Rangers player Alfredo Morelos was the star guest at an augmented reality art exhibition in Glasgow created by two celebrated Colombian artists to highlight the global importance of biodiversity following COP26.
The Disclosure AR Unibirds Colombia, The Country With The Greatest Bird Diversity In The World Exhibition – hosted by The Embassy of Colombia to the United Kingdom – is an ‘immersive experience’ from artists Sergio Mantilla and Miguel Chaparro.
It marks the first-ever Colombian cultural engagement in Glasgow, and its opening night was attended by government representatives from the Latin American country and Scotland.
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High-profile guests included 11-cap Colombia international Morelos, 25, who spent time studying the pieces and speaking to other guests in support of the event.
There were further Scottish/Colombian links, with west of Scotland business Ardgowan Distillery – which has business interests in Colombia – providing whisky cocktails at the event, hosted by the stunning new Moxy Glasgow SEC Hotel.
Each piece in the exhibition features an augmented reality hologram with a QR code which, when activated using a mobile phone, shows how the species moves in flight. Colombia is thought to be home to a fifth of all bird diversity worldwide.
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Colombian Ambassador to the UK Antonio Jose Ardila said: “Colombia is making a significant cultural investment in the UK, and we want to make sure it extends far beyond London. With this exhibition in Glasgow we aim to strengthen the relationship between Scotland and Colombia.”
Sergio Mantilla, one of the celebrated artists responsible for the stunning exhibition, said: “After Climate Change, the loss of biodiversity is the single biggest threat to humanity. Colombia is the country with the most bird species in the world and this exhibition is a legacy of COP26 and Colombia’s involvement in Glasgow which seeks to enact real and tangible change in the behaviour of humans.
“It’s an honour to host this exhibition in Scotland, and through events such as this we can spread the word of the significance of biodiversity and play a part in creating a more sustainable future for all species on our planet.”
The exhibition is the latest in a series of engagements between Colombia and Scotland, which included a meeting between Scottish Government Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise Ivan McKee and Ambassador Ardila at COP26 last month.
A delegation of Scottish businesses also took part in a virtual trade mission to Colombia earlier this year – led by Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce – the first-ever Scottish Government-backed trade mission to South America.
The Unibirds – Colombia, The Country With The Greatest Bird Diversity In The World Exhibition, by Sergio Mantilla and Miguel Chaparro, runs until Tuesday, December 7 at the Moxy Glasgow SEC.
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