Day 2, MCMP Conference - Valencia

The # 41 bus doesn't appear to be running so I have to take a taxi to the University again. First two presentations are very technical but after that we get into more poster presentations, including mine and Veronica's. The conservators are a different breed from the creators of contemporary murals, and their approach is quite clinical and set out according to a code of ethics that is sometimes at odds with the current practice of mural making. This makes for a lively debate during the final panel discussion. It gets quite heated when it comes to the role of the artist in the practice of restoration. At the conclusion, Will Shank, pronounces it a success and was pleased to hear this kind of discussion taking place. A final round of group photos and we roll up our posters and say our farewells. Its a long walk before Veronica and I can find a bus back to the centre - its Saturday, no classes at the University so I guess the busses skip that part of town.
After a good lunch, we say adios to Veronica for now, but will be visiting her in Vitoria on our motorcycle tour.

Peter has had a chance to see the market, which I missed because it closes at 2:30.

On our ramblings around the old city in the afternoon, we take a tour of the Ceramic Museum and stumble upon an Octoberfest  Beer Garden set up in the bull ring - which is located right beside the rather lovely old train station.

Valencia is a lovely walkable city so we continue walking, down to the popular route of the Rio Truria where there are people busy with all kinds of activities; cycling, jogging, playing, lazing, people watching.

Eventually we find ourselves at the City of Arts and Sciences which Peter has seen a couple of times already, but he is pleased to show me the structures designed by the renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. I am really gald I didn't miss this. Its all a little outlandish and very grand. There is apparently a lot of controversy about the amount of funding and where and how it was spent. But that's local politics and we're just here to admire and take lots more pictures.

Valencia - Work & Play

MAY 4 - Friday

For me, the holiday doesn’t start yet. I have to remember the excuse for this trip is actually work – the Modern and Contemporary Mural Paintings Conference.  As a poster author and member of the closing panel, I have to keep my work-brain engaged. The Universidad Politecnica de Valencia is not walkable from the hotel, so we take a taxi to get there on time to hang my poster. Peter comes along to help me before setting off on a day of exploration of the Santiago Calatrava masterpiece, the City of Arts and Sciences.

The conference sessions are dense with highly technical presentations by conservators and scholars; only one artist on the agenda. Ignasi, tells a fascinating story about his painting on the 1.5 km reconstructed Berlin Wall. Many of the sessions are in Spanish, but the simultaneous translation is excellent. I hook up with Veronica Werkmeister from Vitoria, Spain whom I met when she attended Mural Routes symposium in Toronto last year. She is a godsend when it comes to lunch time and we are set loose to fend for ourselves on the campus. She quickly explains the system of full course lunches for a set price - called Menu. Excellent value and a traditional way for the locals to eat. We lunch at a student cafeteria where 4.5 euros gets you three courses and a drink (not coke – that costs an extra 50 cents.)

Together we find our way back to the hotel on the #41 bus and later after we meet up with Peter and stop for a beer at a sidewalk bar before heading through the main square where the buildings are glowing with golden light. We join a large group from the conference for a meal of typical Valencia tapas.

Peter's gives us a review of his exploration of the City of Arts and Sciences. He is enthusiastic about the architecture, but the museum and some of the interiors are not so grand. The setting beside the Truria Park is magnificent. He has taken so many stunning photos it is hard to choose just a few to show.