Whether you call him Santa Claus or Papa Noel, the big jolly chap in the red suit is everywhere but there are more traditional figures to look out for as my pre Christmas tour of La Laguna and Santa Cruz revealed.
I’m not the most religious person and should be almost grown up by now but I still enjoy all the build up to the festive season. The enchanted faces and tuneful singing of a school party at Casa de Las Capitanes in La Laguna made a great first stop in my annual tour of the nativity based belens. It was rock solid old school in the central courtyard of the old building with the wise men, Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus joined by a few assorted farm animals. There were even more gasps of delight as the party moved into the display hall to walk around a large model depicting all the elements of the Christmas tale.
Up at the top end of town there was a display of art and relics at the Instituto de Canarias which fitted in nicely with the religious mood. Herencia unites paintings, statues, and artifacts from the long gone Iglesias de Los Remedios. Most of the items were from the 1,500 and 1,600’s including a striking wooden sculpture of Our Lady of the Remedios and an imposing study of San Miguel Arcangel about to smite the devil with his sword. This free exhibition goes on until 1 March 2015 with opening from Tuesday to Friday 11 to 2 and 5 to 8pm and just the early session on Saturdays and Sundays.
Not a bad haul for the first leg of my visit, the tram soon had me down in Santa Cruz with the Cabildo (Tenerife government) building on my list. This was the 26th year of their belen and as always it was a tasteful mix of the Christmas story with very detailed models of basic farming life in biblical times. A collection for charity is the price of admission, this year it is for UNICEF to help children. Basic opening hours are 9 to 3 and 4 to 9.30 pm, the exceptions are for 24 & 31 December when it’s just 9 to 3, and 25 December, and 1 & 6 January when it’s 4 to 9.30 pm.
A quick snack and some holy water (Dorada in my case) and I was back on the case just off Calle Castillo in the Caja Canarias bank HQ near Plaza del Principe. This is another regular stop and had been given a bit of a new look this season. Instead of being around the walls the scenes were grouped together in a central block depicting the shepherds in the hills, village life with moving models, and thee long trek of the three kings. What makes it special is the stream that trickles through the landscape and the lighting that dims and brightens to recreate the cycle of the day every few minutes. If you want to be captivated pop in until 5 January from 11.30 to 1.30 pm, and 5 to 8.30 pm, on Sundays 10 to 1.30 pm but closed on public holidays. On the way out I found some local mature musicians playing timple and belting out some cheery yuletide folk songs.
Just when I thought it was a wrap I found a new and unexpected late call, this time in the CC Tres de Mayo shopping centre just up from the bus station. Hiperdino supermarket have provided this one and it has a strong Canarian theme with several Tenerife landmarks on the skyline. A nice antidote to the commercial attractions of the centre and a pleasing sign off for my trip.
Bubbling up nicely, that’s the Tenerife run in to the festive season, and on Saturday night it was all sweetness and light in Los Cristianos. Inflatable Santa’s were swaying in the breeze, small versions of the Three Kings were scaling walls and window ledges, and music wafted through the air.
My first call was the church for the Scandinavian service of Santa Lucia, there’s a strong Scandinavian community in Los Cristianos as the tourism boom was started over 50 years ago by elderly and ill Scandinavians coming over for the healthy properties of our climate. Santa Lucia marks the longest night of the year in Scandinavia and the gleaming white costumes and candles of the choir make it a beautiful sight to see. The church was packed to overflowing and the singing was angelic, even to this little devil.
Feeling uplifted I moved onto the large marquee at the old beach side of the tunnel, it’s the venue for weekend events through thee festive season and this time it was health, beauty, and fashion. One half was stalls from Arona based shops and the other half was a stage and catwalk for models to strut their stuff, I was drawn like a moth to a flame. All the clothes on display were from business’s in Arona and the intention was to promote sales.
The young amateur models were very good, it must have been quite nerve wracking to be watched by a decent sized crowd but they showed poise and elegance. Unfortunately most of the audience were “mature” and the clothes were aimed at a younger market, I couldn’t really imagine most of the crowd popping down the supermarket or to church in the glamorous outfits being twirled. The music too was very much modern pop stuff – not really my cup of tea, but then I am an old fogey.
