Oscar Moya Villanueva
FLOQUET DE NEU
Why Floquet de Neu?
After his death, on 24 November 2003, and after spending almost forty years at Barcelona Zoo from Equatorial Guinea, the animal’s body was divided between the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the UAB, the Dexeus University Institute and Barcelona Zoo. The reason for this distribution seems to be strictly scientific, but why was what really happened concealed? The public version was that he had been cremated and buried at the Zoo, in a biodegradable urn filled with seeds, so that a tree could germinate in his memory.
Today, there is no tree in memory of that white gorilla; in fact, there is no corner of the city that makes any reference to him. It is surprising that, after exploiting his image to limits that today would be untenable, it seems that the animal never existed. Perhaps it is because Floquet’s arrival was the result of a colonial system through which the bourgeois class of the city of Barcelona enriched itself for decades? Or because we can consider him the last great star of the Zoo, since his death coincided with the beginning of a change of paradigm that has meant the loss of popularity of these spaces? In any case, the icon into which they turned an animal that could seem almost sacred contrasts with the mysterious end that its remains have had, converted into a kind of relic abandoned in different warehouses in the city.
The aim of the project is to revisit an icon of Barcelona. It is also to elaborate a contemporary discourse on aspects present in the history of the city through Floquet de Neu, which unwittingly became a symbol. To this end, I propose two approaches to the figure of Floquet that move away from the literal representation of his image and are articulated between the historical account, scientific research, and an artistic language.
The project is accompanied by David Bestué.
LINK:
instagram
Oscar Moya Villanueva
FLOQUET DE NEU
Why Floquet de Neu?
After his death, on 24 November 2003, and after spending almost forty years at Barcelona Zoo from Equatorial Guinea, the animal’s body was divided between the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the UAB, the Dexeus University Institute and Barcelona Zoo. The reason for this distribution seems to be strictly scientific, but why was what really happened concealed? The public version was that he had been cremated and buried at the Zoo, in a biodegradable urn filled with seeds, so that a tree could germinate in his memory.
Today, there is no tree in memory of that white gorilla; in fact, there is no corner of the city that makes any reference to him. It is surprising that, after exploiting his image to limits that today would be untenable, it seems that the animal never existed. Perhaps it is because Floquet’s arrival was the result of a colonial system through which the bourgeois class of the city of Barcelona enriched itself for decades? Or because we can consider him the last great star of the Zoo, since his death coincided with the beginning of a change of paradigm that has meant the loss of popularity of these spaces? In any case, the icon into which they turned an animal that could seem almost sacred contrasts with the mysterious end that its remains have had, converted into a kind of relic abandoned in different warehouses in the city.
The aim of the project is to revisit an icon of Barcelona. It is also to elaborate a contemporary discourse on aspects present in the history of the city through Floquet de Neu, which unwittingly became a symbol. To this end, I propose two approaches to the figure of Floquet that move away from the literal representation of his image and are articulated between the historical account, scientific research, and an artistic language.
The project is accompanied by David Bestué.
LINK:
instagram
