On March 11th, 2021, the Argentinian artist and 2019 Haas Fellow Martín Bonadeo, displayed an artificial constellation on the sky of Barcelona, over the UPF Ciutadella campus. Using balloons, wire and LED lights, he offered the Northern Hemisphere the "South Cross," only visible in the Southern Hemisphere. This artistic, urban intervention had to be redefined due to the covid pandemic outbreak, but the artist could at least essay his constellation once.

On May 28th, 2021, at 18.00h in Barcelona (Central European Time) and at 13.00h in Buenos Aires, the Center for Aesthetics, Religion and Contemporary Culture, in collaboration with the Center for Learning, Innovation and Knowledge (CLIK) and the UPF Art Track, are pleased to announce the online presentation event of the project "Ensayos para una Cruz del Sur en el norte," by the Argentinian artist Martín Bonadeo. With the participation of its protagonists, the documentary film on the artistic project is presented.

Lee la entrada en el blog Micromégas acerca de la intervención artística, por Amador Vega

The Preparation of an Intervention, and the Pandemic

Essays for a South Cross in the Nort is an urban artistic intervention of Argentinian plastic artist Martín Bonadeo. It consists in a series of events that begin with an ephemeral night action with four glowing air balloons flown in the sky of Barcelona during the evening/night of March 11th, 2020. That day four lights will glow and form the South Cross constellation in the sky of the Water Deposit Library of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (that hosts the Haas Library, a special collection and funding institution of the project). The intervention will be fragile and ephemeral (hence its name "essays").

Depending on the point of view, this constellation created by Bonadeo will take different forms, and the Barcelona strollers and flâneurs in the area of the Ciutadella who rise their eyes to the sky will see them.

The slogan of the communication campaign disseminated by the Art Track of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra invites you to look at the sky of the Ciutadella that night and to share photos and videos using #cruzdelsurenelnorte.

Due to the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, the project is redefined.

Picture published by the artist in his personal Instagram account

Check more pictures of the essays in Martín Bonadeo's Instagram account

The artifficial South Cross will be seen from various points of the Ciutadella park and neighbourhood, and will dialogue with other urban spaces in Barcelona.

The relationship of this intervention with another South American echo in the Iberian Peninsula is very interesting. The ombú, an iconic tree from the Pampa region, casts its shadow on many Catalan streets. It was introduced in Europe by Hernando de Colón (Christopher Columbus' son). For the past 500 years, the Phytolacca dioica, ombú or bellasombra, grows strong and comfortable in new lands. To this Argentinian artist, however, it is strange to see it disconnected from the south sky metaphorical lighthouse, the constellation named Crux by the astronomers. Essays for a South Cross in the North will provide these numberous trees planted in Barcelona an optic illusion that will trigger a homecoming sensation, or rather the return to their original sky.

The intervention is performed in the framework of the Haas Fellowship granted to Martín Bonadeo by the Biblioteca Haas from January to April 2020, and it is a struggle to reconnect (religare) earth and sky.

This project by Bonadeo was incitated and assisted in production and curation by the German architect and urbanist Kathrin Golda-Pongratz, and assisted also by the govern of the UPF who generously gave Bonadeo access to their spaces, and by the Haas Library Research Group.

Artist's contact 

Dr. Martín José Bonadeo

martinbonadeo.art