territory of the Ancient Huerta has a high concentration of Assets of Cultural Interest, 28 towers; currently 25 refuge towers and 3 watchtowers are preserved, and it is known that around 40 towers existed throughout the huerta. All of them are merely the tip of the iceberg of a patrimonial network of more than 200 assets, including houses and villas of the Huerta, religious architecture, wineries, mills, historic centers and traditional paths that constitute a unique ensemble of great beauty and incalculable value. Unfortunately, this valuable system is on the brink of extinction as a result of high urban development pressure and the abandonment of a large part of these assets.

Faced with this situation, the NGO Arquitectura Sin Fronteras España, ASFE, the Official College of Architects of the Valencian Community, COACV, together with the Territorial College of Architects of Alicante, CTAA, through the education program for global citizenship "TERRA, THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF CAMP D'ALACANT. Structuring a sustainable comarca". The initiative brings together around thirty Alicante associations that work for the recovery of a narrative that gives new meaning to the territory of the Ancient Huerta, with the objective of promoting the recovery of this important patrimonial and landscape ensemble. Furthermore, the Terra Project has the support of the City Councils of Alicante, Mutxamel, Sant Joan d' Alicante, El Campello, Tibi, the Provincial Council of Alicante and the Marc.

ALICANTE CITY: DYNAMIC? Joaquín Alvado Bañón.

"What are we talking about when we talk about Architecture?" I propose a reflection on this question by questioning whether Alicante is prepared for the future as a resilient city. To do so, we invite you on a journey through the proposals presented by the studio in Antwerp, Osaka, Quito and Helsinki, passing through the "City Model", which we have just built in Benidorm. Finally, to conclude and debate, we will present the proposals submitted in recent years to transform Alicante into an "Urban Coastal Forest".

Joaquín Alvado Bañón. Doctor of Architecture. Associate Professor of Architectural Projects at the University of Alicante. He has presented his work as a visiting professor at the Universities of Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Baku, Munich, Dubai, Sydney, Tokyo, Istanbul and Venice. His projects have received various national and international awards in architecture competitions. His work has been published in twelve languages. He collaborated with architect Toyo Ito and his "K" house was selected in the X Spanish Architecture Biennial. His latest works have been nominated for the A+A Awards (Garden House), F.I.B. Outstanding Structures Prize 2014 (Kiss Bridge), Best House, Archdaily 2013 (Pool House), best landscape and public space work, Plataforma Arquitectura 2015 (Promenade 1K). In 2016 he was invited to present his work at the XV International Architecture Exhibition La Bienal di Venezia 2016 (Time, Space and Existence). Architect of the Mediterranean Avenue and the EDUSI of Benidorm.

Coordinated by: Santiago Varela

In collaboration with: Territorial College of Architects

MACA is carrying out Palabras Mayores. A mediation project aimed at older adults, which was born in 2021 from the hand of the Consortium of Museums of the Valencian Community, and which since 2022 has had the mediation of Juan Diego Cerdá who accompanies the Group in these meetings.

The Group meets two Wednesdays a month in the MACA library to create a space for exchange and learning, where the knowledge of the Group intersects with the contents of the Museum's Collections.

As a result of these sessions, the Group proposes a series of meetings at MACA, titled Encounters with Local Creators, which aim to showcase different Alicante creators, deepen and expand knowledge about contemporary art and learn to view the collections housed in MACA from another perspective.

Encounters with Local Creators is materialized through a series of sessions in which an artist is invited to present their artistic trajectory, sharing their artistic concerns and reflections, the development of their creative process, their techniques, etc.

These talks will last 45 minutes in which the invited artist will give a presentation of about 15 minutes, answering questions posed by the Group: How do you do it? Why do you do it?, and a subsequent discussion, of about 30 minutes, with the attendees.

See you at the museum!

Palabras Mayores arrives at MACA to go beyond the apparent. Because museums are places to discover and learn, but also spaces designed for citizens to experience and reinvent.

This is a mediation project aimed at people over 60 years old who want, first of all, to learn about and reflect on contemporary art, the function of museums, and the vision of both established and emerging creators. On the other hand, the participating individuals will establish synergies with the collections existing in the museum, developing their own narrative based on what they find in the galleries through guided visits, open debates, artistic creation activities, and social and cultural empowerment dynamics.

The main objective is to transform the museum into a laboratory for cultural and artistic experimentation in which participants will contribute their vision and experience to the contents present in the museum, while carrying out an activity that provides them with new knowledge.

This is an encounter in which the dialogue between the visitor and the museum takes place through contemporary art and the MACA collections, with the mediation of an educator who will act as a link between both.

Technical Information

Spaces: 15 people maximum (closed group)
Mediation: Juan Diego Cerdá, historian and social facilitator.

Rubén Bodewig and Alejandro Soriano. Architects at ESCALAR "Actions along the coast: La Británica, Parque del Mar and Explanada".

At ESCALAR we work with absolute commitment to the quality of our projects, which leads us to develop solutions in which sustainability, design, economy, technique and quality complement and balance each other in all aspects of our projects.

Our office operates from the Mediterranean coast of Spain, offering innovative solutions to global architectural needs. We are a young team of professionals with experience and capacity to develop projects in architecture, landscape, urbanism, infrastructure and design, as well as consulting and project advisory services.

