








The aim of the project is that the river Besòs become an important element of connection between the fluvial, social, econòmic, natural ecosystems to bring more sustainability to the city of Barcelona, ceasing to be a natural border between city and its suburbs.
The project show how the interaction between the city and the river, human being and nature, is recursive, in progress; in this concept of transformation, in which the shape of things changes, the water of the river as a mysterious, perpetual, primordial element, allows the mixing and fusion of parts apparently foreign to each other, acting as a binder and a place where build new relationships. The city and the river have become an organism, an ecosystem in itself showing the surprisingly large capacity of nature, to recombine evolving structures and processes, to be resilient, of enduring perturbations by the complexity of human impacts.
The study and exploration of the Besòs river is refined through collaborations with UAB (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) and the Urbanism Department at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB/UPC). Scientific researchers have been studying the Besòs ecosystem and encountered a powerful bacterium that contributes to the destruction of toxic elements within its waters. This bacterium’s only other known home is the Mississippi River in the United States. The constant conversation and interaction with UAB’s scientists, who contributed to these findings and are currently studying its possible future applications, have been key to the strong scientific component of Duae’s artistic investigations.
The project was developed in various phases with the support of different festivals, entities and curators. This aspect of sharing between these different agents, has meant that the project could be developed on several levels in order to make all the disciplines and languages harmoniously dialogue.
Curators: Virgilio Ferreira , Krzysztof Candrowicz, Arianna Rinaldo.
Festival, Exhibition:
Museum für Völkerkunde Hamburg,
Espai Zero, Centro de Arte Contemporaneo Barcelona,
Biennal of Photography, Porto
Centre Civic Baro de Viver, Barcelona
Museo do Douro, Porto.
2017-2019
Year
Besos: A Noble Ecosystem is a multidisciplinary and partecipatory project, and an exchange of knowledge between art, ecology, science, that focusing on urban sustainability.
The project is part of the European Escape program promoted and developed by CICLO Platform of Photography (Portugal) and Triennial of Photography Hamburg. The 2-year program coordinated by Virgílio Ferreira, Krzysztof Candrowicz and Christian Barbe addresses ways in which artistic practice can foster discussion of sustainable cultures and environmental issues.
10 artists: Cláudio Reis, Constanze Flamme, DUAE Collective (Luna Coppola and Silvia Campidelli), Jayne Dyer, Lisa Hoffmann, Marco Caterini and Pawel Kowalski.
3 Workshops: Amsterdam (Unseen), Porto, Hamburg (Triennal of Photography Hamburg).
Supported by: Triennial of Photography Hamburg, Bienal'19 Fotografia D' Oporto, Centre d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona - Fabra i Coats, ICUB Institut de Cultura Ayuntamiento de Barcelona - Generalitat de Catalunya, LFI-Leica Fotografie International, Bienal Ciutat i Ciencia Barcelona, UAB Universidad Autonoma Barcelona, UPC Politecnico de Catalunya
BESÒS:A NOBLE ECOSYSTEM
A River Runs Through It.
by Arianna Rinaldo
[...] 'Ecosystem’ is one of those well-known words we learn at school, referring to an interconnected network where biological elements share a balanced living environment; an interdependent community in which all components interact and influence each other.
Duae Collective (Silvia Campidelli / Luna Coppola) has been exploring and studying the river Besòs and its surroundings for two years, investigating its natural, urban and social ecosystem: an ongoing artistic research that has created a vast archive of aspects of the river that refer to its history, its biology and its existence within the city environment.
A river running through a city can reveal the secrets of nature’s laws to its inhabitants and create a link to the biological and organic flow of life that can be profoundly