The Trail of 7 Chairs
It is a project created in 2022 to continue to be an exciting open-air art museum.
Seven giant chairs that pay homage to sitting in the fresh air, quiet conversation, gazing at the landscape … In other words, slow moments.
Seven chairs, one for each village. Seven different colours, with seven different messages, along the network of green trails in La Plana de l’Arc, places of spectacular beauty. They are made of natural materials such as wood and hemp and are tattooed with the seven most representative plants of La Plana de l’Arc.
Seven chairs in which you can calmly and respectfully visit both the chair and land you are looking at. A real gift.
VIA 7 CADIRS, 7 RECOMMENDATIONS TO VISIT THE CHAIRS
La Plana de l’Arc is always looking for slow and sustainable tourism. So we recommend seven ways to enjoy the seven chairs while respecting the area and the work of art itself:
1. Visit them by bike or on foot. Not only will you like the chair, but also how you get there.
2. Discover them little by little: each has its own moment and is in a wonderful village where you will be surprised by the gastronomy, culture, nature, festivities and the hosts themselves.
3. Be careful where you park to respect the local people as they go about their lives.
4. Look at the chair from below, walk around it and investigate its colour and message.
5. Admire the weaving, a very valuable craft in our area. Each one has a different drawing.
6. Look for the seven chairs on a map: it will take you to the wonderful world of the stars.
7. And, of course, take care of the chair: don’t climb on it alone or in a group. Don’t stand on it. Don’t bounce up and down on it. And take your rubbish with you. In other words, be a sustainable, respectful and slow tourist.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
The Trail of 7 Chairs project
VIA SET CADIRES is a sculptural installation created by Pilar Balsalobre and Carlos Jiménez, from the photoAlquimia studio, for the La Plana de l’Arc open-air sculpture museum.
The project began in March 2022 during an inspirational trip to La Plana de l’Arc, seeking an identifying element that would serve as a source of inspiration.
During this trip they were fascinated by the traditional “vegetable garden” chairs that appeared wherever they went. Old repainted wooden chairs with woven seats, a humble piece of furniture that is very common in the region. They reproduce the essence and memory of the area and are a symbol of a deeply-rooted local custom: sitting out in the open air.
This sculptural landmark in the form of a large-scale “vegetable garden” chair adds to the area’s identity, while being a symbol that invites you to take a break along the way. The installation consists of seven chairs along the network of green trails in the seven municipalities in La Plana de l’Arc. The number “7” is magical and symbolises the completion of one evolutionary cycle and the start of the next.
The name of each stage of the route is written on the back of each chair in Latin in reference to the Via Augusta, the backbone of the seven municipalities. Above the name is ornamentation in the form of the seven species of trees and bushes characteristic of the area, as well as the seven representations of the subtle energy centres or chakras, each associated with a colour, in a rainbow scale.
Very different and special landscapes were sought for the locations of the seven chairs. Some are open spaces and others are very intimate, inviting calm and reflection.
The materials used to make these chairs are Spanish pine wood and natural hemp rope with a special weather-resistant treatment. They are also sustainable and biodegradable materials, while being materials that can evolve and age naturally over time.
A collaborative art and artisanal weaving workshop was designed at the Casa de la Cultura cultural centre in Cabanes by the weaver Tomeu Perelló, to weave the chair seats by hand. For two weeks, more than 50 volunteers from different backgrounds took part in completing the seven different woven seats, all inspired by chair patterns from La Plana de l’Arc.
VIA SET CADIRES is much more than seven giant coloured chairs. This installation invites you to go on a journey into yourself, a slow and transforming journey of self-knowledge along its seven trails, travelling slowly through the La Plana de l’Arc region and discovering some of its greatest treasures: its landscapes and countryside, its gastronomy, its customs and the special hospitality with which it welcomes you.
THE MEANING OF EACH TRAIL
VIA ALMAE TERRAE
You have arrived at the red chair, the colour of beginnings. Vilafamés is the start of the Trail of Mother Earth, who gives everything and asks for nothing in return, who nourishes us and maintains life on the planet. The Muladhara Chakra is the basis of our existence and survival.
The kermes oak that adorns its back is a shrub that you are sure to find along the way. But watch out: its acorns may cause you to mistake it for a holm oak or an oak tree. Cochineals live on kermes oaks. The Greeks used these to make a crimson pigment, the same colour as this chair.
Until we reach the orange seat, we will go along the trail with the earth element as our travelling companion, observing and listening attentively to the surrounding nature. We are nature, we can feel how we connect to the earth we walk on and how its vital energy ascends through our entire body.
VIA CUPIDINUM
You are at the orange chair in Cabanes, the point where the Trail of Passions and Desires begins. Does Cupid, that plump angel with a bow and arrow, ring a bell? For the Romans, he was the god of amorous desire. Watch out on this trail, as they say Cupid shoots arrows at all who walk along it.