Our professional trajectory has opened doors for us to develop projects of all scales, in which we have offered our vision and commitment to contemporary architecture in interventions of all scales: from landscape, infrastructure and urbanism, to small works of furniture, lighting and parametric design, including buildings, public facilities, rehabilitations, housing, ephemeral and commercial architecture.

We are committed to offering the best of technique and tradition in all aspects of our work, from rehabilitation to modular architecture and prefabrication, bringing great precision to our projects in all phases, from conception to completion of construction, which generates an optimization of economy and materials, improving performance and work times, and guaranteeing an efficient result for the client while reducing the ecological footprint of construction.

We work to personalize and conceive unique and singular projects for each client, because we know that each person lives and perceives spaces in a unique and unrepeatable way, generating new questions, which we want our projects to answer.

Coordinated by Santiago Varela and in collaboration with the Territorial College of Architects

In the workshop we will explore Asawa's sculptures, the wire weaving technique, drawing in the air, expanded drawing and the observation of nature as a source of inspiration.

Ruth Asawa (1926 -2013) was an American sculptor of Japanese origin and a devoted activist who tirelessly advocated for art education. Recognized worldwide for her biomorphic hanging sculptures, woven with steel cable, Asawa found in this artisanal technique what she was looking for: expanded drawing produced with three-dimensional materials. Another part of her sculptural work is inspired by the tradition of Japanese origami and paper work, and she also has works of a more linear character, more inspired by her drawings and with tree-like forms.

Coordinated by: Va de cuentos and María Maraña

Květa Pacovská (Prague, July 28, 1928) is a Czech painter, sculptor, and illustrator. She studied and graduated in Applied Arts. She was a professor in Berlin, and as she herself has said, she began her career in illustration by trying to share an activity with her children, in an attempt to share something creative.

Although she is distinguished as an illustrator, after the 1990s Květa has also developed a career in sculpture and painting with numerous exhibitions in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan, with shows at the Pompidou Center in Paris and at the Museum of Applied Arts in Frankfurt, among others. Both in her pictorial work and in her children's illustrations, one can see the influences of constructivism and the play and color that evoke Paul Klee and Vasily Kandinsky. Hers is a very sensitive constructivism, and in her designs the influence of the Bauhaus School is evident. Coordination: Va de cuentos and María Maraña

Yves Klein always thought about how to surprise his audience, and one day he hit the mark, he would paint everything in a special, unique blue. The rest is history. Here, as in his previous books, Fausto Gilberti tells us his vital and artistic journey with humor and intelligence.

On March 9, 1960, Yves Klein performed his performance, Anthropometries of the Blue Period at the Galerie Internationale d'Art Contemporain in Paris. The work consisted of the creation of two large-format anthropomorphic paintings conducted by Klein. His production consisted of the application of paint made with the IKB pigment, a dark navy blue manufactured and patented by the artist, on the torso and thighs of the bodies of naked women, who once covered in paint, pressed their bodies against large sheets of white paper. The result was a monochromatic and abstract impression of those female bodies in real scale.

"Activated Architectures. The Space of Relationship". Sara de Giles (MGM, Morales de Giles Architects).

MGM Morales de Giles Architects is an internationally recognized architecture studio led by José Morales and Sara de Giles.

José Morales and Juan González Mariscal founded the architecture studio in 1987. In 1998, Sara de Giles Dubois joined as a new partner. Since 2004, the studio has been consolidated under the name MGM Morales de Giles Architects SLP.

José Morales and Sara de Giles have been visiting professors at several universities including the International University of Catalonia, Barcelona (Spain), École Supérieure Nationale d'Architecture Paris Val de Seine (France), University of Navarra ETSA in Pamplona (Spain), University of Applied Sciences Hochschule in Bochum (Germany) and Washington University in Saint Louis (USA).

The teaching experience of José Morales and Sara de Giles is reflected in their deep interest in typological and formal research, as well as in their constant exploration of new architectural, urban and landscape scenarios.

The work of MGM Architects reflects a careful study of their entire development process, both in technical projects and in the execution of works; recognized by various public and private institutions that highlighted the quality of these works through numerous national and international awards.

Some of the most important awards for their completed works include: the prestigious Spanish Architecture Award in 2013, the International Spanish Architecture Award in 2017, the Award from the Higher Council of Architects of Spain in 2003, 2016 and 2019. Additionally, they were finalists for the Mies Van der Rohe Award in 2001 and 2009. Other recognitions include the First Prize from the Order of Architects of Cádiz in 2008, the First Prize NAN in 2012 and 2017, the First Prize of the AIT International Awards in the "Housing" category and the First Prize of the AIT International Awards in the "Health" category in 2014. They were also awarded at the Spanish Architecture Biennial in 2016 and 2019, the X Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism in 2006 and the Bigmat International Architecture Award in 2017 and 2019. Other recognitions include the First Prize COAS in 2006, 2010 and 2019, as well as the FAD International Award in 2024.

The MACA celebrated for the first time on April 20, 2012, International Book Day (April 23) with a BookCrossing.

BookCrossing is the practice of leaving books in public places so that another person can pick them up, read them, and do the same with them. Thus, a book that we have left in Alicante can end up in any other part of Spain or abroad.

The museum released a total of 10 books. These are registered on the official bookcrossing page (www.bookcrossing.com) which each person who finds a book and picks it up will have to access, so that at all times each of the released books is located.

It is a fun and original way to promote reading among all types of audiences.

Happy Book Day!