Along the Costa da Morte, in Galicia, lie needlelike concrete spires that await travelers emerging from the dense sea in search of a steadfast horizon. They have not only witnessed countless stories of pilgrimage, but have also marked the way for different voyagers throughout history. These luminous structures, rising along the Galician coastline since the Roman Empire, have served as signals for sailors who, after venturing into the vast ocean, hope to be guided by this beacon toward their meeting with the sandy, green shore. Thus, amid the thickness of the maritime landscape, this architecture becomes the instrument that announces the end of a crossing or the arrival at solid ground, offering orientation in the most adverse conditions and allowing the traveler to reach their destination.

En tierra firme draws on the many connotations of sea travel and on the concept of light as a symbol of inner transformation. The installation proposes, within this sea of vegetation and stone, a destination to guide visitors through their journey at the City of Culture un Santiago de Compostela. Taking advantage of the architectural properties of the Hejduk Towers, the glass tower is transformed into a luminous signal that houses within it the lantern of a lighthouse, inspired by the geometries of the sea and the curvilinear forms of the windows of Santiago Cathedral. In this way, it recreates a coastal setting that brings within the viewer’s reach the perceptual experience of a lighthouse’s highest point.

The stone tower, in turn, appropriates the surrounding landscape of this beacon to contain an audiovisual installation. A circular projection—based on the mathematical language of offshore visibility range and nautical charts—reflects on the degree of transcendence in the experience of travel, guiding the viewer, by means of a trigonometric formula, through navigable waters and terrestrial regions toward a visible horizon. En tierra firme immerses the visitor in an experience that alludes to the geometry of lighthouse light and places their personal journey at the center of the intervention, inviting them—through light—to venture into their own voyage.

︎︎︎Brochure exhibition