Gaudi's Salamander – Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal, Botanical Garden, Montréal, Québec

City of Barcelona, capital of Catalonia, Spain, presented an artwork which depicts a salamander. More than 300 species of salamanders have been identified around the globe. As with other amphibians, populations are declining everywhere due largely to habitat loss and the presence of agricultural residues in water.

The salamander is a popular motif in Catalonian art. This particular salamander, the work of the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudì, graces Güell Park in Barcelona. Güell Park was designed and built from 1900 to 1914. It was originally supposed to be a housing development with homes designed by architect Antoni Gaudì. Because it was too avant-garde for the day, the project was abandoned, but the site and its landscaping were bequeathed to the City of Barcelona by the Guëll family.

Gaudì’s salamander is situated in a stairway. The multi-coloured salamander symbolizes the diversity of Catalonia’s culture and the rich biodiversity of its landscapes, which spill down from the mountains to the sea in a complex mosaic of greens, reds, yellows and blues.

For a description of the art of Mosaiculture and of the Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal competition, please turn to the first photo in this series at:

www.ipernity.com/doc/jonathan.cohen/33872015