International Symposium of Culture at Hecho, Spain

Lco/lc/r(/o.Vol. 11, pp. 308-309. 9Pergamon Press Ltd. 1978. Printed in Great Britain. INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM OF CULTURE AT HECHO, SPAIN Pedro Tramullas* 1. In I967 I had decided to organize a sculpture symposium at Jaca in the Spanish Pyrenees. My idea, like those of some others [1-31, was to invite sculptors from different countries to work in a small community during the summer months. But this attempt was unsuccessful. It was not until July and August 1975that I was able to hold the first symposium nearby at Hecho, Spain. I called it ‘The First Hecho Valley Symposium of Culture’. Hecho is at 850 m altitude and is surrounded by mountains as high as 2800 m. Located 160 km north of Zaragoza and 90 km east of Pamplona, it is the gateway to the Selva de Oza mountain range and a series of beautiful little valleys, where animal and plant life are relatively undisturbed. One may still find bears, lynx, eagles and vultures there. It is in a locale where marble stone of large variety may be found. The region is well known to mountain climbers, to experts of prehistory and to tourists who are interested in unusual landscapes. Much of the success of the first Symposium was due to the tangible assistance given by the mayor and by the municipal counselors of Hecho and by the villagers in both Hecho and neighboring Siresa. The sculptors who joined me in the first symposium were Harada and Yamahata (Japan) and Johner and Lesne (France). The second symposium, in the summer of 1976, which included painting as well as sculpture, stimulated considerable interest in the Spanish press and television. The participants were the sculptors Acking (Sweden), Appold (Germany), Bonnefon and Mena (France), Kouvarsas (Greece), Kovacs (Hungary) .and MendezSadia , Santamaria and I and the painter Archambault de Beaune (France). In 1977 I was joined by the sculptors Crepy, Fuertes and Guell (France) and Pazzi (Italy) and by the painter Barnechea-Salo (Spain). 2. During three Symposiums at Hecho,22 large sculptures were made (examples are shown in Figs. 1-3) and two paintings. Work is in progress on the development of the outdoor site for a permanent display of the sculptures (Fig. 4). The site consists of several terraces on which walls with benches, stairways, ramps and a fountain are being constructed. The terraces will serve as an open-air museum. Sculptures are nbw on display on the first terrace. An old house on the first terrace is being transformed to serve as a museum for the display of paintings, graphic art, tapestries,ceramicwork, etc. made at the Symposiums. It is planned to expand the range of activities to include not only different types of visual or plastic art and architecture but also theatre, music and *Sculptor (Spanish),41 rue Camille Pelletan,78800 Houilles. France. (Based on a text in French) (Received 9 Jan. 1978.) Fig. 1. Pedro Trmiiidlm. ‘Le Geriie (lc lo For;/’, ii~crrblc,, height 1.60 m, 1975. 308 Iiiternational Syrqiosiuni of Culture at Hecko, Spain 309 Fig. 4. View of a terrace for accoriitnodatiiig sculptures, of the lriterriatiorial Syrnposiuni of Culture at Heclio. Spin. Fig. 3. Pedro Fuertes. Urititled, steel, height 2.0 m, 1977. poetry presentations. The installation of a botanical collection of local species is being considered. Other proposed projects include the equipping of a foundry for bronze sculpture and the making of sculptureto be placed beside the roadway linking Hecho and Oza, 10km away, a task vaguely reminiscent of the ‘Routeof Friendship’ in Mexico City, organized by Mathias Goeritz [4], and marking various footpaths. I envisionthe extension of the symposiutn to other locations, perhaps to neighboring valleys and even to the village of Lescun, across the border in France, which may someday bejoined to Ozaby a road. I am grateful for the continued support received from the mayor of Hecho and the villagers and, in 1977, from the Instituto Conservacion de la Naturaloza (I.C.O.N.A.) and from the Spanish Minister of Information and Tourism. 3. Some idea of the manner of operation of the Symposium may be gained from the conditions that applied for sculptors at the Third Symposium...