The Cantabria Cave Art Centre is located on the north face of Monte Castillo in Puente Viesgo, one of the most important Palaeolithic art sites on the Cantabrian Corniche. Conditioned by the uneven terrain and the brief, the building designed by Sukunfuku Studio comprises three volumes—reception and services, exhibition area, and restricted zone—distributed around a central courtyard. The main building materials are concrete, limestone and glass, deliberately chosen to integrate into the surrounding landscape and open outwards to the natural environment.
Created with the aim of enhancing the region’s cultural attractions through its exceptional Palaeolithic heritage, the centre is designed as an information and reception space for visitors keen to learn about the local caves that contain examples of Palaeolithic art. Ten of those caves are designated UNESCO world heritage sites.
In keeping with the mission to publicise Cantabria’s prehistoric past and establish a parallel with other Palaeolithic sites in Europe, the contents of the permanent exhibition at the centre contextualise this period. Paintings made with natural pigments from the third and final phase of the period are found in abundance on shelters and inside, as well as other manifestations such as small objects carved out of bone, deer antler and stone. The museographic installation, designed by Blank Exhibitions and spread across three halls, centres around key questions prompted by Palaeolithic art (What is it? Who made it? When was it made? Where is it located? How and why was it made?) and aims to transport visitors to the daily and momentous context in which these very first artistic manifestations in the history of humankind emerged.
Empty carried out the material execution of the entire museographic project: exhibition architecture and mounts, scenographies—most notably specially commissioned large-format illustrations—audiovisual and interactive contents, reproductions and replicas, signage, and graphic elements. The centre pays particular attention to accessibility aspects and the graphic elements designed by Empty therefore included audio, easy-reading and Braille versions of the exhibition texts, plus tactile reproductions.
