Fito Conesa and the apocalypse Discover the works in the new exhibition of the Collection

In ancient Greece, Mount Helicon was the home of Pegasus, the winged horse. A tortuous mountain, its name literally derives from the word for ‘helix’, or ‘spiral’, from which we also derive the name of the wind and brass musical instrument known as a helicon, similar to the tuba and predecessor of the modern sousaphone. Starting from this etymological affiliation, Fito Conesa convened a small band of wind and brass instruments in the Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Unión, in Murcia. Taking advantage of the apocalyptic aspect of the lake created by the waste from mining activities – an area polluted by oxides and yet of great beauty –, Conesa introduced seven musicians of various ages and asked them to play a melody to see if the earth, in response, would detonate the end of the world (and with it, its renewal). A sonic gesture invoking the biblical account of the Apocalypse with its seven mythical trumpets. The drone that records the opening scene places the viewer in the position of Pegasus. The apparent contradiction between the beauty of a toxic scene and the absurdity of the sonic gesture acts as a visual essay on our imminent future. Learn more about the work in the app MACBA.