'L’Art de caminar' is a self-guided sound walk, narrated by the actress Silvia Bel and helping people to connect the art in the collections at the MNAC with the environment in the Parc de Montjuïc. Various activities and dynamics are suggested on the walk from the museum to the castle, helping people enjoy architecture, literature, music, sculpture, landscapes and gardens. At times you need to so some exercise, and at other times a certain photo with your mobile phone...
This is a joint initiative by the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Montjuïc Castle and the Catalan Health Institute (ICS), with the collaboration of the Filmoteca de Catalunya. The activity is based around the pleasure of walking, with all the benefits this brings for physical and mental health. The common thread is photography, a recreational and artistic resource which helps you to observe what’s around you.
L’Art de caminar [the art of walking] was launched last weekend as part of Viu Montjuïc, but will now become a permanently available self-guided activity for people to pursue for free, whenever they wish and without booking, through a specific webapp. Besides the sound narrative, there’s a huge quantity of complementary materials for people to enjoy the route. For instance, information on the gardens and artistic elements along the route, photographs from the MNAC collections, literary fragments, music or pieces from the archives of the Filmoteca de Catalunya, the map of the walk etc. One notable aspect is the inclusion of two unpublished texts by the writer Marta Orriols.
In addition, L’Art de caminar has been conceived as an activity to generate health. To this end, the activity and materials include various features such as health tips from healthcare professionals, focusing on the importance of walking, as well as some pointers on relaxation, nutrition, concentration and enjoyment, full attention, breathing and some muscular stretching exercises and healthy postures..
The project is part of the arts in health strategy at the MNAC. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “the arts can play an important role in preventing illness, the promotion of health and the management and treatment of the illness throughout people’s entire life cycles”.