Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

7 P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches Speech XXIX Next year, when the dawn of the 30th commemoration of our Awards appears on the horizon, we look upon this Award ceremony with renewed hopes and deep satisfaction thanks to the shining path travelled thus far. A course that is far from easy, forged with great effort day by day so as to recognize and extol, as we do today, the work and life of personalities and institutions from all over the world with careers and traditions that have remained impervious to passing fancies. These were often embarked upon alone, overcoming major obstacles with scant means. This brings to mind the biblical proverb that humility always precedes glory. Our Laureates are, for this reason, suprememodels of effort, sacrifice, intelligence, nobleness, of the spirit to excel and of such qualities that dignify human beings. From this beautiful, refined city of Oviedo, from this beloved land of Asturias, our Awards have, year after year, expressed before the international community Spain’s firm commitment to the values that ennoble and exalt our lives and provide essential support and guidelines in such intense and difficult times as these, when we find ourselves at a crossroads of opportunity and hope. When we reflect, as often we do, on the path that our Awards have forged, when we think about their future, both our commitment to protecting their independence and our loyalty to their calling grow. Likewise, our faith in their future is enhanced, since “good works never cease”, as Unamuno so wisely cautioned us. This being the case, it is inevitable that the word gratitude resound this evening from the bottom of our hearts to those who, over so many years, have made the great work of the Foundation possible, and who so generously encourage and assist us. This gratitude, full of admiration, also goes out to the people and institutions who today are receiving our Awards. They all embody, here on this stage, our best wishes, our principles, our belief that culture is a true reflection of the intellectual, aesthetic and moral development of human beings. Our affection also goes out to the thousands of people of Asturias and from other parts of Spain and even to the many from abroad who accompany us in the engarlanded streets and balconies of this city, to make this day a great celebration —unique in the world— of culture and of concord. Together, we have all managed to turn something that started out as a dream and a beautiful, courageous initiative, into a fruitful and promising reality in the present. In this reality, the figure of Sabino Fernández Campo, our beloved Sabino, is ever present. From here, I send him our most heartfelt regards full of personal affection and gratitude, sentiments felt by us all. I would now like to devote a few words to the Laureates of this edition of the Awards, since this is their ceremony. Sir Norman Foster, Laureate for the Arts, is rightly considered one of the greatest architects of the global era for having created a style of architecture that is ahead of its time, full of imagination and committed to the new technologies, aesthetic adventure and the environment. As the Award Jury has highlighted, his work is a masterly combination of quality, intellectual reflection and a dialogue between territories and their citizens via an original command of space, light and matter. His projects —of unmistakeable personality, as well as the fruit of his study of history, in other words, of his respect for the vitality, force and value of the best of the past— innovatively combine both utility and beauty. They comprise a style of architecture that proves to be delicate and rotund, poetic and modern, free and transparent; that courageously defies convention… an ode to the opportunities and challenges of a career crafted of passion and tireless effort. This creativity, all this passion for beauty and his efforts in the service of human beings constitute “Spain has more than shown in recent decades how to overcome challenges in an exemplary way.” Watch video