The Data Center of the Cabildo of Lanzarote will celebrate the sixth talk of the conference cycle Memory of Thursdays next Thursday, February 15. On that occasion it will deal with the historical photographs of the Carnival of the island.
The title of the conference is The old photography of the Carnival in Lanzarote and will take place from 7:00 p.m. in the José Saramago Room of the César Manrique Foundation, in Arrecife. The historian and doctor in Information Sciences Mario Ferrer Peñate will be in charge of giving the conference.
Admission to the conferences is free, but due to capacity control it is necessary to withdraw an invitation, which can now be done on the website.
A walk through the visual history of Carnival in Lanzarote
Carnival is a time of subversion of established norms and a festival that is celebrated in many parts of the world. In addition to the two genuine traditions that Lanzarote preserves, such as Diabletes de Teguise and Buches de Arrecife, there is an important photographic and audiovisual legacy on the island about the Carnival festivities, especially in the capital.
At the beginning of the 20th century, some wealthy families from Arrecife excelled, with elegant and delicate costumes, in images taken in studios on the capital islands and in the only one that Lanzarote had at this time, that of the photographer Aquiles Heitz. The careful portraits of the small bourgeoisie of Arrecife contrast with the scarcity of images of the popular Carnival of the time that have been compiled. Photography was still a luxury that only a small elite could afford.
Later, from the 1950s onwards, the capture of images by professional photographers was joined by amateurs, who recorded moments and events of the colorful carnival party that takes place on the island, leaving as a whole a photographic and audiovisual legacy of great importance. Part of this carnival fund has been obtained through the successive Digital Memory of Lanzarote campaigns to capture this type of audiovisual material among the population.
Mario Ferrer Peñate
Mario Ferrer Peñate has a PhD in Information Sciences, a degree in Art History and Journalism and a Master's degree in Digital Libraries. He is also the author of the book “Photography in Lanzarote: 1850-1950” and a collaborator of Digital Memory of Lanzarote
Who organizes Memory of Thursdays?
The Memory of Thursdays conference cycle is organized by the Cabildo of Lanzarote through the Data Center, with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Universities, Innovation and Science and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands and the collaboration of the César Manrique Foundation.
What dates, time and place does it take place?
Every Thursday in January (days 11, 18 and 25) and February (days 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29) of 2024. Always at 7:00 p.m. and in the José Saramago Room of the César Manrique Foundation, in Arrecife.
How can I get a ticket?
Admission is free, but due to capacity limitations (100 pax), it is necessary to withdraw an invitation online in advance. Invitations can be withdrawn on the website www.memoriadelosjueves.com. Tickets open for reservation on the Friday of the previous week, from 9:00 a.m.
As they are free, please make sure that each person is going to attend before making the reservation. And please be very punctual. Five minutes before the start of each talk, at 6:55 p.m., the reservations of those who have not entered the venue will be canceled, and access will be allowed to people who, in strict order of arrival, are at the door.
How can I watch the conferences if I have run out of tickets?
No problem. The eight conferences will be broadcast in streaming on the websites: www.memoriadelanzarote.com and www.memoriadelosjueves.com
