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Councillors Teresa Porras and Carlos Conde presented the beach name letters in Malaga last Friday.
Giant Costa del Sol beach name letters spark debate: El Palo or Er Paro?

Giant Costa del Sol beach name letters spark debate: El Palo or Er Paro?

The large sculptural letters, which cost 5,900 euros each, have caused some confusion due to the shape of the 'L'

Francisco Jiménez

Malaga

Tuesday, 21 March 2023, 14:19

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The large three-dimensional sculptural letters that have stood on Malaga’s El Palo beach for a few days, similar to those that have been on the Malagueta, Misericordia and El Dedo beaches for five years, aspire to become a new "artistic icon" and a "reference", according to the City Council, which is even going to organise a photography contest with the huge beach name as the main feature.

But for now, it is being done with a certain trepidation on account of the shape of the two letters 'L' that make up the composition. As they are wider at the top, there are many people who liken them to an 'r' and have already begun to rename the popular Malaga beach as Er Paro.

There are also those who wonder if both letters had been placed backwards by mistake, after the lettering was quickly covered again after its presentation on Friday. But no, it remains partially covered because the installation has not yet been finished. And no, they are not upside down, as the beaches department points out, arguing that they are "artistic letters".

The author of the work is Jonathan Pizarro, an artist based in Seville who remained as the only bidder in the public contest called by the council after the offer from Idecua Arte Urbano, which is the company of the sculptor Machú Harras from Malaga, was excluded. Harras designed the three large beach name signs that already exist on the Malaga coast because the requirement of delivering a scale model was not met in his proposal.

The artist's original model of the designs.
The artist's original model of the designs. SUR

The contract to name the beaches of El Palo and San Andrés was awarded for a total amount of 88,570.31 euros which, divided between the 15 letters that add up to both ornamental pieces, gives a final price of 5,904.68 euros for each letter.

Although they are by different artists, the specifications established that the sculptural letters should be similar in their composition, shape and appearance to those that already exist on other beaches in the city, and should be in tune with and integrated into the environment.

Regarding the dimensions, the City Council set a height of between 1.8 and 2.6 metres, a width of between 0.5 and 1.10 metres and a depth that should also range between 0.5 and 1.1 metres.

The letters are made of an iron structure covered with shotcrete, modelled and textured with a sandy finish in the colour of the surrounding sand, forming a solid and stable unit.

There are currenlty plans in the pipeline to launch a photography contest through social media networks, asking for residents and visitors to participate by photographing this new icon of the eastern coast of the city.

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