It was a good show, better publicity may have attracted a wider mix of audience, including those looking to spend a bit of money. So that left me with a bit of a thirst and the night still fairly young, a few bars on the way home and I was ready to catwalk up the hill in my designer trainers, jeans, and non football shirt – well someone must have designed them.
Hold the sprouts, I’m not quite ready yet but I could be tempted by sweet treats – especially if they are free. Arona Ayuntamiento (council) has arranged a bulging programme of attractions for Christmas and the arrival of a large marquee in Los Cristianos got my taste buds dancing in anticipation.
Saturday evening was the Fiesta of the Chefs White Hat and when I arrived just after the 7pm opening there was a steady tide of visitors making their way into the marquee. It was split into two halves, on one side the wine was flowing, all produced from local bodegas, being a beer man I just had a small sip of red. On the other side the tables were groaning under the weight of 100 metres of hojaldre, a pastry delight filled with gofio and banana cream. The massive pastry had been cut into 2,000 small blocks and many were cruising past for a second time to take a slice.
The pastry was delicious and the filling oozed out of the sides as I bit into one, and then several others. The tasty spread was made and presented by ACYRE Canarias, the association of cooks and bakers, and I noticed top chef Juan Carlos Clemente playing a leading role. The last time I saw Juan Carlos he was up to his gills in tuna at a show cooking event in Los Abrigos, my tummy purred with joy at the memory of the fishy samples.
The evening outside was a little cool but we were all warm as toast under the bustling canvas. It was a nice mix of older locals and curious tourists, many of them were wearing the tribute tall white hats that were being handed out. Apart from stoking up festive cheer, the idea was to promote local food and drink and it did a good job of that. The next night it was the turn of Tastes of Arona, I was only able to make the last knockings of this after heading back from Santa Cruz. CD Tenerife had win so I was in a jolly Dorada fuelled mood and the sight of the delicately crafted cakes and biscuits added a glow to my night.
Most of the stalls were getting ready to pack away, I loitered by a large display of Trucos, small pasties containing spicy meat. Canarian music had been performed earlier on a small outside stage and several people told me how much they enjoyed it. The last of the trucos were being handed out to grateful visitors so I took a bundle for a late supper, so much better than the stale, rock hard pies that haunted my old football days back home.
New venue, new artists, and new creations from the artistic cream of the Canary Islands, no wonder I was drawn to the third exhibition from the Ten-Diez Movement. The new setting was FIT Canarias (Factoria de Innovacion Turistica) in El Galeon, just below Adeje town. Descending the spiral stairs in this bright new venue I was greeted by a nice mix of artists (33 are displaying) and enthusiasts enjoying 200 contributions.
My previous visit had been for a press conference but this time the smaller annex room was my starting point for a browse, Carlos Ortega’s montage of images (above) jumped out at me with their vivid, bold colours and Raul Ortega’s panoramic black and white interpretations of Tenerife’s volcanic glory also made a strong impression. Al mediums of art are embraced by Ten-Diez and I knew from their previous shows that the quality would be high.
All the artists have a presence in the Canary Islands but come from diverse backgrounds, Sergio Diaz from Madrid is a man who likes to travel and his photographic captures from his journeys caught my eye in the main hall. It was a nice surprise to see Tania Coello Vega with her nature inspired paintings, you may well have already appreciated her appetite for natural wonders. Tania designed the sea life murals that now adorn the harbour wall in Los Cristianos, a year long project recently completed by students of the art faculty at La Laguna University.
Mark Fradley is the founder and driving force of Ten-Diez, I grabbed a few words with him as he organized the launch evening. “ We have been planning this since last years event and feel that although the change of venue means less exhibits we have a wider scope. Around half of our exhibitors are new to Ten-Diez and we have artists with no previous exhibition exposure as well as those with more history. Adeje Ayuntamiento (council) have backed us since our first event three years ago and we are grateful to a wide spread of sponsors and collaborators. The culture department of Adeje Ayuntamiento are judging the competition for best exhibit and runner up in the exhibition, and we have a photographic contest with a sporting theme for the GoPro FIT Canarias No Limits prize.”
