Presentación Congreso Imagens da Cultura, Oporto 2010

1. .
YM BOL
A ND S IMAG
E
RE N
ITE CTU CERTAI
RCH N
A
ND ITS U
LC A
V
ARQUITECTURA Y SÍMBOLO.
VLC, imagen en estado de incertidumbre
Universidade Portucalense, 2 de julio de 2010
Mayka Puche Ruiz

2. ARCHITECTURE AND SYMBOL
 MAIN GOALS OF THE RESEARCH:
1. To analyze the 2 images (BRANDING) of the city of
Valencia:
-”CITY OF FLOWERS AND ART” 
CULTURAL IMAGE
-”CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES”
FASHION IMAGE
2. To show how the loss of the cultural image of
Valencia does not allow the inhabitants of the city
to project their true identity 2

3. DO YOU HAVE ANY IMAGE OF VALENCIA?
3

4. PARADISE WAS NOT IN SPAIN,
EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE
PEOPLE WHO CONSIDERED THIS
BELIEF TRUE, ONLY BECAUSE
SPANIARDS CULTIVATED
ORANGES!!!!
VALENCIA’S ISLAMIC
HERITAGE
“El paraíso terrenal, hijos míos, no estaba en Port Lançon,
aunque muchos lo afirmen, ni en el departamento de Seine-
Inférieure…, ni en Normandía…, ni en París…, ni en Francia.
No estaba tampoco en ninguna parte de Europa, ni en África
ni en América, ni en Oceanía… Hay quien pretende que el
paraíso estaba en Italia, y también quien afirma que estaba en
España, porque en este país hay naranjas… ¡Miserables
glotones!”
4
Octave Mirbeau, “Diario de una camarera”

5. CURRENT
PRESERVATION
OF ISLAMIC
CULTURAL
HERITAGE IN
THE CITY OF
VALENCIA
5

6. CULTURAL IMAGES AND
FASHION IMAGES
6
LOCAL IDENTITY GLOBAL TOURISM

7. CULTURAL IMAGES AND
FASHION IMAGES
In despite of this dramatic break, which dates from 10 years ago,
In despite of this dramatic break, which dates from 10 years ago,
THE “REGIONAL EXHIBITION OF VALENCIA”, HELD IN 1909,
THE “REGIONAL EXHIBITION OF VALENCIA”, HELD IN 1909, 7
CAN BE CONSIDERED AS THE LINK BETWEEN TRADITIONAL
CAN BE CONSIDERED AS THE LINK BETWEEN TRADITIONAL
IMAGE AND MAJOR INTERNATIONAL EVENTS IN THE CITY
IMAGE AND MAJOR INTERNATIONAL EVENTS IN THE CITY

8. CULTURAL IMAGES AND
FASHION IMAGES
“THIS CITY IS ANOTHER
WORLD” , the adverts say…
We are not certain about the
fact that the “City of Arts
and Sciences” is another
world, but it isn’t Valencia at
all!!!!!!!!
“CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES”
8

9. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
1st IMAGE, Romantic
and Picturesque
Valencia:
“CITY OF FLOWERS
AND ART”
9

10. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
THE
THE
RELATIONSHIP
RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN
BETWEEN
VALENCIA AND
VALENCIA AND
ITS PORT
ITS PORT
10

11. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
2nd IMAGE: “CITY OF ARTS
AND SCIENCES” and MAJOR
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
11

12. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
12

13. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
2nd IMAGE: “CITY OF ARTS AND
SCIENCES”. VLC, where “every
street lead to the sea” 13

14. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
1st IMAGE, Romantic
and Picturesque
Valencia:
“CITY OF FLOWERS 14
AND ART”

15. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
2nd IMAGE: “CITY
OF ARTS AND
SCIENCES” on the
ancient “Horta”
(traditional
landscape)
15

16. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
THE CITY CENTRE
THE CITY CENTRE
THE “NEW CITY”
WHICH TOURISTS VISIT,
NOT APPROACHING THE 16
CITY CENTRE…

17. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
THINGS THAT
THINGS THAT
PEOPLE FROM
PEOPLE FROM
VALENCIA LIKED
VALENCIA LIKED
THE MOST (1992):
THE MOST (1992):
“FALLAS”,
“FALLAS”,
ORANGES, LIGHT,
ORANGES, LIGHT,
FLOWERS,
FLOWERS,
“PAELLA”, SUN,
“PAELLA”, SUN,
BEAUTY OF THE
BEAUTY OF THE
CITY AND SEA
CITY AND SEA
17

18. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
OPERA TENNIS
SCIENCE
CINEMA
PUB
IN 2005, 18 % OF PEOPLE FROM
VALENCIA THOUGHT THAT THE MOST
IMPORTANT BUILDING IN TOWN WAS
THE “CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES”
18
IMAGE PROMOTED BY THEIR
REGIONAL GOVERNMENT

19. 2 IMAGES OF VALENCIA
But behind this idyllic image…
WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE FROM
VALENCIA?
19

20. “CALATRAVISM”
THE WORK AND IMAGES OF SANTIAGO
CALATRAVA SPREAD AROUND THE
WORLD… OVIEDO, TENERIFE, BUT ALSO
ITALY, CANADA, ISRAEL…
20

21. “CALATRAVISM”
TRIUMPH OF “CALATRAVISM”: A
MONUMENT TO THE CREATOR’S EGO
BRANDING OF
FASHION
SUBDUED TO 21
GLOBAL TOURISM

22. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
 The break between the “CITY OF
FLOWERS AND ART” and the “CITY
OF ARTS AND SCIENCES” is not a
natural evolution of the image of
Valencia
 Its inhabitants had given up their
cultural past and local identity
yearning for a false image based on
global tourism
 The only image which tourists search
in Valencia is the “CITY OF ARTS
AND SCIENCES”
 The only image promoted by
Valencian Government is the “CITY 22
OF ARTS AND SCIENCES”

23. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
VALENCIA AS AN “EXPERIENTIAL” DESTINATION
23
PROMOTING NO-NAME TOURIST BRANDS
INSTEAD OF TRUE EXPERIENCES IN SPAIN

24. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
THE IMAGE OF VALENCIA NEEDS
THINKING AND LOCAL
PARTICIPATION
After the brief explossion of major
international events… people from
Valencia will have nothing to relate! 24

25. MUITO OBRIGADA!
FOR TRUE IMAGES WITH NO
STEREOTYPES 25