Darío Machín, from Lanzarote, one of the creators of the exhibition 'The Port. An Architectural Ethnology of Coastal Space' that will arrive this December 2nd at Islote de Fermina in Arrecife, is a young 27-year-old artist specialized in photography. He defines himself as a multidisciplinary artist who, between Lanzarote and Valencia, develops in different photographic projects. His work in the artistic genre of installation sculpture stands out, which deals with the relationship between the artistic object and the space it occupies and with which it establishes an indissoluble dialogue.
Among his most recent projects as a "multidisciplinary artist", the presentation of a work stands out. "I have inaugurated a piece at the Carmen Center for Contemporary Culture in Valencia", Machín told La Voz. In addition, he is preparing another initiative with the ROFE production company, where he is the creative director of the photographic sessions. An editorial project under the name 'Made of Rofe', composed of artists from Lanzarote, in which, through photography, they link the ideas of the island with brands that are generated in the volcanic land.
Leaving aside the Fermina exhibition, "I don't have any other projects in mind at the moment", the artist tells La Voz. He has dedicated all of 2023 to making the exhibition, which began in early 2022, and in which they have remained immersed until its premiere. First came the research, then the dialogues and meetings. And once the proposal was accepted, they had to wait to have the room ready and available to host the exhibition.
Its creators and those in charge of making the exhibition possible, the young Elena Hernández, Marianna Amorím and Darío Machín, wanted to mix history, anthropology and the artistic part to give value, strength and creativity to the exhibition. During the work carried out, there have been three different fields of study: history, anthropology and photography, Machín explained to La Voz.
An exhibition that will be open to the public for three months, and that promises to be the exhibition of an investigation into the port area of the capital that will be concentrated in the Sala Mirador. After a year of work, it will be completed on March 1, 2024. With a round table called 'The Flows in the Port' and with the participation of the chronicler of La Villa, Francisco Hernández Delgado.
With the exhibition, they wish to show the port as a place of exchange and connection, through some archive photographs of the ports, and of the ships that have docked over the years in Lanzarote. "I have merged sculpture and photography, in addition to making the information mix with the landscape and the environment we are dealing with", Machín highlighted. In addition, with a specific location, with which they wish to be able to see the sea without visual obstacles.
A story with pieces in screen printing and textile and volume sculptures that speak of the landscape, the environment and the marine surface, which will be accompanied by various cultural texts, which will flood the entire room. The surprise of the exhibition will be the conversations and stories of people who have been linked to the port, young and old, also family and friends, who have wanted to contribute to the project through these fictional conversations.
The objective of the project is to "attract new generations", and from a current reading, see how the topic to be treated is perceived now. "We have sought to generate a close, informative but also experiential link", he acknowledges.
In addition, they have had to work on a production process lasting two months and with which they are currently working. "It has taken longer than expected", he assures. But "it's worth it", since it will become the first long-term exhibition to be held in Fermina, Machín concludes.
"Talking about the reality of the island, but without romanticizing it"
A free admission exhibition, which any lover of the city and Lanzarote can approach, and in it they will be able to discover new stories and details that they still do not know. An exhibition full of surprises in which they will be able to participate: guided tours to the public, also to educational centers, participation in the collection of information, with which a diary will be written to know the opinion of the people about the exhibition. The most important thing, they want to "talk about the reality of the island, but without romanticizing it", concludes Darío.
