The work also makes the giants and big-head figures easier to transport and handle, while providing greater stability and safety during their movements and dances. Carlos Lacaba, a porter with the Giants and Big-Head Figures Troupe who is responsible for maintaining and inspecting the equipment, explains that the renovation and reproduction of the bodies was carried out by artist Joaquín Macipe, who is based in Ariño and has experience creating giants, big-head figures and other figures, as well as in sculpture and painting.
Macipe scaled the bodies and created molds for the arms and hands to adapt them to the giants. The new elements incorporate materials such as polyester resin and fiberglass-reinforced Jesmonite. The jewelry worn by the figures, including rings, necklaces and other adornments, was made by Teresa Fabregat, who carried out the work free of charge.
NEW MATERIALS TO REDUCE WEIGHT
The main transformation affects the bodies, which until now had been made from traditional papier-mâché or falla cardboard, consisting of successive layers of paper and cardboard held together with glue. This material, used in Teruel’s giants since the beginning of the last century, has been replaced by a polystyrene structure that gives the figures their shape and is covered with polyester resin and fiberglass for added strength.
The arms have also been renewed using the original molds and are made from polyester resin and fiberglass. The hands incorporate fiberglass-reinforced Jesmonite, a material that gives these pieces greater strength, particularly because they are especially exposed to knocks during transportation.
“First of all, we achieved a reduction in weight, although it is not particularly significant, and it is noticeable when carrying and transporting them,” Lacaba says. The renovation has also made it possible to replace the movable arms with rigid elements and design hands that can be easily attached and removed to protect them during transportation.
Another change affects the system used to secure the heads, which was previously positioned on the chest and back and is now located on the sides. This modification provides greater rigidity and stability to the whole structure, integrating the movable parts and making it easier to carry the figures during dances. In addition, the new system reduces the risk of a piece coming loose during movement and improves safety.
TERUEL’S CULTURAL HERITAGE
Teruel’s councillor for Festivals and Tourism, Eduardo Suárez, highlights the outcome of the renovation and the value of the city’s Giants and Big-Head Figures Troupe as part of its heritage.
“Our Giants and Big-Head Figures Troupe is a major part of our city’s cultural, artistic, musical and ethnographic heritage,” Suárez says, recalling the connection between these figures and several generations of Teruel residents. “Who didn’t run in front of the Green Louse as a child, or watch the Gypsy Man and Gypsy Woman dance?” he asks.
