Finding its inspiration in a Medieval text in which animals speak and demand interspecies justice, the installation Bestiari by Carlos Casas creates an environment inhabited by the sounds and images of creatures from the natural and imaginary landscapes of Catalonia to reflect upon the relationship between humans and animals. 

In this seminar, we will delve into the contents of a project that seeks hope in our current world by placing emphasis on the similarities that unite past and present, exploring the role of the unconscious in ecology, and offering ways to connect with other life forms and ways of doing things.

5:00pm-6:45pm - The wild sounds of Catalonia. Natural parks and sound ecology

Biologists, natural scientists, and activists exchange knowledge about the current conditions of fauna in Catalonia’s Natural Parks and discuss how sound recordings can be a way to create closer ties with natural diversity. With Ponç Feliu, Eloïsa Matheu, and Taime Smit, we will discuss interspecies communication, a fundamental topic when it comes to finding new ways of understanding nature. Moderated by: Pol Capdevila.

7pm-8:45pm - Bestiari. Tradition, nature, technology, and sound art

Technology can help us create new ways of understanding nature. Specialists in the crossroads between art and science, Carlos Casas and Pol Capdevila will discuss the possibilities sound art offers to open our perception to new languages with musician, writer, curator, and sound artist David Toop.

As the exhibition Bestiari, curated by Filipa Ramos and presented by the Institut Ramon Llull, is part of the participation of Catalan culture in the Venice Art Biennial 2024, this seminar is organised within the framework of the public programme for this project, headed by Pol Capdevila. 

Organised by: Institut Ramon Llull. In collaboration with: Pompeu Fabra University and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN).