This past month was filled with special events surrounding Halloween, but this story has more to do with the history of Las Catalinas, the ocean before us, and a work of art brought to Town through the efforts of Estudio Rambar. This sculpture brings art and nature together through a story woven into the beginnings of Las Catalinas.
Artist Ángel Lara V. was inspired by a story woven into the beginnings of Las Catalinas. Long before Las Catalinas became the Town we know today, the Brewer family visited this stretch of coastline and encountered sea turtles hatching, a moment that felt like a sign. Estudio Rambar’s website describes it as a “beautiful sign of life, growth, and new opportunities.”
Taking this story as his starting point, the artist created a sculpture from 3 mm thick stainless steel. Named Julieta, this large turtle gazes toward the balcony of Casa Brewer, paying tribute to a moment of discovery and the promise of new beginnings. It is a piece that comes alive and takes on deeper meaning when you understand its story. Its placement becomes part of that meaning, connecting the visible with the invisible, drawing a thread through time that reaches back more than twenty years.
Another fascinating detail lies in the material itself. The sculpture is a collage of metal pieces left over from other monuments the artist created throughout Costa Rica. Somehow, knowing this makes you wonder how a single work of art can also be a whole system of connections. Returning to Julieta’s starting point, you begin to think about how many things had to come together for Las Catalinas to come to life. How this piece connects to the ocean and its surroundings. And then, how it all connects to you, the person standing before it, now seeing it with a fuller understanding of its story.
While the sight of sea turtles hatching once signaled a new beginning, this turtle now stands as a testament to what can come to life when we choose to believe in a dream and an idea. It is a story that ultimately led to so many others, including those we share here in The Daily, because it is part of how Las Catalinas itself came to be.
We encourage everyone to visit Julieta, and perhaps, if we let our imaginations stretch a little, an encounter with her could become your own “sea turtles hatching” moment, offering a little encouragement wherever you might need it today.