AADK in Blanca, Spain invited me for a residency in July 2023 to continue investigating origins of Acequias and how the function today. Blanca was one of the last strongholds of al Andalus which is understandable as the Sagura valley is considered the ‘huerta’ or gardens of Europe. Acequias function at the headwaters. By the time the water gets to Blanca, the structural use of ditches flooding fields is still in use in the immediate river zones. Unfortunately, heavy use of pesticides and herbicides is killing the soil and disrupting pollinator ecology in these zones.

We found a collection of butterflies in the Water Museum in Murcia & I photographed a set as source material. Back in the studio, I painted the ones that were endemic specifically to the immediate area, and created ghost imprints alongside the drawings. Paired, the butterflies appear to be disintegrating. The imperfect depictions convey struggle and a flutter when presented together with the ghost prints.

Surprisingly, we found more pollinators thriving in the fallow fields above town. Ancient systems have been replaced by modern tech that demands the added expense of electric pumps. The thin margins for local citrus farmers were not enough to justify maintaining the land as crop land, which ended up being a boon to wildlife as chemical use was reduced.