|
|
|
Puerto Madryn - Chubut
Perito Moreno y Patagonia
100 years on.
" The Bahía Nueva, near Chubut, in other times used to be a haven for countless whales that brought happiness to the lonely region with their water games;
- but one day, the whaling fleet found their shelter and witnesses have told me that the calm sea in the gulf vibrated with the thrashing of these so enormous and so inoffensive animals, injured by harpoons; and that the water was covered in blood and oil.
The ferocious animal instinct, which from time to time reminds man of his origin, in a few days, changed that place into a scene of apalling butchery.
The intoxication of blood and of profit covered the coast with enormous skeletons of these giants. There they have stood ever since, white and in silence, when, before, everything was happiness.
F.P. Moreno, 1879, from "Viaje a la Patagonia Austral", p. 83
Exhibition Venue:
Cine Teatro Auditorium; 2000 August 8-12
Museo de Arte Moderno; 2000 August 14-22
Organizers
CAPat with the Centro Cultural Borges and La Nación
and the support of the Municipality of Puerto Madryn
Principal Sponsors:
Aluar-Aluminium Argentina, Dinar Airlines.
Editors: Germán Sopeña and Robin Willson
Co-editor: María Pía Moreira with Ignacio Giorgio, Mariela Stauder, Melania Toia, María Victoria Canullo and Jorge Dignani.
SPECIAL LECTURE
Germán Sopeña
SPECIAL GUESTS:
Dr Julio Aristaran, Intendente of Puerto Madryn
Adela Benites Moreno, great-grand-daughter of the Perito.
DISPLAY
For reasons of cost this exhibition was just a small part of the original exhibition in Buenos Aires. In addition to introductory material the exhibits included:
-
12 enlarged Moreno prints together with their contemporary equivalents by Germán Sopeña.
-
a copy of the large map from the Apuntes book
-
notes concerning the Andean routes of Moreno by Germán Sopeña
-
a copy of the portrait of Moreno shown
-
a copy of the whale quotation of Moreno was displayed as a reminder of Morenos´pioneering concern for the future of the environment whilst at the same time appreciating the need for industrialisation.
The museo de Arte Moderno is situated on the sea front in Madryn and often during the exhibition several whales could be clearly seen in the bay.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In addition to the generous support of Aluar and Dinar Airlines the organizers thank the staff of the Municipality of Puerto Madryn (in particular Ana María Souza and Gustavo Antonetti), the Cine Auditorium, the Museum Arte Moderno (in particular Sra Romero) and the Computing Department of CENPAT (Renato Mazzanti), for their assistance.
|
