It is one hundred years since the Barcelona industrialist Miquel Mateu acquired the castle of Peralada from the Rocabertís, counts of Peralada and Mallorca, and arrived there immediately with his art collections, for which he was looking for a place to house them – paintings, capitals, ceramics, glass...– and with the desire to activate the wine-growing part of the family group and revitalize the tradition of the area. And it is with this ephemeris in hand that the Peralada Group has designed an immersive exhibition that allows you to appreciate all of this and virtually enter the iconic 14th century Peralada castle, walk through the 14th century Gothic cloister of the Carmel convent, and its library with 100,000 volumes, including several incunabula (more than a thousand editions of Don Quixote), in addition to flying over the vineyards, "the most spectacular in the Empordà", the incredible landscape of Garbet and the gardens where place every summer the festival.
And all this from Barcelona, specifically from the Ideal, Digital Arts Centre, in Poble Nou, where until this Sunday Peralada 100 - The senses of history takes place, which includes an immersive wine tasting and exhibits artistic gems from Peralada. The exhibition part includes precisely some of these pieces of art, which have been moved from the castle's library and museum, such as the capital and a head of Saint Peter sculpted in the 12th century by Mestre Cabestany; fifteenth-century religious paintings by Hans Memling and Petrus Christus II, and two incunabula books: Ptolemy's Cosmographia, printed in 1482, and Nuremberg Chronicle, printed in 1493. In addition, there are pieces from the glass collection of the century XV, ceramics with pieces ranging from the Egypt of the pharaohs to the XIX century and costumes from operas that have been held at the festival. Even curiosities, like a piece of a Hispano Suiza, the brand founded by Damià Mateu.
In another room, virtual reality glasses will help the visitor wander around the interior of the new winery, inaugurated last year, whose innovative architecture integrated into the landscape has stood out.
"We are celebrating one hundred years with a virtual trip to Peralada, opening its doors and sharing all the artistic legacy, the landscapes and the music festival. But we do it with an eye on the future and with the ambition to consolidate ourselves as a truly unique leisure and cultural destination in Europe and to continue strengthening the Empordà brand", said Javier Suqué, president and co-owner with his brothers
Some screenings of this exhibition of digital art at the service of leisure and culture will include a taste of the festival, with live performances by orchestra conductor Marc Timón, or dancer Botis Seva, winner of the 2023 Carmen Mateu Award.
"We decided to move a piece of the Empordà to Barcelona and the festival couldn't be missed there. This Saturday and Sunday we are presenting the show L'obsequi at Ideal, created for the occasion and with the Peralada stamp, that is, experimentation, innovation and dialogue between disciplines. A musical and scenic gift that shows how it has been and will continue to be the soul of this festival", concluded Isabel Suqué, president of the foundation.
