The coastal lagoon in Mar Menor, protected on the international, regional, and national level, constitutes one of the richest environmental enclaves in southern Europe. The environment’s biodiversity is characterised by rich flora and fauna, mixed with the mild climate and certain idiosyncrasy which is strongly marked by the salt flats, the traditional fishing, and the hot springs that emerged from peaceful and shallow waters.
These factors, are not just behind Mar Menor’s remarkable nature, but also behind one of the greatest tourist booms on the Mediterranean coast. Since the mid-20th century, the urban pressure and overexploitation of resources, along with an increase in the amount of waste produced by agriculture and mining, led the lagoon to an alarming state of deterioration. The destruction of ecosystems and soil contamination shows how severe this situation is, which has also started to threaten the future of human activities in the region. Just as it was revealed after 2019’s devastating floods, the Anthropocene era, a metaphor of human’s footprint on the planet, strongly shows its effects in Mar Menor.
Reset Mar Menor, through installations and scheduled activities, gathers both results and processes of many artistic researches, that after two years of development, have proposed to collectively rethink the territory’s identity, known as a common good. It has united artists, scientist, and civil society organizations who understand the intersection between the visual arts and other disciplines in order to trigger the thought, the action, and the creation of alternative narratives.
Venue: CCCC Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània (Valencia, Spain)
Dates: 28.10.2020 – 10.1.2021
Curator: María Ptqk
Research Directors: Clara Boj and Pedro Ortuño
Artists: Irma Arribas (ES), Clara Boj and Diego Díaz (ES), Julio Daniel Suarez (ES), boredomresearch (UK), Laboratorio de Luz (ES), Jesus Nieto (ES), Pedro Ortuño (ES), Christina Stadlbauer (AU), Paul Sermon, Jeremiah Ambrose & Charlotte Gould (UK), Aurora Alcaide (ES), Isabelle Carbonell (USA), Salvi Vivancos (ES)
Organized by: Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana and G.I. Arte and Identity Policies of the University of Murcia.
A project by: G.I. Arte and Identity Policies of the University of Murcia and EcosisCOST Research Group for Ecology and Management of Coastal Marine Ecosystems of the University of Murcia with the support of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation.
The project “BITE of Art” is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
