Hondalea, where water flows to the rhythm of the tides

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Cristina Iglesias has created this sculpture in the lighthouse of Santa Clara island in Donostia, her home town, where the water flows to the rhythm of the tides. It can be visited by appointment.

Santa Clara island lighthouse

In the Casa del Faro building in San Sebastian, Cristina Iglesias has created a sculptural ensemble, "Hondalea", conceived as a space for reflection, which artistically recreates, through a large glass cast in bronze, the original bottom of the bay of San Sebastian, where the water flows according to the rhythm of the tides.

The visit is conceived as an experience that includes a journey to a "remote place" in the city of Donostia, and which projects, through artistic intervention, a dialogue with nature and the defence of the sea and the coast.

Inauguration of Hondalea
Inauguration of Hondalea

The artistic intervention that Cristina Iglesias has created in the Casa del Faro on the island of Santa Clara was inaugurated on 2 June, and can now be visited by appointment. In order to keep control of the island's capacity, visits to enjoy "Hondalea" can be made on the website www.hondalea.eus.

Inside Hondalea
Inside Hondalea

"This is a project that

is connected to the defence of

nature, of the seas

and its coasts".

Cristina Iglesias.

The fierceness of the waves

Excavated inside the hollowed-out lighthouse house, Iglesias's work incorporates the peculiar geology and ecology of the Basque coast and the fierceness of the ocean waters surrounding the island.

The work of Cristina Iglesias brings a renewed conception of the practice of sculpture. Cristina Iglesias, using her own sculptural language, intervenes and transforms a remote place in the city, turning it into a symbol of the defence of ecological causes and environmental conservation.

As for the name, "Hondalea" takes its name from the Basque language, a word that has a clear marine connotation. It means "abyss in the sea", "abyssal depth", as well as "bottom of the sea".

Santa Clara island and its lighthouse
Santa Clara island and its lighthouse

Santa Clara island and its lighthouse

For many years, the lighthouse on the island of Santa Clara in San Sebastián has remained empty and abandoned. Inspired by the wild nature of the island, so close to the city, the sculptor Cristina Iglesias has created a work that transforms the interior of the Lighthouse House, restoring it and turning it into a breathtaking sculptural environment.

Reaching the island by boat and contemplating the rocks and the waves from the paths leading to the lighthouse is essential to Iglesias' idea for this unique place and her sculpture. Beyond the transformation of the lighthouse, the island, so present in the city, at the same time maintains its mystery, and remains intact.

You can't lose:

Aquarium Donostia

Rainy weather plans in Gipuzkoa

And now… What do we do? First, don’t despair. That fine rain (xirimiri) is part of Gipuzkoa’s DNA, just like a brief summer storm or a galerna. If you come to Gipuzkoa and don’t get wet, you haven’t been here at all. We suggest plans for these days.

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