Second Seminar on Art, Nature and Spirituality of Farrera, Catalonia

On 6-8 September, the Silene Association in collaboration with the Alt Pirineu Natural Park and the Centre d’Art i Nature of Farrera organized the Second Conference on Art, Nature and Spirituality in The Centre d’Art i Natura in Farrera.The conference focused on aplecs (gatherings in natural areas developed from ancient pilgrimages) in the Natural Park and its area of influence. Its integrated approach discussed the main intangible dimensions of these events: history, landscape, identity, music, crafts, religious, spiritual, etc. On Friday 6 the conference began with a welcome from the organizers. Then, Josep-Maria Mallarach gave a talk titled “Why protected natural areas should be interested in aplecs“, which was followed by a discussion. The day ended with the screening of a film prepared by the Association Silene that included modern and historical images of the aplecs in this part of the Pyrenees.On Saturday 7th the following papers were presented:Francesc Roma: The elements and natural forces in the goigs of the aplecs in the Pyrenees.
Joan Escales: The spiritual dimension aplecs in the Alt Pirineu.
Esther G. Llop: The social construction of territory through the singing of goigs.
Josep Mañà: Material cultural heritage of aplecs.
Abdul Hafiz Garcia: A new event for spiritual enrichment: the gatherings at the maqam in Burg.
Montserrat Solà: The experience of the Montsant Natural Park in aplec management.Afterwards, the participants enjoyed a magnificent recital of traditional polyphony by the Tornaveus group in the Romanesque chapel of Santa Eulàlia d’Alendo, near Farrera.On the 8th, a roundtable discussed a number of ideas and initiatives aimed at revitalizing, disseminating and evaluating aplecs and the rich natural, cultural and spiritual elements that they enshrine. Participants in the roundtable were: Agustí Lopez, President of the Natural Park Board; Josep-Maria Casals, Town Councillor from Llavorsí; Marc Garriga, member of the Natural Park management team, and Montserrat Solà, public use manager in the Montsant Natural Park.