Postcard from Lanzarote

(as published in Landscape Design 283)

Many people's initial reaction to my proposed visit to Lanzarote was one of slight reserve or total lack of interest. Renowned for its cut price holiday packages promising sun, sand and cheap beer, the island certainly does not bring to mind a place to discover cultural and landscape riches. From scanning the guide books before I left, I felt slightly irritated that apparently a local artist called Manrique had taken total control of tourism on the island and I resented the thought that I might be shepherded around the island seeing a number of themed attractions. But I needn't have worried.

This tiny Canarian island hides, amongst moon-like lava flows and ashen landscapes, a wealth of visual delights, mostly made accessible by Cesar Manrique. Manrique was an 'island boy' born there in 1919. By the 1950's he was a well known abstract painter, becoming involved with the volcanic landscapes and the Atlantic light which inspired him in his spiritual and idealistic journey through life. He felt strongly that the island should be protected from the inevitable sprawl of holiday resorts and tasteless developments, so that by the late 1960's he was a loud voice on the island, fighting for protection of areas of natural beauty and tight control of development on the island. He wrote:

" I believe that we must promote quickly the characteristic differences of every place on the planet. Otherwise in the near future we will have a boring, standard culture, lacking in all creative imagination"

In 1970 he had already put into the practice his ideas, starting work on his own home and studio in a series of huge lava bubbles near Tahiche. He had a great desire, as with his painting techniques, to fuse his work with nature, but to also create a harmonious and inspiring, often meditative living environment.

When I first saw the view into the open-air lava bubble containing his swimming pool, I felt transported to a place in time and space where only the sky, the sun and the intense colour of the turquoise water existed. Looking out over the contorted charcoal-black rope lava field, and then down into a shining paradise was an almost unbearable effect. Now I understand what he meant when he said:

" Wonder and the impulse which leads us to observation are the secret of analysis"

I spent several hours looking at this extraordinary place, as I did other places such as the famous Jameos del Agua (1966 -1980), with its subterranean concert hall, which I am told has quite a dull acoustic due to the crenalated lava ceiling. Manrique has skilfully created a multi-use public space here for education, entertainment and contemplation with subtle reference to the past culture and ecology of the island merged with a futuristic vision.

In all his projects, Manrique managed to take control of every last detail; even the coaches which take you around the Timanfaya National park are the colour of the pinkish iron-rich cinder cones, as are the park rangers' uniforms.

It is said that he never drew plans, only trickling lines of sand to show the shapes he wanted, yet as I walked around these spaces I could not imagine how he managed to communicate such detailed and perfect schemes to his team of contractors. Perhaps some of these masterful designs are the work of a close colleague or master craftsman behind the scene; that Manrique was something of a corporate entity.

Sadly he died in a car crash in 1992, but not before establishing a cultural foundation which continues to promote his strong and sensitive views on the future of the island's landscape and heritage.

In any case, the spirit of the place cannot be more harmoniously experienced than here on Lanzarote, of course, with a glass of cold lager in your hand!