The Espai d'Art Urbà 'El Carrasco' is born with a sample of historic posters of Benidorm

The new Espai d'Art Urbà 'El Carrasco' hosts its first exhibition. A collection of reproductions of posters published by the CIT (Center for Tourism Initiatives), the body that emerged 50 years ago for the promotion of tourism in Benidorm. The exhibition was curated by the journalist Juan Díaz, who was accompanied on the first tour by the mayor, Toni Pérez; the councilor of Historical Heritage, Ana Pellicer; the former manager of the entity, Miguel Alberto Martínez Monge; members of the corporation; and representatives of cultural associations and the tourism sector.

The councillor of Historical Heritage has indicated that today, with this exhibition, "a tribute to our beloved Pedro Zaragoza" is rendered, in a new Espai d'Art Urbà that "promises a lot" and that being outside has "many possibilities to show what is and what our city offers" to neighbors and visitors.

For his part, Toni Pérez, has said he felt "happy" after contemplating the exhibition with "the continent and the content" because with this initiative, the department of Historical Heritage "recovers part of our urban scene" and "puts in value a space "for the use and enjoyment of citizenship. "'El Carrasco' - said the mayor - is a nod to what Benidorm was once and that a visionary magnificently saw, designed and worked: Pedro Zaragoza Orts".

On the sample of CIT posters, Toni Pérez stressed that 2018 will be 50 years after its creation. He also pointed out that among the images on display were works by the photographer from Benidorm Pepe Perles, (present this morning in the act), or by Leopoldo Bernabéu Candelas. Of the rest, he has lamented, it has not been possible to recover the authorship, but they are direct testimony of the first campaigns of promotion of the tourism in the city promoted from the CIT, an organism whose activity today is carried out by Vísit Benidorm Foundation that "combines public initiative and private "so that together" we make the best promotion of Benidorm ".

The curator of the exhibition, Juan Díaz, has highlighted that with these posters, from the CIT, the businessmen "go abroad to sell the image of Benidorm", that "typism using the value of photography" that so impressed visitors and what they discovered when visiting the city. Miguel Alberto Martínez Monge, on the other hand, recalled that the CIT had as antecedent in the 40s and 50s Gabriel Miró de Amigos de Benidorm Association, formed by entrepreneurs who published postage stamps without postal value, with which "our merchant sailors made the city known all over the world. " Martínez Monge believes that with this exhibition "part of the history of Benidorm has been rescued".

Recycled glass

The Espai d'Art Urbà 'El Carrasco' is composed of 12 panels of 120 x 176 cm watertight and backlit. For its creation, a diaphanous space that was empty in the roundabout of the same name has been used. In its design, at the proposal of the department of the Environment directed by José Ramón González de Zárate, ecological green glass has been used, part of which has been previously collected in Benidorm and later recycled for landscaping.