COSTA

Touristic Culture Observatory // COSTA

The Observatory is Casa Planas' collective research study on tourism and the contemporary image.

The research is based on different disciplines, sectors, and perspectives and includes an in-depth study of the tourism phenomenon from an ecological, scientific, and artistic point of view.


The research is part of the Uncovering Archive project and a number of professionals make up the research team.

The study sessions are open to the public. Check the programme of meetings..

Program

2025
22.01.25 – 5 pm  Counting down the days. Terminal tourism and its maladies (online session in English). With the participation of Yaiza Hernández Velázquez.
29.01.25 – 5 pm  Framing tourists (online session in English). With the participation of Liz Wells.
18.02.25 – 12 pm  Media, sustainability, disconnection. With Trine Syvertsen, Gunn Enli, and Ignacio Berguillos, en colaboración con CESAG.
19.02.25
 – 5 pm  Mediterranean's biodiversity. At Es Baluard Museu d’Art Contemporani de Palma (Plaça de la Porta de Santa Catalina, 10, 07012 Palma).
09.04.25 – 5 pm  Bikinis and tourist attractions.
08.05.25  What is water? Performance by Marc Caellas, Estan Feune de Colombí, and Corinne Spitailer. In collaboration with the Ajuntament de Palma.
16.06.25 – 10 am - 2 pm  Tourism, memory and archives. Research projects and institutions mapping, with the collaboration of Alba Sud, at the MACBA (Barcelona).
17.07.25 – 8 pm  Summer sounds.
15.10.25 – 5 pm  Tourist architecture and sun capitalisation. With Blanca Pujals, Cristina Arribas, and Marcos Mouronte.
23-25.10.2025  I Congress of the Touristic Culture Observatory COSTA

2024
18.01.24 – 5 pm
  Sustainable Archives. Con la participación de Jorge Blasco Gallardo.
01.02.24 – 5 pm  Image and climateWith the participation of Carlos Alonso Laita, CEO of WDNA.
07.03.24 – 5 pm  Overtourism. With the participation of Guillem Colom.
11.04.24 – 5 pm  Tourisculture and purple economy. With the participation of Jaume Reus.
09.05.24 – 5 pm  From more to better. Transformation and circular progress of the Mallorcan hotel sector.. With the participation of María Frontera (FEHM).

05.06.24
Table 1: 
Museums, tourism and energetic humanities. Pablo Martínez.
Table 2: 
Chronic emergencies. Ivan Murray.
Photo-walk.
Tour with Nora Müller and Macià Blázquez around Platja de Palma.

06.06.24
Table 3: Curatorial notes for outlining a possible route for ecosocial transition. Blanca de la Torre.
Table 4: 
Territory and artistic practice. Fernando Dory.
Tour of the Planas Archive and Uncovering Archive at Casa Planas.

07.06.24
Table 5: Struggles and resistance. The right to the city.. Margalida Ramis.
Table 6:
Transformations. Ernest Cañada.

05.09.24 – 5 pm  Water Narratives. With the participation of Laia Ventayol.
18.10.24 – 5 pm  Photography and metadata.. Con la participación de Burak Korkmaz.
06.11.24 – 5 pm  Turismo y cultura de masas.

Research team

Marina Planas. Researcher, visual artist and Director of Casa Planas.
Alelí Mirelman. Researcher on image and tourism. Director of the COSTA Observatory.
Andrea Camp. Communication Department of Casa Planas.
Jaume Reus. PhD in art history and cultural manager.
Belén Iniesta. Artist and visual researcher.
Ivan Murray. Lecturer at the UIB. Research in critical geography of tourism, political ecology and ecological economics.
Laia Ventayol. Researcher and visual artist.
Guillem Aloy. Architect and researcher in theory and history of architecture.
Carlos Almela. Dos spotters collective.
Carlos Alonso. WDNA CEO.
Guillem Colom. Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Glasgow.
Margalida Ramis. Spokesperson for GOB.
Pablo Martínez. Member of the research group Estética Fósil.
Ernest Cañada. Founder of AlbaSud.
Fernando Dory. Founder of INLAND.
Blanca de la Torre. Curator of exhibitions and researcher of political ecology.
Macià Blàzquez. Member of the research group GIST of UIB.
Margarita Novo. Member of the research group GIST of UIB.
Miquel Barceló. Researcher. 
Patricia Almarcegui. Orientalist and expert in travel literature.
Burak Korkmaz. Artist and researcher.
Monica Fuster. Visual artist, researcher and mediator. 
José Díaz Cuyás. Profesor de Estética y Teoría del Arte, Universidad de La Laguna. Coordinador de Turicom. Imagen, cuerpo y muerte en la cultura del ocio.