* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
The Bellaterra Columns are a sculptural work created by the artist Andreu Alfaro Hernández in 1999. It is located at the south entrance of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) campus.
But, in Las Fotos de los Lectores de La Vanguardia we ask ourselves: what do these columns mean?… Well, they represent the desire for knowledge, freedom of expression, cultural identity and solidarity.
It is the “most outstanding monument of the campus and an identity symbol of the university since its inauguration in 1999”, according to the UAB.
The Bellaterra Columns are four reddish granite sculptures that twist and stretch simultaneously looking for the sky, as can be seen in the photographs.
The columns take off between 25 and 40 meters and are in the middle of a green area. They are accompanied by various stone plaques on which the names of all the universities of the Xarxa Vives d’Universitats are inscribed.
This work is a symbol that looks to the future and lays the foundations for the durability of the union between the Catalan university community and the inseparable relationships between nature, science, art and identity, according to the artist’s project.