“Music and Matter: Lutherie in Bucaramanga” is the name of the exhibition organized by 6th and 8th semester Plastic Arts students at UIS in the Macaregua Hall at the Sede UIS Bucarica as the campus central, with additional displays in the showrooms Rafael Prada Ardila and Gustavo Gómez Ardila at the central campus of the Universidad Industrial de Santander.
“These are visual and sound works that represent a formal study of each material element observed in the workshops, attempting to achieve a synthesis between manual processes with functional purposes and poetic expressions reflecting the experience of each future Plastic Arts teacher,” explained the exhibition curator, Professor Roger Díaz Carreño from IPRED UIS.
Following visits to the “La Clásica” and “Andalucía” guitar workshops, the 14 students had the opportunity to learn about the materials and production processes, experiencing a sensitive approach to this ancient art.
Regarding the fieldwork, Professor Díaz Carreño highlighted, “The students were very eager, especially to see how a process like making string instruments materializes: recognizing the materials, the machinery used, and the manual tools of the luthiers. They had direct contact with the procedural exercise from when the material, like wood, is cut to how it is processed in different stages. This is a great opportunity because it is not just about theoretical research but also a real approach to the workshops.”
Noting that the experience was moving for the students involved in this new setup of the academic program offered by the Instituto de Proyección Regional y Educación a Distancia, IPRED UIS, the exhibition curator indicated that the display includes audiovisual, sculptural, and installation works. He emphasized, “Through their knowledge and exploration, and contact with materials, the students managed to materialize their artistic proposals with a strong relationship.”
Angélica Parra, Camila Osorio, Daniela Daza, Daniela Mejía, Isaac Merchán, Ivonne Rodríguez, Karen Archila, Laura Almeida, Leidy Beltrán, Luis Prada, María Paz Angarita, Paula Niño, Paula Paredes, Ros Nuby Sanabria, 8th-semester students of the Artes Plásticas program at IPRED UIS, along with Professor Roger Díaz Carreño, professor and curator of the exhibitions, present their artistic proposals in the exhibition halls of the Industrial University of Santander, open to the public since May 7th and 9th.
On a personal and professional level, Professor Díaz Carreño stated, “As a curator and as the person who designed the project to approach the workshops, it was vital to highlight the direct contact with the realities, especially in the crafting of plucked string instruments. This opened possibilities for the students to take what they saw and observed in these spaces as references and make their own reflections and artistic proposals. It was a process, not just the visits but also sketching, planning, and facing the challenges of materialization, which often involve technical problems that can be overcome in practice.”
He added, “The important thing is both the approach to these artistic practices and the community, directly to the luthiers and those involved in these processes. This is a practice done in Bucaramanga, where there are more than 21 lutherie workshops producing 5000 to 10000 musical instruments monthly, some for export. In Santander, there are luthiers with an artisanal tradition that could be part of our Intangible Cultural Heritage. This approach to the craft and the people who practice it, seeing these crafts as heritage and using them in artistic creation, is crucial.”
The exhibitions will be open to the public until Friday, June 7th, from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the Sede UIS Bucarica and its extensions at the campus central.