When I arrived in Huesca in March 2010, i had just started to read the first volume of Abdalrachman Munif's "Cities of salt" quintet. "El desierto" is set in an unnamed Arab state of the Gulf. The story chronicles the transformation of a traditional desert society following the discovery of oil. I enjoyed reading the book during the first two weeks of my stay. WADI AL-UYOUN: AN OUTPOURING OF GREEN amid the harsh, obdurate desert, as if it had burst from within the earth or fallen from the sky. It was nothing like its surroundings, or rather had no connection with them, dazzling you with curiosity and wonder: how had water and greenery burst out in a place like this? But the wonder vanished gradually, giving way to a mysterious respect and contemplation. It was one of these rare cases of nature expressing its genius and willfulness, in defiance of any explanation. (Begin of El desierto) In the third week of my stay I heard for the first time about Los Monegros and the Gran Scala project, while i was starting to explore the surroundings of the city of Huesca. LARGE SCALE is a videowork, that depicts the inhabited area where International Leisure Development (ILD) with the full support of the local government is planning to construct a destination city of leisure for all ages, that consists of 32 hotel casinos, five (5) major theme parks, a conference center, several other hotels, hundreds of retail shops, restaurants, a golf course, a horse race track, an opera, museums, and residential development (www.granscala.com). All images are captured with pre-programmed computer-controlled moving cameras in May 2010, just a few months before the construction works are supposed to start. The installation is accompanied by the Song Of The Great Promise (Music by René Rothert). Hope for the best. No one can read the future. (End of El desierto) Tobias Rosenberger, Huesca, May 2010
