KALEIDOSCOPIO
(from the Greek kalós: beautiful, éidos: image, and scopéo: to observe)

The proposal presented here seeks to restore for the new Museum the image that once framed the Almacén de Abastos (Supply Warehouse) —that of an environment free from the obstacles of fortifications that once rose along the present-day Compañía del Mar Street and the northern waterfront of the Almina of Ceuta.

With this giant kaleidoscope—here spelled with a “K” in reference to kalós, its Greek root—we introduce into the eastern access courtyard of the museum a slightly distorted image of sky reflections, the seafront, the horizon… a warped reference to what this place might once have been, and which today we can hardly see.

The proposal addresses the need to preserve a spatial and visual protection area around this BIC (Bien de Interés Cultural, or Asset of Cultural Interest), enhancing the existing relationship with the fortifications in this part of the Almina. We restore the continuity of the paving of the open space in front of the Almacén de Abastos, just as it was until the late 19th century, and highlight the terrace where the old Abastos Battery once stood. Today, it is a perfect vantage point to view the port and understand the relationship that existed between the Almacén de Abastos and other nearby fortifications.