Anoxia occurs when a lack of oxygen is detected in the cells or tissues of an organism. It happens, for example, when an excess of agricultural fertilizers and livestock waste degrades the quality of water, as occurred in 2021 in the Mar Menor. That episode of anoxia triggered the death of thousands of fish and crustaceans. Now, artist Fito Conesa (Cartagena, 1980) has chosen this phenomenon as a starting point for the conception of the three-act opera Anoxia, a constant prelude, which proposes different approaches to the current problems of the Mediterranean Sea. On the one hand, it brings us closer to ecosystem degradation and imminent ecocide; on the other hand, it depicts the network of toll roads that large cruise ships trace over the seagrasses; and, finally, it is also a song that addresses the viewer and brings them closer to a present situation of consequences already known but poorly managed.
On Saturday, April 13, at 7 p.m., the Lo Pati Art Center in Amposta will host a performative concert, with a simultaneous projection, featuring Fito Conesa and singer Claudia Schneider, a regular collaborator of Carles Santos. The piece includes musicalized poems mixed with Conesa’s own footage and archive images. All of them reflect the relentless exploitation of the Mediterranean by humans: beaches overflowing, giant hotels by the sea, cruise ships, and fishing boats hard at work.
Anoxia. A constant prelude won the 9th edition of the Videocreation Award, a co-production between Territorial Centers of the Public System of Visual Arts Facilities of Catalonia: ACVic Contemporary Arts Center (Vic); Bòlit, Contemporary Art Center. Girona; Fabra i Coats: Barcelona Contemporary Art Center; M|A|C Mataró Contemporary Art; Mèdol – Contemporary Arts Center of Tarragona; La Panera Art Center (Lleida); Lo Pati Art Center Terres de l’Ebre (Amposta); and Tecla Sala Art Center (L’Hospitalet de Llobregat), in addition to Santa Mònica, the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and LOOP Barcelona.
Fito Conesa is an artist and programmer. He graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona. His works have been exhibited in various museums and festivals, such as the Oslo Screen Festival 2010, LOOP Barcelona Fair 2009-2012, International Poetry Festival of Barcelona, Cultural Center of Spain in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Matadero Madrid, and CaixaForum (Lleida, Tarragona, Barcelona).
Claudia Schneider holds a degree in Architecture from the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Barcelona. At the same time, she studied music at the Marshall Academy of Barcelona. She has paid special attention to the world of contemporary opera, where she has premiered works by Carles Santos. In her life, she develops her two passions, singing and architecture, with the same strength and dedication.
