La Pineda Playa. Costa Dorada. 28 December 2013.
Thousands of people visited during the month of December the traditional Sand Nativity installed in La Pineda Beach. From the beginning of its construction more than 10.000 people have already come to La Pineda to discover new Nativity that also benefited the presence of visitors coming from many towns in Catalonia. P3 pupils of the Cal·lípolis School in La Pineda, several members of the Association Iniciatives d’Àmbit Cultural of Barcelona and cyclists entity Bicicamp Reus, among others, visited the Sand Nativity.
Ten artists from around Europe
Ten artists from around Europe met in La Pineda from 2 to 8 December to sculpt the Nativity. Thus, for seven days, they built a sculpture that extends over 200 m2. Coordinated by Núria Vallverdú, project director, other sculptors who participated in the construction of this Sand Nativity are Niall Magee (Ireland), Daniel Doyle (Ireland), Dave Wille (The Netherlands), Ludo Roders (Holland), Anique Kuizenga (Holland), Kangra Kirke (Estonia), Bruno MacDonald (Denmark), Gianni Schiumarini (Italy) and Mario Hernandez (Catalonia).
One of the sculptors, Ludo Roders, said: "It is a pleasure to see the reaction of people after working in a team where everyone brought their own magic when sculpting”. In this sense, the project coordinator, Núria Vallverdú, noted that "many sculptors want to repeat because it allows artists to make a free interpretation of the Nativity, and also visitors think about how will be the final result”. As stated, "it's a gamble for ephemeral art that has 14 editions and is well established in the town”.
Along the Sand Nativity, which is located on the waterfront at the height of Hipolito Lazaro Street, there is a craft market, which offers products made by themselves. The Sand Nativity will be open until next Tuesday 7 January, because the next day it will be demolished.