Special Envoy to Tokyo
Updated:05/08/2021 01:25h
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Santiago Varela (Madrid, 1968) walks through a gigantic warehouse located under the imposing bleachers of the Tokyo equestrian park. It’s sweltering heat and a leaden sky, threatening a storm. Dressage riders are competing on the track. The 53 obstacles which will be used later, in the jumping events, are carefully placed in the warehouse, as if they were on display in a museum. Santiago’s team is busy putting the finishing touches on them. The sculptures that hold the slats dive deep into Japanese culture: there are the kabuki theater masks, traditional fans, the Hachiko dog, a samurai, chopsticks, a sumo wrestler, Mount Fuji, a flamenco dancer … A dancer
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