Centre for Contemporary Art and More Wandering

Sunday March 1 started cloudy and ended cloudy, but there were a couple of hours of sun in the early afternoon. A high of 18C.

There is a bridge that crosses the Guadalquivir River near our apartment. We decided to check out the Centro de Creación Contemporánea de Andalucía (Centre for Contemporary Art of Andalucia), known as C3A.

We can see the Roman Bridge from the Miraflores Bridge that we crossed over the River

Looking back on our apartment from the bridge-- the one in the foreground on the left side of the photo

The C3A is an incredible building designed by Nieto Sobejano Architects. It was completed in 2013 and opened to the public in December 2016. There are "echoes of the hispano-Islamic culture of Córdoba" incorporated in the design. There is a Media Wall on one side of the building that is lit with different images from sunset until midnight. We will definitely check it out before we leave town.

Approaching C3A

A number of small exhibits on at the Centre

Getting closer to the building

There were three long term installation pieces done by Yoko Ono. The first one was located at the entrance to the C3A and was entitled Wish Tree for Peace (1996/2017). Visitors can attach papers with wishes to the tree.

The Wish Tree

Alano attaching his wish

More detail from the building

The first exhibit we saw was Guillermo Pérez Villata (Tarifa, Cádiz. 1948): Sign of the West, which was also the name of the first picture in the exhibit. The exhibit encompasses a major part of the works he donated in 2013 to C3A

Sign of the West, 1982--features figures of Christ and Dionysus

Self-portrait in the Morning, 1973--- artist's break with the mainstream modern movement. Used a number of different styles and systems of spatial representation.

Artist Looking at an Art Book, 2008

The Precise Moment, 1991 "Perhaps we are not aware of our own moments of glory."

Easter Eve, 2000- original idea came to the artist on Palm Sunday 1999

The museum space was terrific for showing the art

Life (Descent), 2005--"this work is a product of witnessing the tragic departure of life--- created in memory of his father's after his death."

Air-Fire-Earth-Water, 1999. - wonderful ceramic vases

A display of beautiful jewellery made by the artist between 1989-1997

There was also an exhibit entitled: Processes. Furniture Design Workshop with Juan Cuenca, which showed the products of a furniture design workshop with ten local designers participating. There was a display in a glass case of the sketches, drawings and models as well as the completed furniture.

Completed furniture

There was also a small exhibit entitled: Touching Ground which featured the work of six artists. These were more obscure works.

Álvaro Albalade Jo Sierra (Granada, 1983). Until the sun explodes, 2019

Concha Ybarra (Sevilla, 1957), Light, 2019 and Untitled, 2019--- the rice paper pastels draw from the iconic Mezquita . The ceramics are more tangible.

We then saw a larger exhibit with work from Ana Prada (b. Zamora, 1965) since 1994 entitled: Everything is Other. The work entails the use of everyday objects- cups, golf balls, knives- to make complex geometrical structures. Very interesting pieces.

Ana Prada: Everything is Other (Todo es Otro)

Six White Solids, 2020

Conflict Zone, 2014

Up close photo

Tomate 2019

Culinary Monochrome, turquoise, 2009/2020

Serpentine, 2019

Pink Plaint. XL 1994/2020

Unbelievable Accident, 2019 (golf balls, coffee cups)

There was also a scale model of the C3A.

Scale model of the C3A, 2007

Other side---- an incredible building-- unfortunately we were almost the only visitors on a Sunday afternoon

Elixir of Eternal Life (White), 2018

We also visited Yoko Ono's To See the Sky. Cordoba Version (2015-2017). One could climb to the top, which I did. It then got a bit scary as the piece became very shaky (clearly designed that way).

To See the Sky

At the top-- the structure really did get shaky

We looked into the room called "The Black Cube" which is used for lectures and events--- very nice space.

The Black Cube

There was also an installation entitled: Illuminated Windows, 2005, by MP &MP Rosado (b. San Fernando, Cádiz, 1971). Reflection on identity is one of the essential aspects of the art of the twin Rosado brothers.

There was also an installation by Superflex (Copenhagen, 1993) entitled: Investment Bank Flowerpots/ Barclays/Rhododendron, 2017 and Investment Bank Flowerpots/Morgan Stanley/ Oleander, 2016. These are scale models of two of the corporate headquarters of the world's largest investment banks (there are 18 other models that exist as part of a series). They would normally have plants growing out of the flowerpots, but they weren't there when we saw the installation.

We went into the Video Room where Time Spy by Sun Yun was playing. It was in 3D and animation. Fabulous music too.

Intro to Time Spy

Sun Yun's work

Gorgeous 3D pieces

Looked like a polluting factory

Sweat shop scene

Credit for sound

As we left the C3A, there was a graphic of the building's layout-- exceptional design

We headed back on the bridge-- excellent views of the Mezquita-Catedral.

We decided to head into the Jewish quarter and have some lunch.

Heading into the Jewish quarter

We headed to Las Tapas de Casa Pepe de la Juderia (sister restaurant down the street from where we had lunch a few days ago). We shared tapa portions of salmorejo and mazamorra soups, fried cod, and fried eggplant with honey (Berenjenas con Miel). We also shared a piece of sheep cheese cake for dessert.

Outside of restaurant

Inside

Alano with the two soups

With very light friend cod and eggplant with honey/molasses

Alano with sheep cheese cake

After some more wandering we decided to walk across the Roman Bridge, which starts at the Puerto del Puente ( Bridge Gate). It was completed in the days of Phillip II. The present triumphal arch is the work of Hermán Ruiz III who took over the project in 1571 and replaced what was first a Roman gate mentioned at the time of Julius Cesar and later a Moorish gate. The project was unfinished. In 1912, the area in which the Gate was located was stripped of its walls and rebuilt in 1928 as a memorial gate.

Puerto del Puente

Half way across the bridge

At the other side of the bridge was the Torre de la Calahorra, which houses the Museo Vivo de Al-Andalus. We had visited this museum in 2015, so took a pass. We walked around the Torre and then headed back across the bridge.

Other side of the bridge- Torre de la Calahorra

Back side of the Torre de la Calahorra

After we crossed back on the bridge to the main part of the city, we passed another piece of street art. It was entitled: Cambio climático y movilidad urbana (Climate Change and Urban Mobility). The bar code related to warming from the beginning of the 20th century to 2018.

Adjoining colour code of climate change ending with 2018

We then headed up to Plaza Corredera to see what was happening. It turned out there were still some Carnaval celebrations. Lots of folks in costumes and many were dancing to a DJ playing pop tunes. A bit chaotic, clearly Carnaval was winding down.