Filmmaker Isabel Coixet presents exhibition at Roca Lisboa Gallery

1. Filmmaker Isabel Coixet presents
exhibition at Roca Lisboa Gallery
Created by the award-winning Catalan filmmaker Isabel Coixet, Aral - The Lost Sea is a faithful and
moving documentary about one of the worst ecological disasters in human history. The exhibition can
th
be seen at Roca Lisboa Gallery until April 28 .
th
Lisbon, February 9 , 2012 – The Aral Sea, situated in Central Asia, on the borders between Kazakhstan and
Uzbekistan, was once the fourth largest salt water lake in the world, but human interference has almost made
it vanish, reducing its volume of water by 80%. This exhibition, the work of award-winning Catalan filmmaker
Isabel Coixet, is a faithful and thought-provoking synthesis of one of the greatest environmental catastrophes
in the history of mankind.
«With this initiative that we have developed in partnership with the We Are Water foundation, Roca aims to
draw the public's attention to one of the most serious ecological disasters that has ever happened. These
attacks on the environment can not be forgotten and, above all, can never be repeated. Securing the future of
the planet depends on each and every one of us. Roca has taken on this commitment in all senses of the
word, at corporate, social and cultural levels. Isabel Coixet’s exhibition is, within this context, a valuable
contribution», says Jorge Vieira, Roca S.A. managing director.
Constituting a visual synthesis of scenes from the past and the reality of the present, the display shows the
causes and consequences of the drying up and contamination of the Aral Sea. «It provides us with the
opportunity to reflect on the bad management of water resources. Water is vital for economic and social
development, but it is not within the reach of everyone», explains the filmmaker.
Designed by architect Makoto Fukuda, and featuring photographs by Jordi Azategui, Aral - The Lost Sea will
th th
be on display at Roca Lisboa Gallery from February 9 until April 28 , and is accompanied by the supporting
documentary of the same name by the Catalan filmmaker.
Isabel Coixet invites visitors to set out in search of the Aral Sea: «It used to appear as a cobalt-blue swathe on
maps hung on classroom walls in our schools years ago. A mass of water that became increasingly smaller
and smaller…. Until one day the blue mark had become a shadow of what it once had been».
Isabel Coixet
Throughout her career, Isabel Coixet has produced documentaries about subjects of great importance. Worth
highlighting are Listening to the Judge (2010), about the Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, who became famous
because of his tireless fight against crime, terrorism and corruption; Invisibles (2007), about the work of the
international organization Doctors without Borders; and Journey to the Heart of Torture (2003), on the
rehabilitation of torture victims, in Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
We Are Water foundation
Promoting a new water culture and acting against the negative effects from a lack of water resources are the
main aims to the We Are Water foundation. Launched by Roca in September 2010, the foundation has
participated in building infrastructure and has supported education, health and research projects in the
poorest parts of the world, in partnership with different NGO’s. www.wearewater.org
Roca
Roca is the world leader in defining bathroom spaces and is a strong reference in the world of design. The
company is currently in 135 countries and has 69 production facilities spread over five continents.
Roca’s position as a world leader is reflected in the creation of highly versatile products that can easily be
adapted to satisfy consumer habits globally, ones which offer customised solutions to meet all demands.
At Roca, in a process of continual research, design and innovation work hand-in-hand to create a common
future of comfort and wellbeing. Thanks to its efforts, Roca is the brand of reference worldwide in the creation
of bathroom spaces. www.roca.com
Press contacts
Roca: Joana Pinheiro, joana.pinheiro@buss.pt, +351 261938487, +351 936892346