Benidorm. Benidorm has a new city icon, the sculptural group Atunes of the Xabiense artist Toni Marí Installed at the confluence of the Spanish Armed Avenues and King Jaime I, on the Pasent de Poniente.
It is a sculpture made of Corten steel, with particular oxidation characteristics that allow it to show the tones of worn, but protected from atmospheric corrosion.
During the morning, municipal technicians and the concessionary companies of parks and gardens and road cleaning, have put this emblematic road axis ready so that the artist could carry out the assembly work. All this, before the gaze of citizens and visitors who have contemplated how the figures of three attempts six meters high, a pedestal of one and 4.7 m in length (that of the largest of the pieces), took shape and became, from today, in icon and referent of the city.
The installation has been followed from the first hour by the mayor, Toni Pérez, and the councilors of Public Space, Francis Muñoz; Parks and Gardens, José Ramón González de Zárate; And Presidency, Juan Díaz. Before them, Toni Marí and his team, with the help of a powerful crane, have assembled the fish, welded the pieces and finalized the details, while the area with gardeners and plants was adapted.
This afternoon, around a hundred people have participated in the first visit that the corporation has made to the monument. Among them, in addition to the aforementioned, the regional deputy, José Manuel Pérez Fenoll, and members of the Municipal Corporation. Before the “Atunes” the mayor has reiterated the commitment of the municipal government for “taking art to the street”, an initiative that, in recent years, “has brought many important works and prestigious authors” to Benidorm.
Of the artist, recalled that the Water dropslocated on Avenida de Beniardà are his work and that “has works in many walks and cities of Spain.” “That is why we think that a sculpture of these characteristics is adequate for this walk.” “A bet,” is specified – firm and positive for keeping our past alive and projecting our future. “
For his part, Toni Marí, briefly thanked the support received by the City Council and the favorable impression that all the people who have visited their “Atune” have transmitted.
Benidorm, the sea and its people
Next to the sculptoric group a MUPI collects a fragment of Marine history of Benidorm (1781-1950)with the motto Benidorm, the sea and its peoplein Spanish, Valencian and English that value Benidorm’s link with the sea.
“One of the most amazing aspects in Benidorm’s history,” said the historical section of the last two centuries, is the enormous ability to action of its people. A population that ranged between the 2,000 and just over 3,000 inhabitants between the end of the 18th and early twentieth, achieved a very unique representation in the trades of the sea. It is not only its absolute predominance in the largest type of fishing that exists, the almadraba, but renowned in the Velera Navy, as well as in the difficult Spanish Corsarism and also, in the selective marine of steam. And even more, from all that conjunction of travel along the round planet, the birth of tourism would come, since it cannot be forgotten that the first hotel and investments buildings
