Portugal
Spain
Guadiana in Four Movements explores the present and future of the estuary of the transboundary Guadiana River (Iberian Peninsula). Crafted with found footage, images and soundscapes collected during fieldwork in the region, the piece also makes use of data sonification based on current climate models. In an attempt to grasp the overwhelming data-driven climate change scenarios, data sonification provides a more comprehensible experience of the intricate dynamics of this region in their susceptibility, dissimilarity and complexity.
The Guadiana estuary presents a revealing case study on the impacts of climate change on fragile biodiversity in the Iberian Peninsula. From the 13th century, the estuary acted as an imaginary borderline between Portugal and Spain. In 1926, upon the Convention of Limits, an agreement on the official border demarcation was eventually reached. The word “limit” referred solely to the legally binding abrupt frontier in the middle of a river between two riparian states. Since then, other sorts of (planetary) limits have also been acknowledged. Despite being highly susceptible to flooding, aridity, water scarcity, drought and salinisation, Guadiana continues to be used for power generation, hyper-intensive agriculture, cattle grazing, and tourism. But how can we address via audio and film present and future scenarios?