The mission goes beyond simply bringing art to the smallest towns. It reflects a shared commitment across the Valencian Community to nurture both the environment and its people. This project, Confluence, initiated by IVAM in 2021, aims to promote cultural development in municipalities along Route 99 that have fewer than 100 residents.
In this third edition, the initiative travels through four towns in Alicante in the comarca of El Comtat: Benillup, Benimassot, Tollos, and Famorca. Different artists collaborated to craft proposals that will be unveiled to residents of each town on Saturday. Visitors can discover special pieces created in each location and engage directly with the makers. The memory and voices of the town elders drive the creative process here, grounding contemporary work in local history and lived experience. [Citation: IVAM project materials]
The Alicante collective presents La Cuarta Piel in Famorca, a proposal born from an in-depth study of elements tied to the village. Historical significance, village celebrations, and the everyday life of residents underpin the concept. Residents and neighbors helped shape the project, culminating in a piece described as ice cream from Famorca made to travel through time with a contemporary twist. It will be tasted during the day as a way to bring village traditions into the present moment. [Citation: IVAM program notes]
From 6 pm onward, La Cuarta Piel and the rest of the artist collective will mark the end of the day with neighbors. Attendees will have the chance to taste the ice cream created from residents’ memories and ideas, followed by a communal dance. [Citation: Event outline]
sound project
Ruben Garcia, born in 1974 in Benillup, developed an audio project focused on listening points within the landscape of the village. The artist invites visitors to notice the sounds that inhabit the rural setting and has built an installation at Travadell that allows listening through bone conduction, eliminating the need for ear-based input to encourage inner listening. [Citation: Artist portfolio]
The artist will guide a listening experience at the Travadell viewpoint tomorrow at 10:30, inviting participants to hear the landscape from a new perspective. Bottom Vertical. [Citation: Schedule]
The Extremaduran artist Lola Zoido, born in Badajoz in 1994, created in Benimassot a series of sculptures formed through Artificial Intelligence. The works respond to the gesture of tossing a coin into water to make a wish, with motifs such as almond blossoms and olive branches. The project also features a set of credit cards placed along the now dry canal that runs through the town, forming part of the day’s guided tour for participants. [Citation: Artist profile]
local history
Pilar Beltran, a resident of Castello born in 1969, led a Tollos project that captured local memory as reported by neighbors. The goal was to restore the lost acoustic identity of the area by installing a sequence of hanging statues, rattles, and bells in varying sizes and sounds. [Citation: Local history commission notes]
The artist will perform an intervention in Istanbul at 12:30, near the city’s outskirts. There the sound of statues and their herds will activate, tying the countryside’s memory to present-day experiences. [Citation: Intervention plan]