Back in the main body of the hall there was a constant stream of works to admire from portraits to abstract impressions, some in traditional acrylics and others like Tina Cubeddu’s studies made from shells and small stones. Photographic offerings make use of black and white, and colour, like the range of faces from Mikol Olivares. All the art at Ten-Diez is for sale, the choice of sizes and prices will make it easy for visitors to pick up something unique and special for the Christmas shopping list. Doors are open from Monday 1st December to Friday 5th, from 9 to 4.30 pm Monday to Thursday and 9 to 10 pm on Friday. It’s easy to find and on the Titsa bus route, take the left turn at the roundabout as you head up into Adeje town, it’s part of the CDTCA complex (above). To find out more about Ten-Diez during and after the exhibition just click on the this link.
Casting my far from expert eye over artistic offerings is usually a Santa Cruz calling so it was nice to hear of a new exhibition in Callao Salvaje, a timely opportunity to see if the west coast had escaped the rain that battered the east.
After following the long drawn out rebirth of Playa Ajabo beach I had only been back once since it opened in May 2012. What a pleasure to see sun beds all laid out and no after effects of the lesser rain the previous week brought to this side of the island. One of the keys to funding the running of the beach was the two tier food bar at the back of the sand. Now fully open it looks terrific, a snack bar below and a large terraced restaurant above and they looked well used. I noticed the snack bar prices were very cheap, baguettes 2.90 or burger and chips 1.75, with no nearby competition I might have expected much dearer. The Sansibar Ajabo Restaurante looked well set out with a big BBQ area, I will have to try the food next trip up.
My main mission though was to check out the Tendencias Realistas exhibition at the former Policlinica in Perla Blanca. Eight artists in a spacious series of old consulting rooms on the edge of the rocky coast, there was plenty to appreciate for blog.tenerife.co.uk but I saved some of the more saucey ones for here. Ceramics, black and white photos, portraits, and surreal flights of fancy, plenty for all tastes and prices. It’s open Thursday to Sunday from 2 to 7pm until 26 January or you can see more at www.artistatenerife.com
Back out in the sun I headed around the beach and up over the low cliff top path to Playa Paraiso. It’s a short walk with a shallow barranco to scrabble down and up, no problem for a young gazelle like me, well more of an old goat. The sea was calm and as the path gave way to the smoother promenade I couldn’t see any trace of the previous weeks heavy rain, Playa Las Galgas had a good sprinkling of people and the big hotels had plenty worshipping the fading sun as cloud rolled over. With all this new development it’s a pity to see the Roca Mar commercial centre still abandoned so soon after its creation.
For me it was a Titsa bus to Playa de La Arena and another coastal walk through Puerto Santiago, over Crab Island to Los Gigantes to meet my holidaying friends in The Bamboo. I kept an eye out for interesting Christmas decorations but they were scarce, where are all the mini Santas climbing up walls and balconies this year? Maybe they have been arrested for suspected breaking and entering, I’m sure I will find some more ho ho ho in the weeks ahead.
Culture in the south of Tenerife, now there’s one in the eye for all the cynics who can’t see beyond sun, sea, and sand. The seed sown by the Ten-Diez art movement two years ago is growing nicely and their latest gallery has just opened with a dozen exhibitors at Las Americas Magma Artes & Congresos, itself a bold merger of culture and commercialism.
Mark Fradley (top pic) is the driving force behind Ten-Diez and he explained the dream, the reality, and the ambitious future. “I was into photography as a teenager but work as an electrician and adult practicalities took over until I moved to Tenerife. That’s when inspired by the sea I took up my camera again but was frustrated by the lack of exhibition areas in the south to give a platform to myself and other artists.”
Mark wanted his exhibitions to show off the best face of art so he took the name from another type of craftsmen. “ Ten-Diez refers to the time 10.10 that clock and watch makers set their time pieces to so they showed the best possible view of their work.”
Magma plays a key role in the Ten-Diez movement and with a sweep of his hand Mark gave me a sneak preview of their biggest canvas “The Event” which will fill one of the large display areas on the first floor from 25 October to 2 November. “We will have 55 artists, local, national and international, and it will include photography, painting, and sculpture. This is a very versatile venue so we will make the most of it inside and out, a display of classic cars will set it off nicely.”
Back downstairs a new dimension was added to the large cavernous interior of Magma by the hot evening sun throwing lengthening shadows across the craggy concrete. The gathered artists all had a chance to introduce their work with a short speech and browsing beforehand I found a nice mix of mediums and subjects. The digital dogs and surreal surfscapes of Nikki Attree were full of fun and invention. Cayetano Gomez Barrato breathed new life into recycled materials for works that jumped out and demanded a reaction – yes that is an old mattress given a colourful makeover. Laura Serrano de Pedro delved into the deeps of the ocean with photos that gave an insight into a world of grace and mystery.
