Exhibition view Casa Gomes for the Manifesta15, Barcelona, Spain, 2024
Credits to Helena Roig and Sheng-Wen Lo
Not Illigal Fishing Competition
About half of Barcelona’s population has daily, intimate contact with the Llobregat River—through the water they drink. Yet, few truly know the river. The city turns its back on it: the Llobregat is almost invisible from urban life and remains difficult to access. For a river to be cared for, it must first come alive in people's imagination.
One of the challenges facing the Llobregat is the spread of invasive species. In response, Sheng-Wen Lo, Harpo't Hart and I, on behalf of the Embassy of the North Sea, organised the Not Illegal Fishing Competition. Inspired by similar events in Taiwan aimed at reducing invasive species, this initiative invites reflection and dialogue.
Naturally, the proposal sparked resistance. Does such a competition promote the killing of animals? Technically, fishing invasive species with the appropriate license is legal—but is it ethical? This question reveals a broader tension: between ecologists who take a systems-based view and animal rights advocates guided by moral imperatives. What serves the river best? And who has the right to make such decisions on behalf of an ecosystem? Further still, what should be done with the invasive species once they are caught?
The Not Illegal Fishing Competition invited participants to get to know the Llobregat as a living ecosystem with its own beauty, problems and conflicts.
The Not Illegal Fishing Competition is open to everyone and to all ages, particularly those without a fishing licence or experience. On July 11 and 12, the fishing competition hosted two groups of children at the summer camp. On July 13 and 14, the event was open to all.
The Not Illegal Fishing Competition led to an installation displayed at Casa Gomis during Manifesta 15.
Not Illegal Fishing Competition - El Llobregat, Barcelona Metropolitana
From 11 - 14 July 2024, the Embassy of the North Sea is organising the Not Illegal Fishing Competition in the river Llobregat, as part of Manifesta 15.
Manifesta 15
Spanning across over 3000 km2, the 15th edition of Manifesta (8.09.2024 – 24.11.2024) is set to bring fresh perspectives to Barcelona and the wider metropolitan region. Each of the 12 cities of the biennial will be grouped into one of three clusters, which will be linked to an overarching theme and geographical location. This will be the foundation of the biennial programme for Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana in 2024
© 2024, Embassy of the North Sea with Leon Lapa Pereira
Illustrations: Wieger Windhorst
Exhibition view Casa Gomes for the Manifesta15, Barcelona, Spain, 2024
Credits to Helena Roig and Sheng-Wen Lo
Illustrations: Wieger Windhorst
Aris Leon Lapa Pereira (he/him) is a cross-disciplinary performance researcher exploring the boundaries of performative life. Deeply embedded in the landscape of Artistic Research, his personal practice is consistently informed by philosophical inquiry. By merging mechanical and technical knowledge with performative elements, he engages with multiple disciplines with genuine enthusiasm.
Currently focused on the de-romanticisation of nature, Leon investigates the Rights of Nature—specifically, the rights of water—in collaboration with the Embassy of the North Sea. Through this partnership, he co-founded the Confluence of European Water Bodies, a growing network of activist organisations that support his research into intercultural relationships and intimate connections with water.
Alongside this, he is a curator at the Instrument Inventors Initiative (iii) and co-founder of the WASTELAND Festival, where he leads research and performance curation through an ecological lens. Co-creation and collaboration are not just professional principles for Leon, but also sociological commitments—central to his Resonant Bodies Residencies, where these concepts are deeply explored.
For Leon, co-living is a vital practice that is increasingly endangered by today’s polycrisis. He is, therefore, continually seeking methods and tools to cultivate honest, careful, and communal environments.
