NICHE'S SCULPTURE, CALI-COLOMBIA/ PART 1 Pantoja Arquitectos unveiled on December 25th, 2015 the work ‘’NICHE’’, a monument as a tribute to the ‘’chocoano’’ Jairo Varela. The famous musician from Cali has been the driving force behind the group Niche, and gave an identity to the Salsa of Cali. His band easily could meet with international orchestras within the genre. The sculpture at the small square Jairo Varela, in the center of Cali, portrays the identity and talent of Jairo Varela, it objectified as a sign that is 10 meters high displaying the word ‘’Niche’’ in galvanized steel, painted with gold synthetic enamel. The wind, trumpets, and trombones were the inspiration for the typography, as they are considered essential musical elements in the style of Grupo Niche, summit work of Varela. A line of lights surrounds each letter resembling the aesthetic of the signs of concert, bars and night clubs. Inside of each ‘’bell’’ at the feet of the letters, audio-recordings are played. The compositions of the group that is displayed, are divided into three sections: rhythm, harmony and melody, and the these three are played in the bell of the letter N. All people, music lovers and scholars or casual pedestrians, are invited to move closer to the musical legacy of Jairo Varela and the group, as the sculpture is celebrating the songs that have been part of the sonorous scenery of the city of Cali since the beginning of the 80’s. The audio design of the songs played in the sculpture required the participation and collaboration of the members of the current Grupo Niche, and of its musical director, José Aguirre. The musicians recorded songs like ‘’Cali Pachanguero’’ exclusively for the art-work, to create the single musical tracks. The aural relationship between the public and the compositions is realized by an endless amount of phrases played from the internal surface of the bells, fragments that, as a whole, represent Jairo Varela’s art and the idiosyncrasy of the Colombia southwest.