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"I like to create things. Imagining them differently than they are."
Manuel María Salazar Lozano, the man from Valladolid who rethought the banks of the Urumea River
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We reproduce below the interview of Begoña del Teso in the Diario Vasco to student of Tecnun, Manu Salazar.
"Simanquino. From where the file General, that bishop Acuña -commoner who fought for Queen Juana- and the church of El Salvador, Gothic with Renaissance reminiscences and Romanesque tower. His sister Camino recently got married there. His brother, Mariano, is also an engineer. Manuel uses a longboard skateboard as a means of transportation around the city. He is studying Product Engineering at the University of Navarra design and development .
Sometimes you've used skateboarding for more than just saving your bus fare or Mugi. I know.
So, did they tell you the story of when I rode down the Lighthouse road hooked to a motorcycle?
I heard about it, yes. You would wear a helmet, at least.
Of course. And the bike, a scooter, was driven by a good friend of mine, Alvaro Vilallonga, who is no longer with us and who was a very good rider.
It was great, yes. What do you remember about that experience?
For the record, we chose an hour with little traffic and went slowly. But I remember the feeling of... speed, freedom and adrenaline. Of vertigo. The curves. And the sea on the other side of the parapet. Down there.
You will have to explain now that 'the man from Valladolid who rethought the bank of the Urumea'.
First, let it be clear that I did not rethink it alone, but with colleagues.
Done. Continued.
If I have chosen the specialization program of design and development of Products is, precisely, because I like to (re)create things. Imagining them differently from the way they are. We participated in an Innovation contest organized by the Donosti City Council and, yes, we presented an idea to change the Urumea riverbank. To make, in a way, almost like a promenade, something that made you think of La Concha, so that people could walk, entertain themselves, rest and never lose the contact with the river.
You approached him after a Regatta Sunday at La Concha.
I'm from a place with a river, don't forget that. The Pisuerga passes through Simancas but yes, I found it such a fascinating spectacle that I decided (a few of us decided) to form a rowing club at Tecnun. Mobile bank. There we are. It is a marvel to row on the river. In the autumn sunsets, for example. Besides, you can't deny that rowing is a very, very collegiate sport.
The Oxford-Cambridge Regatta! On the Thames. Since 1856, although the first one was held in 1829.
The next one will be on April 7. 83 times Cambridge has won. 80 Oxford.
You also have (have) formed a photography club at your Colegio Mayor Ayete.
Why not? I like to act as a photographer at seminars, lectures, conferences, and studio meetings. At first I would shoot as soon as the session started. But I gradually realized that it wasn't a good idea.
Why?
Because I caught the participants when they were still nervous, still uncomfortable; when they had not yet taken hold of the audience. I have learned to wait. To wait for them to launch the first joke, to be at ease, in good communication with people.
Self-taught?
Yes, it is. A lot of internet tutorials. Because suddenly I had to teach the first notions of photography to the new members of the club. Quite a responsibility, don't believe it.
I can imagine, I can imagine. And that Marxian/Martian story of buying (many) alarm clocks?
We embarked on a campaign to reduce the use of cell phones. In the common areas of Colegio Mayor. We urged colleagues to leave them on a dedicated locker when they went to the conference room living room or dining room. It went well. We thought about also convincing them to disconnect them at bedtime, but....
What?
Many claimed that they used them as an alarm clock.
And they weren't lying.
Not at all; but then we came up with what we told above, we bought a lot of alarm clocks and gave them to everyone who was agreement to leave their cell phones at night at locker.
Did it go well?
Quite a lot. We are now trying to create a series of incentives to further reduce their use.
Incentives?
Like the French company that offered its employees reductions in workshop, days off or more vacation as they ceased to be mobile.
I wonder if you don't have something against new technologies.
Me? In the 2nd year of high school program I got involved in a story about making older people understand the use of cell phones and the Internet. I am an engineer. From design, but an engineer. I need technology to create.