The Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs presents the 'Murmurations' of Xavier Marrades

The Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs presents the exhibition Murmuracions by Xavier Marrades from October 6 to December 10.

The murmurations of starlings, grouped in thousands, are a natural spectacle of hypnotic choreography in the winter sunsets. The soft, whisper-like sound of its wings beating. A protective ceremony against predators. How they communicate with each other to fly in sync is a mystery.

Through the camera of Xavi Marrades during the COVID pandemic, the murmurings of the starlings become threads of voice that connect personal and collective memory: of the old Cervera, of the AIDS activists of New York in the 80s and of African ancestors surviving in Bahia, Brazil. Flapping wings to wash away the pandemics of oblivion and silence, celebrations of those who were there before us, wings that parade, dance, invoke a different future.

Xavier Marrades was born in Barcelona and lives in Cervera. He studied audiovisual communication at Pompeu Fabra University and a Master's in documentary at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His work moves between the territory of very personal documentary and experimental cinema.