ART HUNTING

ART HUNTING – SCULPTURES IN OPEN AIR – FREE VIEWING FOR ALL

The site is Tenerife, the most extensive island of the Canary Islands. On my personal agenda for the visit on the island was hunting of forgotten, lost or undiscovered sculptures set up around the island for public use. The search was very thrilling. Talking to friends are forbidden because you to have to pay attention to buildings, shops, what is on the top of the buildings and the surroundings. You have to wake up even if the hot sun is making you slow down on your private activities. The hunting fields are the coast of Adeje ( Costa Adeje) , old towns, beaches, the national park and the SIAM park located not far from the famous beaches, Los Cristianos and Las Americas. Even if I have been twice to Thailand and also stayed in the city of Chiang Mai, I do not recall all of the  history of Thailand. A nice park is set up on the coast of Adeje: SIAM Park.

The park is an activity park where you can test your courage. Buildings are set up for swimming, boating and high buildings from where you can slide down to a small lake – if you dare. I didn’t dare. Hunting for  historical monuments was more interesting than the challenge of sliding down from a tower among foreign teenagers. I did find one sculpture after searching for a while. His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Siam paid a visit to Tenerife in year 1913. The landscape of the island fascinated the Prince Mahidol of Siam. He wrote about Tenerife in his diary. The building of the SIAM Park was a result of the enthusiastic description of the island in his diary.

I will return to the story of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Siam in another blog.

Let us move from the SIAM Park to the National park on the island: Teide National Park. The park was created in 1954. Teide National Park was declared in 2007 as one of the 12 treasures of Spain. To come to the top of the mountain, the volcano, you had to take a lift. Close to the lift a sculture of Jesus Christ was set up –maybe to calm down the nervous tourists who wanted to go to the top of the vulcano with the lift?

Dr. Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002)  is famous in Norway, but not so much in Sweden. A sculpture of him is set up at the museum of the pyramids at Guimar.

The park was founded in 1998. The Norwegian ship owner, Fred Olsen, has always supported  the work of Thor Heyerdahl .Fred Olsen made it possible to build the park and the museum of the pyramids. Besides, a personal museum of the life of Dr. Thor Heyerdahl  has been made too. Thank you, Fred Olsen! Splendid work!

Searching for art in open air was done on the beaches: Los Cristianos and Las Americas. Take a look at the result.

Tenerife is much more than sun-bathing, drinking good wine and having a splended meal. No.