Quick sketches following the expedition of terraces on La Gomera

The magic of terraced landscapes

Introduction

Timmi TILLMANN, Lucija AŽMAN MOMIRSKI

In the second issue we show the sketches made by architect Francisco Leiva of the Aranea Group in Alicante, Spain, during his visit to La Gomera at the time of the 4th World Congress on the Re-enchantment of Terraces (Bancales). Francisco Leiva of the Aranea also coined the term Bancalismo - a movement to revive terrace culture in terms of aesthetics, way of life, special food and wine, space for recreation and well-being. The art journal aims to present such daily practices, which are primarily important for the well-being of the inhabitants, but also carry all kinds of artistic expressions; just like the terraced landscapes themselves.

Art in terraced landscapes encompasses all kinds of artistic expressions: from photographic collections of terraces, drone footage of terraced landscapes, artistic expressions of stonemasonry and dry stone walling, sculptures and paintings, art happenings. Part of the inventory of terraces are also photographic collections of terraced sites of the world and the exhibition of historical images comparing the transformation of landscapes over a period of a century.

As we can see in the mapping of the terraced landscape in the following pages, its images can trigger endless interpretations and visions. Each of them is important and carries its own story. It is impossible to decide which one brings more insights. What is important is the message of magic that is common to all these images, wheather in black and white drawing techniques or in color drawing techniques; both of which allow us to comprehend the dynamics of the landscape.

We hope that the journal will bring to life the idea and vision of every human action in and in relation to the terraced landscape as a precious document of coexistence.

Quick sketches following the expedition of terraces on La Gomera

Francisco LEIVA IVORRA

Alojera, Angulo, Hermigua, Tamargada, Vallehermoso, … Almost two years have passed since we took part in the Gomera expedition and our world today seems very different from that of those days. We traveled to the Canary Islands as a family: Eva, Leo, Marta and myself, and we joined a lovely group of island explorers. As on all my trips I took several sketchbooks, diverse drawing material and a lot of desire to draw with me. The pace of exploration was frenetic. We traveled around the rugged island by bus. The driver’s ability to zigzag in reverse got us out of more than one predicament. I don’t remember the names of all the places, we visited so many, I was more concerned with finding a comfortable spot from which to draw the terraced landscape and not lose the group’s trail. As I now open these notebooks and review their drawings, I revisit each of the landscapes, listen to the stories of those who welcomed us, and return to the bus with the rest of the “team”. I only had a few minutes to capture these places, their abrupt topography only partially humanized, the contrast between the bare rock and the worked stone, the exuberant vegetation, ... I was surprised by the number of palm trees that inhabited the terraces. With each drawing, I came closer to La Gomera, to its stories, through its traces, and I tried to let the terraces, the human traces on the island, guide my hand. Those were intense days of drawing and landscape.

Pen, pencil and watercolor on A3 notebook.