The Gipuzkoa Regional Council and the San Sebastian City Council join the I International Architecture Biennial to be held in the Basque Country, 'MUGAK'
2017 September 14
- Iñaki Arriola, the Basque Government's Minister for the Environment, Land Planning and Housing and promoter of the project, has signed a collaboration agreement with Denis Itxaso, Deputy President of the Regional Council and Ernesto Gasco, deputy mayor.
- Other entities from the culture and architecture fields are also collaborating with 'MUGAK', which will take place from November until January in its main venue, the Miramar Palace, as well as in many other locations around the city: Tabakalera, Koldo Mitxelena, the San Telmo Museum, the Santa Teresa Convent, the Higher Technical School of Architecture of the Basque Country (ETSA-EHU), the Professional Association of Basque-Navarre Architects (COAVN), the Rezola Cement Museum, the Tabakalera Habic space and the art galleries Altxerri, Ekain, Arteko and Vetus.
This morning, the Basque Government's Minister for the Environment, Land Planning and Housing, Iñaki Arriola, has presided over the signing of the collaboration agreement between the Basque Government, the Gipuzkoa Regional Council and the San Sebastian City Council to promote the I International Architecture Biennial to be held in the Basque Country, 'MUGAK'.
In this way, the main institutions from Gipuzkoa join this ambitious project, which, under an international and multidisciplinary focus, intends to position San Sebastian and the Basque Country as a reference and meeting point for architecture and culture professionals and the public at large in the next few months.
The event was held at the Miramar Palace, in San Sebastian, and as well as Minister Arriola, it was attended by the Regional Councillor for Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sport, Denis Itxaso, the Regional Councillor for Mobility and Land Planning, Marisol Garmendia, the Local Councillor for Economic Promotion, Trade, Hospitality and Tourism, Ernesto Gasco and the Local Councillor for Sustainable Urbanism, Housing and City Projects, Enrique Ramos.
'MUGAK' is born with the momentum provided by the Department for the Environment, Land Planning and Housing, and one of its objectives is to promote, primarily in the international arena, the excellence of the architecture produced in the Basque Country region. A contemporary architecture that knows how to combine the cultural, historical and artistic identity of the Basque heritage with innovation and modernity.
To this effect, the Biennial becomes a forum on Architecture for scholars, professionals, university students and ordinary citizens to meet.
By signing this agreement, the Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sport Department of the Gipuzkoa Regional Council commits to collaborate with the International Architecture Biennial, 'MUGAK', held in San Sebastian, by publicising and promoting the event both regionally and internationally. Furthermore, it will provide some cultural spaces, such as the Koldo Mitxelena cultural centre and some spaces within the cultural centre located in the Santa Teresa Convent to hold exhibitions and activities related to the Biennial.
For its part, the San Sebastian City Council is committed, amongst other things, to support the main venue, located at the Miramar Palace, as well as the infrastructures and services used to carry out the activities included in the programme.
Furthermore, other administrations, and cultural and architectural institutions, including the University of the Basque Country through the Higher Technical School of Architecture, are involved in the Biennial. In fact, all their students will move to the Miramar Palace (main venue of 'MUGAK') to attend their lectures during the opening week of the Biennial, from the 7th to the 10th of November.
Other collaborators of the Biennial are the Professional Association of Basque-Navarre Architects (COAVN), Tabakalera, Atari (the Basque Country Architecture Culture Association), the Civic Association Ancora, the Reflex Space, the Peña Ganchegui Archive, the Habic Cluster, the Rezola Cement Museum and the art galleries Altxerri, Ekain, Arteko and Vetus.
Collaboration between institutions
Minister Iñaki Arriola has thanked the Regional Council and the City Council for their commitment and has indicated that this collaboration agreement "is a crucial step to ensure the success of the Basque Country's Architecture Biennial. 'MUGAK' has a remarkably attractive programme, with a large central exhibition dedicated to the winners of the last Pritzker Prize and a plethora of parallel events that will be extremely appealing for everyone. I am certain that with everyone's determination and collaboration, the Biennial will be a memorable event".
The Deputy President of the Regional Council, Denis Itxaso, has spoken on behalf of the Gipuzkoa institution to stress that, "thanks to the Architecture Biennial, Gipuzkoa is becoming a reference point for urban regeneration proposals aimed at improving our cities and the quality of life of their inhabitants". Furthermore, he thinks that "the Biennial consolidates the position of Gipuzkoa and San Sebastian as the main Basque cultural reference in the field of architecture and urbanism".
The deputy mayor of San Sebastian, Ernesto Gasco, has highlighted "the link that exists between balanced, planned and rational urbanism, and San Sebastian. Since it was refounded in 1813, first with the Ugartemendía Plan, and then, from 1863, with the Cortázar expansion, our city became a reference for European urban landscape. This Biennial also provides us with an opportunity to continue developing the ties between culture, knowledge, talent and tourist appeal all year round, hence fostering non-seasonal tourism".
Fifty events
'MUGAK' will take place during the months of November, December and January, although the opening week will be from the 7th to the 10th of November, and it will include fifty events, with exhibitions, talks, workshops and round tables. One of the most outstanding events in the Biennial's programme will star the RCR Arquitectes studio, winner of this year's Pritzker Prize, the highest award for architecture in the world, who will come to San Sebastian with their exhibition entitled 'Shared Creativity'. Another highlight will be the participation of the prestigious Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, who will close the opening week of the Biennial with a talk on the 10th of November.
'MUGAK' aims to spread the passion for architecture amongst the public at large. To this end, activities will be held from November to January on fifteen different locations around the city. As well as the main venue, the Miramar Palace, there will be exhibitions and events at Tabakalera, Koldo Mitxelena, the San Telmo Museum, the Santa Teresa Convent, the Higher Technical School of Architecture of the Basque Country (ETSA-EHU), the Professional Association of Basque-Navarre Architects (COAVN), the Rezola Cement Museum, the Tabakalera Habic space and the art galleries Altxerri, Ekain, Arteko and Vetus.
All of the activities included in the MUGAK Biennial will be announced on the www.mugak- bienalsansebastian.eus website, as well as on social media.
