In the middle of the pandemic, with restrictions on all sides and without popular festivals, such as the Fallas in Valencia, Xavi Serra had the idea of creating ‘Give away a ninot’. A marketplace through which anyone could purchase their own papier-mâché figure, thus avoiding … the collapse of the sector of Fallas artists. “That initial project was quite successful and from there my partners Damiá, Lluis and Raúl joined us, and we founded the company Valua, focused more on theming and scenography work,” explains Xavi Serra, the fourth of the co-founders of this Valencian firm. , which has brought to Calahorra the Roman-themed scenarios that have been set up in Gran Reserva and Holika.
It was the management company of both festivals, Burcor Producciones, who contacted Valua, proposing to create the scenery for the venue’s two stages. “They presented the design to us and told us that they wanted us to make it a reality,” says Serra. From there, the fallero artist of this Valencia firm, Raúl Martínez, began to shape columns, gods, birds of prey… “In the end, the façade of a pantheon was reproduced with figures reminiscent of Roman mythology,” details this artist.
The main stage, one of the largest built to date in Spain, is 55 meters wide by 25 meters high. The secondary one follows the same aesthetic line, but with dimensions of 25 by 20 meters. In the creative process, the artist has used the techniques of Fallas artisans, although with different elements. “The fallas are made with ephemeral materials and are designed to last four days.” However, “in scenographic projects there are restrictions at the level of anchoring, because it has to be attached to a metal structure” or “in certain parts it is necessary to use materials resistant to shocks and weather,” says Xavi Serra. He also “we were asked that the front part of the stage have a fire-retardant treatment,” he adds while clarifying that “there is nothing 100% fire-retardant, but fire-retardant materials are applied, which are certified.”
Ana Mena, Melendi, Luis Fonsi, Myke Towers and Jhayco will perform in the coming days on the most spectacular stage of the six editions of Holika, and which will serve as the first of Gran Reserva. And in Valua, in Valencia, they couldn’t be more satisfied, because it is still “a way to show the world the work of Fallas artists.”
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