Marina Planas, a visual artist and cultural manager, recently took part in the Live For The Arts event in Berlin, organized by the Festival Literatura Expandida a Magaluf (FLEM) and Innside by Meliá. Through her performance titled “Autopista hacia el sur” (Southbound Highway), Planas explored the abuse of territories that become tourist destinations, using photographs from her grandfather’s collection, Josep Planas, accompanied by the sound design of DJ Marlon Rudolph.
This performance is just one example of Planas’ ongoing project, “Enfoques bélicos del turismo. Todo incluido” (Warlike Approaches to Tourism. All Included), which examines the impact of mass tourism in Mallorca. The project has already been exhibited at the Es Baluard Museu de Palma.
In an interview, Planas discussed the paradoxes of tourism and the significance of taking her work to Berlin, considering that Germany is one of the largest tourist markets in Mallorca. She emphasized the importance of acknowledging and critiquing the practices that we ourselves engage in, drawing upon the ideas of sociologist Zygmunt Bauman.
“Enfoques bélicos del turismo. Todo incluido” delves into the relationship between tourism and war, highlighting the evolution of the photographic medium and its connection to military research. Planas fills the walls with images as a metaphor for the overcrowding and massification caused by tourism.
Regarding the preservation of her grandfather’s archive, the Arxiu Planas, Planas expressed disappointment in the delay and lack of interest shown by the government. Nevertheless, a protocol was finally signed, and the archive received a direct grant to ensure its conservation.
Although the possibility of relocating the Arxiu Planas is not ruled out, Planas also contemplates the option of storing it underground in the Atacama Desert in Chile, similar to how Bill Gates stores his own archive. Another possibility is transferring it to the municipal waste management company, Emaya, as some members of Planas’ family wish to dispose of it.
In conclusion, Marina Planas approaches her family’s legacy and the extensive archive with a critical perspective. She reuses the material to create a contemporary reading, driven by her professional dedication and passion for art and archives.
Source: The original article was obtained from Diario de Mallorca newspaper (www.diariodemallorca.es)
