"The Way, the origin" Exposition March 13th - September 13th 2015

[ivar]

Exposition: "The Way, the origin"

When: March 13th - September 13th 2015, Tuesday to Sunday (Monday closed!)

Where is it?

Ciudad de Cultura, 30-40 min walk from the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela

This is well worth a visit if you have the time to walk up. There is also a bus (Number 9 I think) from Plaza de Galicia).

Description (from their website)
Embarking on a journey that will take us back to the very beginning, to the seed, to the origin of a historical and cultural phenomenon that lives on in our times: that of pilgrimage. This is the invitation made by the City of Culture of Galicia with the exhibition The Way. The Origin, a project directed by María García-Alén presenting a selection of 150 works of art and eleven artistic interventions that offer a contemporary view of the Way of St James.

The year 820 A.D. is the starting point for this journey that began when the hermit Pelagius discovered the tomb of the Apostle, then communicated the finding to Bishop Theodemir, and afterwards when the entire royal court of King Alfonso II the Chaste came to visit what would eventually become the city of Compostela of today. With masterpieces by great artists such as Durer or Murillo, coming from renowned institutions, among which are the Uffizi Gallery, the Prado Museum, Patrimonio Nacional and Santiago Cathedral; together with other pieces of outstanding cultural value, The Way. The Origin is displayed on floors 1 and 2 of the Gaiás Centre Museum, divided into three parts: St James the Apostle, The Way and The Pilgrim.

The Way. The Origin is complemented by the project Sites of St James, a set of eleven artistic interventions by creators from the School of Fine Arts of the University of Vigo, who establish a dialogue with a special correlation, superimposing the layout of the historic city of Santiago with that of the City of Culture.

-- https://www.cidadedacultura.org/en/event/way-origin


St. James

Sticks left behind by pilgrims in Santiago

At the end of the exposition there is a 2 hour and 11 min video where pilgrims from all over the world and in all languages, talk about their experience. This was the highlight for me at this exposition. I think I sat and listened for about 1 hour. The photos below are from this video. The video above is also a few seconds from the same video.

An Italian pilgrim that had walked 43 times.


The one in the middle is a pilgrim from Sweden.

 

[Chacharm]

Oh - this is cool! I am definitely going to see this!

 

[Evergreen]

A must see for me! Thank you Ivar!!

 

[colinb]

Will go and see it in May when we finish the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon

 

[Tia Valeria]

Thanks Ivar. How long were we planning to stay in Santiago.....? This sounds like a 'must see'.

 

[Rachael]

I will absolutely see this. Thank you, Ivar!

 

[Veronica Peace]

Thank you for posting @ivar. Will definitely make the time to experience this when I reach SdC in mid July at the end of my Camino Frances

 

[Arn]

Traveling with my pastor in April, I believe this to be icing on our Camino cake!
Thanks Ivar

 

[Anemone del Camino]

And here I was thinking I would leave Santiago this year without spending the night. Glad I have been procrastinating about buying that Ryanair ticket back to Madrid.

 

[ivar]

This is a video from the opening ceremony of the exposition:

 

[Rachael]

Oh, this is going to be WONDERFUL.

 

[K Malpica]

Does anyone know if this is the premier exhibition in this new venue? When did the museum formally open to public? How has it been received by locals and pilgrims? I heard there was much controversy over the expenditure of funds during a recession for a facility far from the city center, that seemed like a white elephant to many. Many think funds could have been better spent on infrastructure improvements in city center or camino. Anyone have any information or care to comment?

 

[VNwalking]

Made a point of going and it was well worth the trek. The 2 hour video at the end was completely captivating. And that was after seeing many treasures. Everything from Roman tiles to armor to priceless paintings and tapestries. The Durer was amazing and so accessible.
Save yourself the hassle and share a taxi...it's a bit of a hike and buses don't go frequently. (Edit - Oh, and take your compstela and you get in for free...)

 

[K Malpica]

Made a point of going and it was well worth the trek. The 2 hour video at the end was completely captivating. And that was after seeing many treasures. Everything from Roman tiles to armor to priceless paintings and tapestries. The Durer was amazing and so accessible.
Save yourself the hassle and share a taxi...it's a bit of a hike and buses don't go frequently. (Edit - Oh, and take your compstela and you get in for free...)

Thanks for your reply and feedback. Did you see a lot of other pilgrims there or get a sense of their impressions? Were there any parts of the exhibit that stood out? Were there any original artifacts directly connected with Camino? How did this compare with any other museum experiences you had during your pilgrimage? Hope you don't mind all the questions, but I'm writing a research thesis on cultural heritage and the Camino. I won't use your name, but would love to hear your thoughts about this and any other exhibits you visited.

