Instituto Cervantes London collaborates with V&A East Storehouse to celebrate Spain’s National Day by organizing a cultural program around the carved wooden ceiling from the Palace of Torrijos. The program includes a day of talks, workshops, pop-up performances, and a classical music concert.
V&A East Storehouse aims to activate the ceiling as a point of connection between past and present, and between diverse communities—especially the Spanish and Latin American populations of East London.
The Torrijos ceiling is one of five large-scale objects being unveiled to the public. Through the lens of the “Torrijos ceiling,” we seek to explore the multicultural stories embedded in this exceptional 15th-century Spanish ceiling, now part of the V&A collection, and the dynamic cultural exchanges that shaped it.
Activities
Living Geometry: Carpentry Workshop and Puzzle Room
With master artisans Ángel Martín López (Spain), Paul Rigo (Ireland), and Alyaa El Gamal (Egypt).
Pattern as Memory: Geometric Design
Drop-in creative workshops exploring geometric design with contemporary artist Sara Choudhrey.
Preparing for Other Worlds – Performance by Inés Cardó
Cardó’s work blends performance, installation, and visual storytelling to explore memory, cultural identity, and alternate worlds, transforming the storehouse into a reflective and immersive space.
Screening of Crossing Borders by Manu Valcarce
Through his lens, Valcarce brings audiences stories of migration, resilience, and human connection, linking the historical encounters of the ceiling with today’s social and cultural narratives.
We Drink from Happiness by Fran Gómez de Villaboa
Villaboa’s work examines identity, fashion, and cultural expression, creating visual narratives that reflect the complexity and hybridity of Mudejar ceilings, making historical textures resonate in contemporary life.
Collection Stories
Join expert Anna McSweeney and curator Mariam Rosser-Owen for an intimate behind-the-scenes tour. Explore objects related to Islamic-Spanish histories, including Nasrid combs, inlaid chests, textiles, and ceiling panels.
Palace Songbook by Katerina García
A singer of Spanish and Sephardic descent, García will present a selection of songs from the Cancionero del Palacio (15th–16th centuries), along with traditional Sephardic songs (in Ladino) preserved in the Moroccan diaspora. Weaving history and voice, her performance connects audiences to the cultural exchanges of medieval Iberia through the stories conveyed in music.
Queerolé by Patricia Longa
This session revives the queer and multicultural legacies of flamenco. Echoing the Torrijos ceiling, it transforms erased histories into living spaces for reflection on memory, identity, and resilience, inviting participants to connect through dialogue, movement, and embodied heritage.