Rosana Antolí. An Aria for the Mallard

‘An Aria for the Mallard’ seeks to reimagine the traditional operatic form by dedicating an aria to a more-than-human subject – the mallard duck. 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…