Rosana Antolí (Alcoi, Spain, 1981) is a UK-based multidisciplinary artist and performance director, whose practice explores ecofeminist and more-than-humans themes through immersive experiences that challenge perceptions of identity, the body, and agency.

With ‘An Aria for the Mallard’, Antolí explores the intersection of art and science, using sound, sculpture, and environmental engagement to highlight the interconnectedness of an ecosystem.

This installation situates itself within contemporary practices of eco-art and bioacoustics, which aim to challenge anthropocentric perspectives. By blending the traditions of opera with ecological narratives, the artist reflects on the relationship between humans, non-human species, and the environments they share.

Innovative in its approach to co-creation, the project not only collects sounds from non-human voices such as birds, but actively creates a dialogue with them, resulting in songs performed by Gulbenkian Choir soprano Claire Rocha Santos and the voices of the Gulbenkian Garden inhabitants. 

Encompassing the subtle activity of plants, the release of CO2, and the volatile particles responsible for the scents of flowers and foliage, the Garden is envisioned as a performative entity with its own tempo and rhythms, shaped by both visible and invisible bodies. By integrating these dynamics, the work invites audiences to experience this space as a living, interconnected system, fostering a deeper awareness of the interactions between sound, movement, and the more-than-human world.

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Positioned on the reflective surface of the pond, a sculpture serves as visual score of the composition, adding to the installation’s immersive experience. Each part of the piece responds to a different sound or movement performed by the more-than-human, connecting auditory, visual, and physical elements to the surrounding natural environment.

The corten steel used for the sculpture will naturally blend with the Garden’s aesthetic. Not only can it already be found in the Garden’s furniture, but it is also a material that respects its inhabitants as, for example, it doesn’t reflect light, thus not affecting their behaviours and experiences. Over time, this material will evolve, with the oxidation process causing shifts in color and texture, reflecting the sculpture’s dynamic relationship with the environment.

With music and sound art by electroacoustic composer Jorge Ramos, the songs are played three times per day, at 10:00, 14:00, and 18:00, each one a different variation of the composition – the first features only the electroacoustic music; the second includes the more-than-human voices of the Eurasian Wren, the Blue Tit, the Spotless Starling, Blackbird and the Mallard Duck; and the third adds the voice of the soprano.

Aiming to minimise interference with the animals’ natural behaviours, each of the recordings have a duration of 10 minutes only. The sound installation was temporarily removed from the garden so as not to interfere with the birdlife’s breeding season, which takes place between February and May.