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• ::  Iniciar sessió :: 

Empathy, solidarity, affection. These are the three words that Enric Tébar, a resident of Benetússer, has written on the clay tile he made in a ceramics workshop at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). A tile that will form part of the monument Unió, which will be inaugurated in Benetússer to mark the first anniversary of the food caused by the Dana. (Video)

"On 29 October, the clay caused death and destruction. But it is in our homes. Ceramics are a legacy that has always been with us. Working with it is very therapeutic. With this public art project, I seek to recode the clay and create spaces and moments of encounter that strengthen community ties. For citizens to reconcile with clay and perceive it without fear, explains the artist Nea, a PhD student at UPV and the author of the project.

The desire to contribute in some way to improving the situation of those affected by the Dana led Nea to develop this project, which took shape thanks to the support of Carmen Marcos, senior lecturer in the Sculpture Department. Then, the Benetússer Town Hall, driven by the Councillor for Culture, Engracia Arias Valera, launched the necessary collaboration to make the Unió a reality.

"For the population to feel it as their own, they are invited to participate in the workshops to make the tiles. Each one is essential for the construction of the monument, as is each person involved in the project,' explains Nea. So far, three workshops have been held: in the Municipal Market, the Plaza del Molí in Benetússer, and the UPV Faculty of Fine Arts. Around 600 tiles are needed.

The mayor of this town in l'Horta Sud, Eva Sanz, has also participated in the workshop held at the UPV Faculty of Fine Arts on 17 September, which 50 people attended. 'We all set to work in the summer to make this collective embrace a reality in collaboration with the university.'

The municipality, where 10 people lost their lives, continues working to return to normality. There are still broken lifts, and the mayor is focusing efforts on the underground. 'We are working to repair the electrical wiring and the sewage system' before it rains again.

229 spaces

This is how this collaborative monument is taking shape, representing an open embrace covered with clay tiles. ‘There will be 229 spaces to remember those who died. A presence through absence,’ explains Nea.

The Benetússer Town Council has taken care of all the architectural aspects of the monument, as well as the construction of the structure. The Faculty of Fine Arts has been in charge of the ceramics workshops, providing the materials and Academic Staff, as well as firing the pieces. Those made in Benetússer will also be fired in the UPV kiln. The inauguration of Unió is scheduled for 26 October 2025 in a square that will be renamed for the occasion: the Parque del Voluntariado (Volunteer Park).

Nea is participating voluntarily in the entire process. The sparkle in her eyes reveals her passion for the project, into which she has poured her artistic creativity and all her heart and energy. 'It is the union that rebuilds, a project for memory, for lived experience and for hope. Nea is the stage name of Chiara Nea Cecutta, born in Bologna (Italy). After spending time in Barcelona, she arrived in Valencia four years ago. She studied a Master's Degree in Artistic Production at the UPV and is currently preparing her PhD on the subject of dust as an ephemeral material in performance, under the supervision of the senior lecturers Leonardo Gómez Haro and María Desamparados Cubells Casares. She combines her studies with her artistic practice.

Photograph: Vicente Lara Sáez

Video: Amparo Berbegal Juan

Text: Carmen Revillo Rubio

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