barcelona opera house reopens with a concert for more than 2,000 plants

following the COVID-19 lockdowns, barcelona’s el liceu opera house has reopened with a concert to an audience of 2,292 potted plants. created by spanish conceptual artist eugenio ampudia, the concert for the biocene saw the UceLi string quartet perform ‘crisantemi’ by puccini as a response to ampudia’s quarantine time which allowed him to build a greater connection with nature.

screenshots from the above video by LiceuOperaBarcelona

‘I watched what was going on with nature during all this time,’ comments eugenio ampudia on the inspiration of the artwork. ‘I heard many more birds singing. and the plants in my garden and outside growing faster. and, without a doubt, I thought that maybe I could now relate in a much more intimate way with people and nature.’

the concert for the biocene was born from a collaborative initiative between barcelona’s el liceu opera house together with max estrella gallery and curator blanca de la torre. it was like ‘a visual poem, both a subtle metaphor but one which makes us smile,’ said the liceu’s artistic director victor garcia de gomar. the performance continues with the dialogue between the opera house and the arts that garcia de gomar wants to develop within his artistic project and the prelude to a 2020/21 season full of synergies and encounters between different artistic disciplines.

once the concert was over, the plants were subsequently delivered to 2,292 health professionals, specifically from the clínic de barcelona hospital, accompanied by a certificate from the artist. if you missed the livestream presentation, you can watch it again on the above video and make sure you share it with your plants.

project info:

name: concert for plants

location: el liceu opera house, barcelona

artist: eugenio ampudia

performed by: UceLi string quartet