When elephants mix with monster speedboats, and Spiderman poses next to a red faced god, artistic creations can slip in nicely among shops, cafes, and restaurants. This was the setting for paintings and photos to form part of the Cuidado Con La Tierra (take care with the earth) season at the Siam Mall commercial centre in Adeje, Tenerife.
It had been a long time since my last visit, probably for the pre event gathering for the Walk For Life, so it was also an opportunity for a little scout around the two floors of big name, trendy stores and eateries. Four free bus routes converge on the centre, I took the Los Cristianos option and after a few pick up points, I was dropped at the main entrance where Spidey looked ready to sling his web over the collection of large speedboats on display in the car park, next to the main TF1 motorway. On the lower level the coffee bars were doing a brisk pre noon trade and in the shadow of the moving stairway I found the painting exposition from the pupils of Wingate School.
To be precise, the paintings were GCSE exam pieces submitted by 15 and 16 year olds, and all those on show had achieved between level 5 and 8, which translates to A Plus to B. They all showed vibrant use of colours and plenty of imagination. This was the second time in a few days I had got good vibes about Wingate, they sent a choir along to the Remembrance Sunday outdoor service at Costa del Silencio and made a big impression.
Around the other side of the entrance lobby, six pillars displayed photos from the Fototierra (Earth Photo) collection by Tenerife based photographers. These also explored the green theme, with snaps from places like Poris de Abona, and Playa de la Tejita, both have been fighting their own recent battles against threats to their immediate environment. The Cuidado Con La Tierra season runs from 10th to 30th November 2019 and includes several specialist events such as sculpting, and rapid painting.
The dancing fountains continually make their colourful contribution to the Siam Mall experience, and the big outdoor stage on the top floor includes live music, dance, and fashion among its attractions, but hopefully more art exhibitions will follow, the paintings and photos were drawing plenty of interest from the visiting shoppers.