(Note: we skipped 5th place, which went this year to the commission of Malvarrosa, titled “The Battle of Color”. We didn’t get down there to see it, much to our regret. If you’ve got any pictures, please let us know!)
Filmed with the Sanyo VPC – CS 1 (super tiny) available here: USA, UK, Deutschland and Spain
The Plaza de Pilar, in the rough n’ tumble neighborhood of Velluters, is a tiny space, which makes the construction and layout of their monuments almost as interesting as the figures themselves. They had our favorite construction of 2009, and this year’s was excellent as well. “Modern Times”.
Inventions and technological advances were the focus, which took its inspiration from the Charlie Chaplin film of the same name. Hot air balloons, early automobiles and a beautiful wooden phonograph made up the biggest figures. The ninots were, for some disjointed reason, dedicated to the beach and to the Olympics. But there were some hilarious ones, including a woman in a bikini… who was no woman at all!
We enjoyed the effort quite a bit, but understand why the commission dropped from 2nd to 6th. This year’s was great, but not up to the artistic genius of the 2009 monument (which should have won the top prize).
For hostel/hotel bookings during Fallas, we’ve found the best rates at Hostelbookers, Booking.com and Apartments in Valencia
– David Villa Photos and Video