Estaría bien que en algún momento podamos beber agua [At some point it would be nice to drink some water], 2021 / Video documentation, 17:00 Min., Ful l HD, 16:9, color, sound. During Loop Festival Barcelona. Curator: Margot Cuevas

Estaría bien que en algún momento podamos beber agua [It Would Be Good if We Could Drink Water at Some Point] discusses an encounter on the mountain to look for groundwater, albeit without extraction in mind. It is born from my purpose to carry out this bodily skill, by exerting my own sensitivity with which I will perceive the burbling of the water running underground and which will allow me to find it. The word zahorí (dowser) comes from the Spanish Arabic word zuhari, which is in turn derived from azzuharah. Zahar means to shine. A dowser’s ability is known as hidroscopy, and it is defined as the ability to perceive radiations. This is one of humanity’s ancestral and animal abilities. Beginners use simple devices that amplify these radiations. Veteran dowsers rarely need these devices and rely on their own bodies. There is a wealth of manuals that provide detailed explanations on how to place your body, especially your feet, back, hands and fingers. I have been collecting these manuals, especially due to my interest in the drawings they contain, which are curiously similar to old instruction sheets to assemble utilitarian devices.

I met Mireia Fornes, Maria Bonet and Laia Garau at Artà Theater School. As they were learning how to act, I invited them to join us at the mountain where I was planning this meeting with dowsers. I gathered two dowsers together with four volunteers that were interested in the subject, one cameraman, these three teenagers and me. We were supposed to look for groundwater without any extractive purpose. Since we were not going to drill into the earth, we could not prove the veracity of this practice. In fact, I was interested in this activity precisely because of its futility. But that bothered both dowsers, who did want to prove the fact and at times looked overreacting. The teenagers instead were excited about the camera, so they took the job seriously and sought the attention of the operator. In the end, I couldn't tell if they were acting or they had really found water. The music belongs to Jansky's sound archive. These are ultrasounds emitted by bats moving blind in the dark, a survival strategy to find the hunting prey.

Participants / actors: Laia Garau, Mireia Fornes, Maria Bonet, Toni Viejo, Lluís Nebot, Agustí Nebot, Joan Terrassa, Tomeu Torres, Xisca Fuster i Toni Bonet.
Càmara: Agustí Torres
Edició: Laia Ventayol García, Sofía Sasso
Música:Jansky                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Producció: Artà Centre de Creació Contemporània