Instituto Cervantes London collaborates with the V&A East Storehouse to celebrate Spain’s National Day, presenting a cultural programme centred around the carved wooden ceiling from the Palace of Torrijos.
The programme 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 among diverse communities—particularly 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.
Filmmaker Manu Valcarce will present his short documentary Crossing Borders.
Synopsis
Across Mexico, thousands of Central American migrants attempt to cross the country by travelling on La Bestia, a freight train notorious for its deadly risks. Many are fleeing poverty, violence, and persecution in their home countries, hoping to reach the United States.
The journey is marked by extreme danger. Migrants ride atop moving trains, exposed to harsh weather and the constant risk of falling—leading to countless deaths and injuries. Beyond physical threats, they face organized crime networks that exploit their vulnerability through extortion, kidnapping, and abuse, as well as raids and checkpoints by immigration authorities.
Populist and far-right movements have portrayed migration in highly negative and divisive terms, using rhetoric that fuels fear, xenophobia, and the notion of an existential threat to national identity. Media outlets, driven by ratings and sensationalism, often perpetuate these stereotypes, reducing migrants to statistics and stripping them of their humanity.
The perilous journey on La Bestia serves as a stark reminder of the injustices that compel people to take such risks. This film seeks to reclaim the human stories behind these dehumanised narratives, recognising that each migrant carries a story of hope, struggle, and the pursuit of a life lived with dignity.
