The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Government of the Canary Islandsthrough the General Directorate of Agriculture, has tendered and awarded the works of the new exhibition and improvements in the visitor center building of the La Orotava Acclimatization Garden, better known as the Puerto de la Cruz Botanical Garden. The works have been entrusted to the company Tragsatec for an amount of three million euros.
The new exhibition flees from conventionalisms and will be an innovative and risky bet, since will try to value the garden and transmit values of respect and care for the plant world with a format closer to that of an art gallery. Users of the center will be able to take a tour under the motto The secret life of the plants and the contents have been distributed in autonomous and free-visit blocks such as plants and us, evolutions, plant intelligence either Sense and Sensibility. The most innovative aspect of the space is that the exhibition model focuses on pieces of art, specifically sculptures of great visual impact and size that support educational messages.
This project has the purpose of creating a space that transmits to the visitor a clear awareness of respect and care for the natural environment and a greater enthusiasm and interest in the plant life of our planet. The approach of this new exhibition is based on the creation of certain milestones or references by way of artistic expressions where the visitor can analyze and reflect on messages of conservation, biodiversity and defense of the environment.
It is intended to offer a multidisciplinary space where sculptures and assemblies allow the interaction of visitors, while visiting an area with a special emphasis on architecture, art, nature and thought. For the Ministry of Agriculture, “the most innovative and interesting bet of the exhibition project focuses on the sculptures, of great visual impact”, which will reinforce the message of the entire exhibition.
The entire expository discourse of ‘The Secret Life of Plants’ is articulated around large sculptures
Under the general title The Secret Life of Plants, the exhibition will occupy an area of approximately 2,500 square meters, distributed in a basement and two floors. The basement will function as an exhibition room, another for schoolchildren and a space for a practical laboratory, as well as an audiovisual room. On the first floor there will be a small shop, a cafeteria and a restaurant, while the last one will serve as viewpoint towards the Valley of La Orotava, Teide and the Botanical Garden itself. In the same enclosure, there will also be rest areas designed as areas for contemplation of the sculptural blocks. These are intended to be areas of reflection, learning and interaction thanks to their exhibition resources.
The General Director of Agriculture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Augusto Hernandez, explains that the visitor center of the Botanical Garden «is part of a joint project of ICIA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to revalue the natural and cultural resources of the area and promote the development of a sustainable tourism model, basing its content on the creation of experiences”. Likewise, he points out that this action “is integrated into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the Canary Islands have located in their 2030 Agenda».
The exhibition flees from conventionalisms and will be a novel and risky bet
This award represents a key step for the long-awaited opening of the Visitor Center of the Botanical Garden of Puerto de la Cruza project that began to take shape 35 years ago and that now sees its completion closer.
