Las Meninas Route in the Canido neighborhood in Ferrol in Galicia
The history of Canido neighborhood in Ferrol It is the story of a local artist who, after a genius of which he is not yet aware, has managed to create a worldwide social phenomenon of such a level that it has attracted the attention of the greatest referent of the street art,Banksy.
Is about Eduardo Hermida, who led by love to his land and social criticism has helped to change the destiny of a city immersed in an industrial crisis, with a process of depopulation and deterioration of some of its urban areas.
A while ago we had the opportunity to visit Ferrol and hisModernism route, discovering the numerous examples of buildings of this architectural style that you can find in the downtownMagdalena neighborhood.
Las Meninas Route in the Canido neighborhood in Ferrol in Galicia
At the time, this story caught our attention, but in our recent trip around Ferrol, area known as Ferrolterra, we have been able to see again howCanido Meninas They keep changing the city.
Origin of Caninas Meninas
But let's start at the beginning to be able to fully understand the magnitude and impact of this story that can inspire many people to change the situation around them.
Eduardo Hermida he is an artist who has been able, through art, to change the dynamics of deterioration he had Ferrol after the crisis suffered by someshipyards dating back to the 18th century, an icon of the province of A Coruña
This artist, tired of the drift that his town was taking, decided to take the art out of the museums and take it to the street to give color to his gray city, painting on a facade a menina.
Eduardo Hermida at his house in Canido in Ferrol
Elected Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez for his admiration for the social criticism of one of the icons of Spanish culture, a painter whom he has always admired.
A spark of genius coupled with a vindictive act has made today more than 300 painted meninas on the facades of the houses of Canido neighborhood in the old industrial city of Ferrol.
Today there are hundreds of artists from all over the world who contact Eduardo to offer their works to bring their own style to this common theme that he set in motion.
It is an artistic phenomenon that has appeared on every television in the world as a result of an advertising campaign of a beer brand that invited to paint on one of its facades the famous and controversial artist of the urban art, Banksy, whose works are always surrounded by controversy.
He Canido neighborhood It is an old village that is now integrated in the highest part of the urban structure of Ferrol.
In the middle of the last century Canido He maintained habits characteristic of a village, with low houses next to which there were orchards, and where the neighbors lived on the street, and the doors of the houses were open.
Las Meninas Route in the Canido neighborhood in Ferrol in Galicia
After the crisis of the naval industry suffered in Ferrol, little by little Canido It deteriorated and their homes abandoned.
It almost became a marginal neighborhood of Ferrol, where the ferrolanos hardly went given the effort that also entails walking up the steep slopes of the Magdalena neighborhood for reach Canido.
Feast of the Meninas de Ferrol
Aware of this situation, in September 2008 the ferrolan painter Eduardo Hermida, Resident in Canido, made the decision to summon other artist artists to, on a holiday, decorate the facades of some of the houses with paintings that evoked the famous painting of Las Meninas de Velázquez.
Since then, every first weekend of September has been repeating this Ferrol cultural festival, with increasing participation of artists, although today not only new works are made on that holiday.
The result is that year after year the facades of the increasingly well-kept houses of Canido They have been acquiring a characteristic image with works of the most different styles, but always with a greater or lesser link to those mentioned Meninas.
Las Meninas Route in the Canido neighborhood in Ferrol in Galicia
During our walk through the streets of Canido neighborhood, Own Eduardo HermidaProudly, he explains to us how many artists from all over the world, connoisseurs of this artistic initiative of urban regeneration, ask to participate in this party.
In this way, what began as a gathering of friends has become a cultural event supported by the own Concello de Ferrol, an authentic party with music, poetry reading and gastronomic tastings, among other activities.
Route of the Meninas de Canido in Ferrol
The fact is that now the Las Meninas route of the neighborhood of Canido It is an attraction for excursions and cruises that with tourists come to Ferrol.
There they find embodied the most diverse artistic proposals on the most famous painting of Velázquez.
And, in addition, thanks to this regeneration process, the houses of Canido little by little they have been rehabilitating and the price of them has been rising, so that the neighborhood has become a fashionable place where professionals and artists want to fix their residence.
Las Meninas Route in the Canido neighborhood in Ferrol in Galicia
During your walk along the Las Meninas route do not be surprised to discover that the urban furniture that the town hall is installing in recent years also has the aforementioned Meninas As a graphic icon.
Route as such there is not, do not expect to find a list of meninas What to visit, because the idea is that you go around the neighborhood and leave yourself surprised.
They are also changing and ephemeral works because there are buildings that are being rebuilt as new ones emerge as others disappear.
Banksy and Las Meninas de Canido in Ferrol
Perhaps the most curious part of all this is the involvement of the artist. Bansky In all this phenomenon.
For those who don't know him, Banksy He has become famous for his graffiti of deep social criticism in the streets of the United Kingdom, and one of his best known works is the couple of policemen kissing.
Banksy work on the Route of Las Meninas de Canido in Ferrol?
Nobody knows who he is, a photo of him has never come out, nor does he have any information about him, since he is not on social networks and he hardly has a e-mail contact.
He is an artist who paints in the streets, but lives in absolute anonymity.
Recently he sold a work in an auction for more than 1 million pounds, and just at the time it was awarded, the work began to destroy itself as part of that game of rebellion that the artist gives off.
A news that came out in all the media of the world.
As part of a promotional event of a beer brand that won awards for the best advertising campaign of the year, the artist was called Banksyto go to Ferrol to join the initiative.
They left him a blank mural with a sign that made it clear that it was a space reserved for said artist and his work, a promotional act that came out on all televisions and which should have reached his ears.
Las Meninas Route in the Canido neighborhood in Ferrol in Galicia
After a long time without knowing anything, one night appeared in that mural reserved for the artist one of his works.
At our Canido visit a neighbor told us a neighbor that one night he saw some gentlemen speaking in another language and painting with large sheets, after which the next day they saw what the work had filled that blank mural reserved for Banksy.
It is not known for sure if the work is his, all that is known is that at the time Banksy He took out a list of works that appeared throughout the world whose attribution he denied, it did not appear as Canido, which gives rise to think that, indeed, it is a work of his.
Eduardo Hermida, the founder of Las Meninas de FerrolHe told us that he had a communication with the artist's contact, in which they asked him that if they removed the advertising mark from the mural, they would be given an answer by the author of the work.
But out of respect for the brand that helped him in the promotion, he decided not to remove it, so until now we don't know for sure if Banksy is truly the author of that graffiti.
Las Meninas Route in the Canido neighborhood in Ferrol in Galicia
Las Meninas in Augmented Reality
One aspect that gives a greater added value to visitors, especially when traveling with children, is the mobile application they have taken to make a real immersion in these works of art.
Just download the free application VISIT for mobiles with IOS system and VISIT INCREASED REALITY for mobiles Android.
Once installed, the mobile is placed in front of some of the Meninas that fill the city with color, and after scanning it, the application shows you a personalized animation for each work.
In some works the colors are modified, in others the characters move; undoubtedly a curiosity that makes artistic immersion in the works different from mere contemplation.
In sum, the walk through the Meninas de Canido It has become an essential in your visit to Ferrol.
