There's been a lot of talk about Guardamar's age; Its castles, its traditions, its history. But just as much , if not more can be said of its present state; something in between development speculation and decline.

Everywhere here we see gashes in the urban landscape, pieces of the city that just seem to be missing. But very quickly we realize that these wounds weren't created by some sort of destructive force, but by growth itself. The gashes are outlets waiting to accept new flesh. But in most areas of speculative development today, growth is stunted, those outlets may remain to be negatives of pure white walls and old tile roofs, evidence of neighbors, left behind in a temporary economic boom. Perhaps out of stubborness, or perhaps because they were just too late.

The view they create is strange, in places the manifestation of investment looks like a tumor, stand alone amongst its peers. In other situations they encroach what we can only assume to be what once was.

The spectacle makes one consider what other incisions development can cause, do they still resemble trauma and anomaly? Maybe they do, otherwise how else would we recognize the new. Views from Murcia (though not limited to Murcia) reveal to us a foil to our lovely Guardamar. Places that just can't seem to grow anymore must destroy its own flesh to make room. But what if, like Guardamar, the growth does not come? wounds painted brightly, vestiges of what once was, its all too familiar.

PS, We should have more table cloth lesson plans.

-Mondi