Antela in photography and in memory: “A memoria asolagada” and the “Cadernos da Limia”

The draining of the Lagoa de Antela, the second most important lake area of the Peninsula according to the Museo da Limia, left not only changes to the landscape and economy: it also left a collective memory that photography, the book and music have tried to capture. This page presents three works that remain alive in the comarca. For the history of the draining and its discrepancies, see The Lagoa de Antela.

"Antela. A memoria asolagada" (1997)

The book Antela. A memoria asolagada, edited by Xosé Luís Martínez Carneiro (Xerais, 1997), collected neighbours’ testimonies, such as that of a woman from Baltar who saw "the sea" every time she went down to the plain and who in the 1990s no longer saw it. The Museo da Limia places the decree of 27 December 1956 on the "drainage and colonisation of the Lagoa de Antela" as the Francoist step that sanctioned the draining, completed in 1962 according to that source, and recalls that Otero Pedrayo called it a "magic crystal", broken by the cold accounting of outside experts ^[1]. The book was, according to the Museum, a milestone in raising awareness among the people of A Limia about protecting the environment and in making visible changes such as the draining and land consolidation ^[2].

Two pieces on this work have passed through the Museum: a photographic exhibition of the same name from 3 August to 7 October 2018, as part of the events for the 60th anniversary of the start of the draining, with the collaboration of the Centro de Cultura Popular do Limia, Vía Lethes and the magazine Lethes ^[1]; and another in December 2022, on the book’s 25th anniversary, open until 8 January 2023 ^[2]. See Exhibitions and activities of the Museo da Limia.

"Cadernos da Limia", by Blas González

The Vigo photographer Blas González, who spent part of his childhood in Xinzo, conceived the project Cadernos da Limia / Limia’s Sketchbook. A video extract, "Antela", with music by Brais González (Caspervek Trío), was presented in 2018, six decades after the start of the definitive draining. The artist believes the inhabitants’ feelings are divided between nostalgia and economic interests, and that the lagoon was an essential part of the identity of the Upper Limia, of its legends and of personal biographies. The video has three sections: the initial calm (the Pedra Alta, the endemic vegetation and a sand pit that looks like a lagoon), the aggression of human hands and industry (the music changes to a martial beat and potato crates appear) and a final part meant to ask whether there is hope ^[3].

The exhibition of the Cadernos da Limia opened at the Casa da Cultura of Sandiás on 18 November 2023 and was open until 14 January 2024, with a catalogue and a programme of activities: a "Encontros na Lagoa Ausente" day with a tour of the concello and the Sandiás Sand Pits guided by Nancy Blanco, a reading and writing workshop, a talk by the historian Miro Martínez Cerredelo and the presentation of Antela Editorial, a children’s literature project, among others ^[4].

Frequently asked questions

What is "A memoria asolagada"? A book of testimonies and photographs of the Lagoa de Antela coordinated by Xosé Luís Martínez Carneiro and published in 1997 ^[1][2].

Where were the "Cadernos da Limia" exhibited? At the Casa da Cultura of Sandiás, from November 2023 to January 2024 ^[4].

Links

• The Lagoa de Antela
• Exhibitions and activities of the Museo da Limia
• Ponds and birds of the Lagoa de Antela
• Sandiás

Sources

1. Museo da Limia, «A exposición “A Memoria Asolagada” resgata a Lagoa no 60 aniversario do inicio da desecación», 28/08/2018. https://museodalimia.com/a-exposicion-a-memoria-asolagada-resgata-a-lagoa-no-60-aniversario-do-inicio-da-desecacion/
2. Museo da Limia, «Exposición Antela. A memoria asolagada», 07/12/2022. https://museodalimia.com/exposicion-antela-a-memoria-asolagada/
3. Vía Lethes, «Antela, extracto de “Cadernos da Limia”, proyecto audiovisual de Blas y Brais González», 12/09/2018. https://vialethes.es/antela-limia-proyecto-blas-gonzalez
4. Vía Lethes, «Exposición Cadernos da Limia, de Blas González e amigos, en Sandiás», 13/11/2023. https://vialethes.es/exposicion-cadernos-da-limia-blas-gonzalez-amigos-sandias