Muchas Gracias,
Kristine

 

[VNwalking]

Hi, Kristine,
The majority of the artifacts on display were original, and very precious. I can't compare the experience with other museums along the way as I only visited the one at the castle in Ponferrada very briefly. But of course the Camino itself is a vast and living museum. What I thought this exhibit did so well was to comprehensively show the roots and culture of the Camino--capped off at the end with the wonderful video of modern pilgrims. The whole thing was thoughtfully laid out, well organized, and very informative--and gave a broad view both in time and across different realms (religious, political, social).

For someone who could not actually walk the Camino, this would certainly a sense of the breadth and depth of history that's there on the road for all of us to see--and for those who did walk, it offers a deeper understanding of what we had experienced. What the exhibit had that we don't see along the way so easily is the precious artwork (such as the amazing Durer etching), and the more ephemeral or personal pieces (banners, clothing, coins, even armor) that were on display. I'd read quite a bit about the cultural context and history of the Camino and to see artifacts like this all together in one place was wonderful.

Go see it yourself if you can!
(And in answer to your PP--my personal observation and opinion--the venue seemed vast, cavernous, and was so far out of town as to make the exhibit difficult to access. And the complex seemed strangely grandiose and hollow after the intimacy of the old town...it felt like an empty airport terminal. But perhaps I'm being unfair--it appeared not to be finished. (None of the locals we talked to had much to say about this.) Sorry to say, there were almost no other people or fellow pilgerims there when we went; it seemed a shame because the exhibit was fantastic. But it was a rainy afternoon, and so most of the folks we knew who had expressed interest ended up staying in town connecting with fellow pilgrims. [Edit--this was in mid-April; perhaps now with more pilgrims it would be a more happening thing.]

 

[K Malpica]

Hi, Kristine,
The majority of the artifacts on display were original, and very precious. I can't compare the experience with other museums along the way as I only visited the one at the castle in Ponferrada very briefly. But of course the Camino itself is a vast and living museum. What I thought this exhibit did so well was to comprehensively show the roots and culture of the Camino--capped off at the end with the wonderful video of modern pilgrims. The whole thing was thoughtfully laid out, well organized, and very informative--and gave a broad view both in time and across different realms (religious, political, social).

For someone who could not actually walk the Camino, this would certainly a sense of the breadth and depth of history that's there on the road for all of us to see--and for those who did walk, it offers a deeper understanding of what we had experienced. What the exhibit had that we don't see along the way so easily is the precious artwork (such as the amazing Durer etching), and the more ephemeral or personal pieces (banners, clothing, coins, even armor) that were on display. I'd read quite a bit about the cultural context and history of the Camino and to see artifacts like this all together in one place was wonderful.

Go see it yourself if you can!
(And in answer to your PP--my personal observation and opinion--the venue seemed vast, cavernous, and was so far out of town as to make the exhibit difficult to access. And the complex seemed strangely grandiose and hollow after the intimacy of the old town...it felt like an empty airport terminal. But perhaps I'm being unfair--it appeared not to be finished. (None of the locals we talked to had much to say about this.) Sorry to say, there were almost no other people or fellow pilgerims there when we went; it seemed a shame because the exhibit was fantastic. But it was a rainy afternoon, and so most of the folks we knew who had expressed interest ended up staying in town connecting with fellow pilgrims. [Edit--this was in mid-April; perhaps now with more pilgrims it would be a more happening thing.][/QUOTE

Hello Viranani,

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply, which is most appreciated! I wish it had been open when I walked the Camino last summer. I look forward to visiting the complex next time around, whenever that may be....

If anyone else reading this would care to share your thoughts about this or any other exhibitions on the Camino, I would love to hear from you.

Ultreia!
Kristine

 

[Al the optimist]

Thanks for the info Ivar. I have been thinking about visiting there anyway this time around

 

[peregrina2000]

If your feet don't want to stop walking, this is a good way to spend a half day or so. Walk down to the Colegiata de Sar (the route that brings the Sanabres/Vdlp into Santiago, it's a km or so downhill). There is a sign post to the left taking you up another hill, and this complex sits at the top of that hill. Easy walk up and down and it's an unusual place, to say the least. Last year the only thing going on was an exhibition on some Brazilian Amazonian tribes. It was extremely well displayed and very interesting. The whole set of buildings is interesting, too. Since my knowledge of architecture stops with romanesque, I can't really comment, but it struck me as a bold design, kind of over the top. My first reaction was that it would be a great place for skateboarders. And the place was empty. I think the Camino theme will help drum up interest.

 

[mspath]

The City of Culture complex in Santiago de Compostela was designed by New York architect Peter Eisenman. Since it's first conception in 1999 the project has passed through a great many philosopical and physical changes. For Eisenman the idea of a museum/archive implies both a container and its content. Nearby hills were echoed in the giant curves of his design. Now at last the content of the present exhibit, The Way, the Origin, although temporary and scheduled to close mid September 2015 finally ties this structure to the extraordinary past history of its location.

 

[nalod]

I have been to this exhibition, would recommend it and the buildings are also well worth seeing.
Dermot