Live music has been cancelled for months around the world to ensure the coronavirus isn't spread to other people. But Barcelona's Opera House has come up with an inventive way of pulling off an event with an 'audience'.
The city's Gran Teatre del Liceu has been virtually vacant since the pandemic hit, however a conceptual artist has breathed a bit of life into the beautiful hall.
Advert
They managed to fill thousands of seats for a 'Concierto para el bioceno' (Concert for Biocene). A string quartet took to the stage and busted out GiacomoPuccini's 'I Crisantemi'. But there wasn't a rapturous applause at the end.
That's because all the seats inside the opera house were filled with indoor plants - 2,292 to be exact.
Conceptual artist Eugenio Ampudia said: "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.
"It was so appropriate to the occasion. A piece composed by Puccini the day of the death of his friend (Prince) Amedeo di Savoia.
Advert
"It has the characteristics of something so delightful. And at the same time, it has a melancholic touch. And I had the sensation, I had to tell the plants something in particular.
"To tell them what we'd gone through during this time, in the shape of music. A language through which they can be influenced. It was obvious, it was almost like a requiem."
Very conceptual, indeed.
But don't fret about all those indoor plants being sent to the waste bin after this impressive display. All 2,292 plants will be given to local healthcare workers as a sign of gratitude for their work during the outbreak.
Advert
Spain's state of emergency to protect citizens from the coronavirus pandemic only ended on the weekend (June 21)
Featured Image Credit: PA