The headquarters of the College of Civil Engineers, Canals and Ports of Santa Cruz de Tenerife will host next Wednesday, June 14, the presentation of the book ‘Juan Alfredo Amigó and José Luis Olcina. work with Cesar Manrique‘ by the economist and journalist Mario Alberto Perdomo.
In this book, prefaced by the professor of Ecology at the University of La Laguna (ULL) Jose Maria Fernandez Palacios, Perdomo talks about the figure of the artist lanzaroteyear and the importance it had when it came to betting on constructions and designs that are respectful of nature and local architecture, integrating these into the landscape and always respecting foreign elements.
To enhance the figure of César Manrique and his work, the author of the book does a great deal of research, compiling oral testimonies from the people with whom César Manrique surrounded himself. to carry out their projects (engineers, surveyors, works manager, contractors, etc.), as well as documents referring to the projects that were entrusted to them, but for some reason they never came to fruition.
Mario Alberto Perdomo is nourished by the testimony of two engineers settled in Tenerife, Juan Alfredo Amigó and José Luis Olcina, with whom Manrique established a great friendship and professional collaboration, sharing a large number of projects in the 70s and 80s of the last century. In this sense, Amigó and Olcina were in charge of translating the sketches of the genius from Lanzarote on plans, as well as defining the budgets, materials, resistance calculations, design of electrical systems, plumbing, among other tasks.
The book also includes information on the construction and design of the swimming pools and Lake Martiánez in Puerto de La Cruz.which have become a symbol of the city and are visited each year by more than 400,000 people.
Another document rescued by the author is the anecdote that the engineers tell him about the moment in which they visited the Basilica of Candelaria with the aim of providing an urban solution to the huge empty square that precedes the temple, an action that they never carried out anymore. that Manrique suggested starting by demolishing the basilica, because he considered it horrible. The comment upset the authorities who immediately broke the collaboration with the artist from Lanzarote.
Perdomo also collects in this research work projects that were never carried out, such as the project for the maritime park of The Confital in Gran Canariaamong others.
About Mario Alberto Perdomo
Mario Alberto Perdomo Aparicio (Reef1959) is an economist. He was co-founder of the Cultural and Ecologist Association The Guincho (Lanzarote) at the end of the 80s of the last century. Between 1988 and 1990 he directed the Department of Culture of the Lanzarote council. He has practiced journalism in different local and regional media. His field of concern is centered on urban and territorial planning, the environment and the externalities of the economy, urban spaces, culture in a broad sense and communication. He has been a patron of the César Manrique Foundation since 1990.
Among his latest editorial works is the book ‘Luis Morales Padron‘ (Islas de la memoria Collection, César Manrique Foundation, Lanzarote, 2017), as well as one of the texts from the exhibition catalog ‘Memories of water’ entitled ‘Manuel Díaz Rijo, chronicle of desalinated water in Lanzarote’ (Cabildo de Lanzarote, Lanzarote , 2018). He collaborated in the catalog of the exhibition ‘Universo Manrique’ (Atlantic Center of Modern Art, The Gran Canarian palms2019) with texts about the process of carrying out the public works of César Manrique in Lanzarote.
