The mermaid of Pere Jou recovers its original condition
The mythical and emblematic sculpture of La Sirena, a work by Pere Jou and which was completed in 1965, is already ready to look like in its origins. The restoration carried out on the initiative of the Council of Culture of the City Council and the Consortium of Heritage of Sitges has allowed to recover a work that had suffered the effects of the corrosion, caused by its location near the sea. The sculpture is currently at Can Falç, which has provisionally been adapted as a restoration workshop to carry out this action and will move in the next weeks to its current location: La Punta breakwater.
The restoration was intended to stabilize the piece and recover its original spirit. The process began with a desalination of the work and continued with a profound and exhaustive cleaning of the sculpture, to eliminate soluble salts and acquired impurities: from chewing gums to graffitis, including all kinds of microorganisms. The task has included a stabilization of the metal, with an inhibitory treatment, as well as actions of reintegration and protection in its surface. The restoration was carried out by Mamen Fradera, a professional with a broad curriculum vitae in the recovery of sculptures of heritage and artistic value, under the supervision of Pep Pascual, restorer of the Museums of Sitges.
The sculpture had its layer markedly damaged. Its location, accessible to the people - although for years it was on a pedestal in the Ribera - made it excessively vulnerable and object of continuous wear. In addition, the effects of the sea, humidity and the marine spray had generated enriched concretions of salts that were deposited in the interior and that consequently provoked corrosion.
Pere Jou started making La Sirena in 1955, when he modeled it in plaster. When the sculptor died, in 1964, a group of intellectuals from Sitges promoted a popular subscription, which allowed to cast the bronze piece for its subsequent installation, under the Punta. For decades, La Sirena is one of the most emblematic sculptures in Sitges.
The restoration of La Sirena is part of the plan of the Department of Culture and the Consortium of the Heritage of Sitges to recover heritage sculptures located at public thoroughfares. Last year, the restoration and preventive action of the monument was carried out. Robert (Josep Reynés, 1907), in the Town Hall square, and the same will soon be done with the archangel of the Casa Lola Anglada, also in the Town Hall square, one of the buildings that are part of the complex of Maricel. The plan also includes the improvement of the plates of the prizes of Corpus flower carpets competitions that exist in various buildings in the center of the town.