For over three months, Barcelona’s El Liceu opera house hasn’t staged concerts, due to restrictions implemented by the country’s government to halt the spread of COVID-19.
It’s first audience after lockdown certainly aren’t observing social distancing measures.
Spanish conceptual artist Eugenio Ampudia staged a concert at the famous venue Monday (22 June 2020) to an audience of plants.
The event took place during the first day after an end to Spain’s state of emergency, decreed in mid-March amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The concert was streamed live on the venue’s website
All 2,292 plants (the theatre’s full seating capacity) will be given to local healthcare workers as a sign of gratitude for their work during the outbreak.
The theatre says the concert serves as a prelude to its 2020-2021 season.
The 2019-20 season, which marked the 20th anniversary of the reconstruction of the opera house following a devastating fire in January 1994, had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
Artist Ampudia says the inspiration came from a connection he built with nature during the pandemic.
“I watched what was going on with nature during all this (pandemic) time. 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,” he says.
Spain’s national state of emergency ended Sunday (21 June) after three months of restrictions on movement to rein in its COVID-19 outbreak.
As of Sunday (21 June), 47 million Spaniards are able to freely move around the entire country for the first time since the government declared a state of emergency on March 14.
Lockdown measures have been rolled back gradually over recent weeks.
Spaniards are still obliged to wear face masks both indoors and outside when in public spaces where it is impossible to guarantee a distance of 1.5 metres (5 feet) from others.
Regional governments are now in complete charge of putting limits on attendance in public places, from theatres, to weddings, to classrooms.
Spain’s lockdown succeeded in stopping the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus, which authorities say has claimed at least 28,000 lives in the country.
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