- The Clock Building of the Port Authority of València has hosted for a month the photographic exhibition ‘Viure el Port’, which has received 8,100 visitors
- The family public has been the protagonist, although the presence of neighbours from the Maritime neighbourhoods, port sector workers and tourists has also been important
València, 3 December 2024.-The character and life of the city’s maritime neighbourhoods – where work and leisure intertwine and the solemnity of their traditions with popular festivities – are the rich heritage that has nourished the exhibition ‘Viure el Port’, a photographic exhibition that has been held in the Clock Building during the month of November.
A total of 8,100 people has passed through the exhibition and has been interested in learning about the history, identity and culture, past and present, of the Port of València and its surroundings. The family public has been the protagonist, although the presence of neighbours from the Maritime neighbourhoods, port sector workers and tourists has also been important.
The exhibition has even been visited by some of the protagonists of the photographs that capture the deep bond that unites the seafaring neighbourhoods of Valencia with the sea and the port. ‘Amparo came to visit the exhibition and found herself drying fish in one of the images. The granddaughter of the engineer responsible for the construction of the Clock Building also came to visit’, said those in charge of the exhibition.
The images which have formed part of this exhibition (in black and white and in colour) are a portrait of the various uses which the port and its surroundings have had over time, from port work to recreational activities and expressions of popular devotion.
Most of the images have been loaned by the Luis Vidal Archive (their authorship belongs to its four generations of professional photographers). There are also photographs on loan from other photographic archives: Antonio Alcaraz, Autoridad Portuaria de València, Club d’Atletisme Poblats Marítims, Federación de Natación CV, Federación Triatlón CV, Josele Bort, Junta Mayor de la Semana Santa Marinera, La Marina de Valencia, Muy Ilustre Hermandad de Santísimo Cristo del Grao and Museo Ca’Pesaro – (Venice).
Art historian Ester Medán, photographer Luis Vidal Ayala and Professor of Art History Luis Arciniega are the curators of this exhibition – organised by the Port Authority of València (PAV) in collaboration with the Generalitat Valenciana, Conselleria de Medio Ambiente, Infraestructuras y Territorio, the Cátedra Demetrio Ribes and the Universitat de València. Some individuals have also collaborated: Paco Burguera, Virginia Colomines, Eduardo García-Leonardo, Pep Martorell, María del Mar Mateo and Antonio Romero.
Parallel activities
In parallel and during the month that the exhibition has been running, visitors have been able to send in their own photographs related to the Port of Valencia. The numerous images received were shown on the screens in the exhibition hall of the Clock Building in the form of a carousel. The video produced with all of them will remain visible on the Valenciaport website. Likewise, the recreational area has been permanently busy, especially outside school hours and on public holidays. In addition, the exhibition was visited by groups such as the former students of Escolapias, the UCA del Grao, the AFPEM Horta Su Group from Albal and associations of photography enthusiasts.