These were just a few of the selection on offer, all the works are for sale and represent some of the best artistic talent in Tenerife in photos, ink pen sketches, collage, creative use of technology, and most of all imagination and talent. The gallery is open Monday to Friday 9 to 3pm, Tuesday and Thursday also from 7 pm to midnight, and it’s free to view.
In Tenerife we don’t need to wait for an overblown camp festival of poor music to appreciate other cultures, there’s such a rich mix here. After catching small glimpses of Norway’s National Day celebrations in recent years I was determined to see more this year when some Norwegian friends invited me along to their parade in Los Cristianos on Friday 17 May.
My first speedway hero Dag Lovaas of Oxford Rebels was from Norway but that’s about as far as my knowledge of the country goes. There is a big Scandinavian influence in Los Cristianos as the modern tourist growth was sparked over 50 years ago when the Swedish began to bring infirm patients here for the beneficial qualities of the weather. Arriving at the Scandinavian church near the old beach there was already a good gathering of Norway flags and colours and hints of national costume. My friends introduced me to Toril Merete Wulff the Santa Cruz based vice consul of Norway for the Canary Islands and she topped up the minimal information I had researched on the net.
Norway was originally under Danish rule but in 1814 they were given over to Sweden but formed their own constitution and that is what the national day celebrates, it wasn’t until 1905 that Norway gained full independence. Back in Norway bigger parades took place in all major cities with slight regional variations in customs, Oslo started it off with children leading King Harold and the army at 11am. Just over 100 Norwegians, there are 800 registered in Santa Cruz province, were raring to set off on the Los Cristianos version and a local Canarian youth orchestra came along to provide the musical backing. Arona council always do their bit to make sure the parade runs smoothly, police made sure they had a clear route especially when they spread out near the Plaza del Pescadora to sing their national song and make speeches.
Turning and heading up to the church plaza they all funneled back down the side of the Hotel Reveron and back to the Scandinavian church for a celebration meal. It was a relatively short but delightful insight into another countries special day and as I walked further along the front towards Las Vistas I noticed small stages set up for the Day of Africa celebrations with bands from Ghana, Sierra Leone, the Saharra, and Senegal. All this and we still have the Dia de Canarias to come on 30 May.
Four giant coloured clothes pegs greeted me as I entered the Pop Art exhibition of Baltasar Colinas at the Magma Arte Y Congresos near the Playa de Las Americas bus station. Arriving early I had a good prowl around the outside of this modern multi functional venue that impresses, confuses, and delights in pretty equal measure. Usually I am on my way into a show or conference so I made sure I checked out all the angles on “the bunker” as it’s often called locally. The outside concourse was being hosed down and around the corner a 1,000 places were being set for a wedding meal later in the day, the sun soaked pleasure towers of Siam Park reflected in the glass frontage as I squashed my nose up against the windows to sneak preview some of the 42 paintings and four pegs from The Land Of The Giants.
I was the lone visitor for the midday opening so had free reign to pour over the bold, bright paintings and to link up the internatonal influences in the first rooms offerings. A bright red phone box was a call from home in London City and the love padlocks, a trend kick started from Rome’s Ponte Milvio bridge in the book I Want You , caught my eye in Love Stories. Those pegs were a recuring theme as I worked my way through into the main entrance hall and past the cafe bar, sports shoes and commercial cans and bottles also popped up.
Baltasar Colinas is an artist with a keen social conscience that has followed him from his birthplace in Leon to Los Cristianos his Tenerife home for several years. On each leg of the exhibition’s Spanish tour Baltasar is donating 80 % of sales to local causes, for the Tenerife stop the chosen cause is the people who suffered as a result of the El Hierro eruptions last year. Paintings range from 500 euros to 10,000 euros for Colosos de Madrid, and those giant pegs ring in at 2,500 euros each. In the low ceiling cosy lounge area the paintings add to another contrasting mood for this venue of surprises. The soft classical music and subdued lighting also make a viewing a unique experience.
The free exhibition is on until 31 August from Noon to 6pm Monday to Thursday, Noon till midnight on Fridays, 6pm till midnight Saturdays, and closed Sundays. Pop in and have a look, there’s plenty to please the eye.