THE THIRD
MALLORCAN DRY STONE
WALLING WORKSHOP
JUNE 28 - JULY 2, 2010

TO REGISTER CLICK HERE

In September 2007 a Dry Stone Walling Workshop took place in the village of Deia on the island of Mallorca. Thirty-six participants, men and women from America and Europe, guided by six Mallorcan mason-instructors from Artifex Balear, a stonemasonry and stone carving school on the island, successfully completed the technically demanding repair of a tall, curving retaining wall in the local style. We also dismantled and rebuilt a free-standing boundary wall and built a ramp &ndash all on land owned by the village.

The experience was greatly enjoyed by the workshop participants and appreciated by the village, and villagers, of Deia.

So much so that the mayor of Deia, Jaume Crespi, the Director of Artifex Balear, Miguel Ramis, and Tomas Lipps, representing the Stone Foundation, agreed to organize more workshops there in the future. A project in the village was designated: the construction &ndash in traditional Mallorcan style walling &ndash of a small public park overlooking the sea.

In September 2009 the Second Mallorcan Dry Stone Walling Workshop was held and the first of several planned walls was made. For photos of this workshop, click here

There will be five days of active, communal stonework, with explanation and instruction in the local style provided. On the sixth day a tour of the stonework of the island will be arranged.

Mallorca is noted for its remarkable stonework spanning 4,000 years of the island's history. Megalithic, Roman, Moorish, Medieval and the stonework of more recent times are there to be seen and appreciated. A visit to Mallorca is in itself an education. Some of the finest dry stone walls to be found are in the environs of the village of Deia and the neighboring towns of Soller and Valledemossa in the mountainous Sierra Tramontana area which is veined with dry stone walking trails.

Workshop participants may wish to schedule more time in Mallorca after the workshop and tour. They can use this time for further touring or more walling work.

Deia is a village of stone houses nestled at the center of a valley articulately terraced with stone from the seacoast to the mountain tops. Though a village, it is also a cosmopolitan community with a variety of cafes, bars and restaurants in which the workshop participants can gather and engage in informal discourse.

The stonework of Mallorca and the neighboring island of Minorca can be seen on the Tektonika Gallery page at this website. A PDF of articles by MIguel Ramis and Tomas Lipps can be accessed HERE.

The registration fee is 200 Euros for Europeans or $200 US for those traveling from the US or Canada. This includes a mid-morning snack and a hearty lunch with wine or beer each workday.

Registrants will be assisted in finding economically priced lodging in the village and a campsite will be made available. Palma, the capital city of Mallorca, has an international airport. It can also be reached by ferry from major ports on the continent. Detailed information on local travel and accommodation will be made available on request.

(p.s. It is only a 15 &ndash 20 minute walk from the village to the rocky seacoast and a fishermans' cove with restaurants and cafes; and figs, some of the world's finest will be ripe when the Workshop/Symposium occurs.)

TO REGISTER CLICK HERE