Before your eyes is the Desert of Las Palmas. The palm that crowns the back of the chair is a dwarf palm that is very abundant in this area. When you see it, that means that the sea is nearby. Ropes have been woven with its leaves since the time of the Egyptians and some even say that its buds are an aphrodisiac.
We are on the Trail of the Svadhisthana Chakra, the abode of the self, and the water element will accompany us. Water is synonymous with life, so it is greatly respected here. Along this path we will learn to flow like water and think about what we most desire, but also to be grateful for all that we have.
VIA VOLUNTATIS
You are at Pou de Beca, in front of the yellow seat of La Vall d’Alba valley, the colour of the sun and fire, which is the element that will accompany you on this new stage of the trail. Here begins the Trail of Willpower, the centre of personal strength that will enable you to reach the end of the journey you have set out on.
The almond tree crowns the back of the chair. It is a well-loved tree in this area, which announces the arrival of spring with great fanfare.
We are on the Trail of the Manipura Chakra, the subtle centre of our body, the abode of self-love, that inner fire that ignites the moment we accept ourselves as we are. The trail that starts here is a path to reflect on self-confidence, that superpower we can use to materialise everything we imagine, that strength that allows us to dominate our desires and discover that little bit more along the way.
VIA CORDIS
At Benlloc you have reached the halfway point. This green chair, the colour of nature and balance, symbolises the union between the human and the divine. The Trail of the Heart, the path of unconditional love, empathy and generosity. Air is the element that will accompany us on this trail. Feel how, with every breath you take, your lungs fill with pure air with the scent of the pine trees around you.
The vine, a plant that is widely cultivated here, crowns the back of this chair. Since ancient times, it has been said that wine brings joy to the heart and soul, but only when it is drunk at the appropriate moment and in moderation.
This is the Trail of the Anahata Chakra, the subtle energy centre of love, compassion and empathy. This path teaches us that only when we love ourselves can we manage to love others. With heart energy we can connect mind and body, see ourselves through the eyes of others, and discover how important we all are on the path we walk together.
VIA NUNTIA
You have arrived at the blue chair of Vilanova d’Alcolea, the colour of the sky, the spirit and purity, the start of the Trail of the Messenger. From now on, you will be accompanied on your journey by the ether element, the subtlest of them all.
The olive tree, which crowns the back of this chair, is the symbol of wisdom, abundance and peace. Some local people say there is an olive grove nearby that has lived a thousand springs, from which an excellent oil is obtained. As the saying goes, “Olive oil cures all ills”.
We are not alone on the path: there seems to be an invisible web linking us all to everything, so all the things we think, say or do in some way have an impact on others. The Vishuddha Chakra is the subtle centre of communication, the entrance to a miraculous and mysterious path. Through speech, gestures and art we can communicate everything that lives inside us with others, nourish ourselves with what others tell us, and even listen to our inner voice: the messenger.
VIA SAPIENTAE
You have just arrived at a very special place next to the cemetery of La Torre d’en Doménec, a place of care, silence and respect. The purple seat is the start of the Trail of Wisdom and Divine Perception. Although you are very close to the end of the journey, we now embark on a new path that takes us beyond the material world, a path where you can perceive the world in a whole new way and begin to see through the invisible.
The fig tree crowns the back of this chair. “Ficus” was the name the Romans gave to this tree, a symbol of prosperity, fertility and fortune. Legend has it that their fragrant smell drives evil spirits away from homes, and if you have never tasted a good ripe fig, make sure you do soon.
By travelling the Trail of the Ajna Chakra, the centre of intuition, we will discover that we can see without needing to look at ourselves. You will discover your sixth sense, that compass, above our emotions and reason, that guides our decisions and is never wrong. Once we connect to that infinite source of wisdom, what we previously intuited becomes clear perception and full awareness.
IANUA STELLARUM
Congratulations, you have reached the end and the beginning of the road, for there is no end to it. You stand before the white chair of Les Coves de Vinromà, the doorway to the stars, the glittering union of all the colours along the route. This special place represents awakening, that uncertain moment when the ego disappears and we merge with the totality of the universe.
The elegant carob crowns the back of this last chair. A truly Mediterranean tree, sacred to Moors and Christians, and a symbol of humility and generosity. It is said that some people survived in times of famine by eating its fruits.
Although we are at the very top, only humility can guide you to the end of the path. Our highest subtle energy centre, the Sahasrara Chakra, is open to the universe. From now on, we may begin to feel different. Our limits will start to expand to infinity and, for an instant, we will feel in an eternal present, being one with everything around us. This is exactly where our journey began and this is where we will return again.