LOOK UP! An Illustrated Alphabet of Mountains

WHY ARE WE DOING LOOK UP!?

Mountains are vital areas for our societies and the planet. They supply between 60% and 80% of the world's freshwater and are home to a quarter of terrestrial biodiversity. Furthermore, they are fundamental for agricultural production, renewable energy generation, and climate change mitigation. Hiking is also one of the most accessible and enriching activities anyone can enjoy in mountainous nature. It not only provides physical exercise but also offers the opportunity to disconnect from daily distractions and immerse oneself in a tranquil and peaceful environment. However, these landscapes and their traditions are endangered by multiple factors: climate change, land degradation, reduced access to grazing lands, mass tourism, real estate speculation, tourism mechanization and overtourism, and the enjoyment of nature.

If future generations don't know the wild mountains, they won't be able to enjoy or protect them, because what is unknown cannot be protected.

Then again, The vacation industry leads us to believe that tourism only exists when it's done en masse. But that's not true. There's another vision, with proposals that have been around for years and which we present in this exhibition through works related to geoparks, quiet bikepacking routes, or simply fostering curiosity about nature, climbing, and exploration both near and far. Likewise, our current society, young people, and children are losing access to a wild and conscious connection with nature for various reasons. This is the first of the two catalysts for this exhibition proposal.

The second trigger is twofold: on the one hand, we see a decline in the value placed on illustrators in recent years due to the overuse of AI, and on the other, we want to reclaim the artist's role in understanding the value of these landscapes in a different way, explaining how they function from geological, geographical, and ecological perspectives, so that we can grasp the implications of their richness and losses, and inspire us to marvel at and protect these mountain spaces.

That's why the exhibition is also titled LOOK UP!, urging us to stop staring at our phones or thinking only of ourselves and instead look up and ahead. LOOK UP! stands out through its illustrated alphabet, featuring 26 mountain-related words explained through the art of these 26 artists and scientists. Their artwork will not leave you indifferent, thanks to its quality and freshness, born from their boundless creativity and diverse styles. Furthermore, behind each work lies a story, an adventure, or an investigation that the artist conveys to us through their images and text, defining each word from their lived experience in the mountains.

Help us create this haven of culture and immerse yourself in this sea of drawings, photography, sculpture, and science. It will be a space to disconnect for free and spend time observing, enjoying, learning, and dreaming about the work of these artists and the mountains.

WHAT WILL THE EXHIBITION BE LIKE?

The exhibition contains 23 panels forming an arc and eight panels in the center forming an octagon.**

There are also five spaces where objects and sculptures will be exhibited: a rock from the Sobrarbe Geopark, a fossil from the Natural History Museum, a visual poem about glacial melt, and a kaiku, a container used by shepherds to collect milk. In addition, there are three sculptures: one of a capercaillie, another of a landmark created by the ceramicist family Se Ha Hecho Trizas (@sehahechotrizas), and another of a bearded vulture by Txordi Ricart.

Above each panel will be a letter of the alphabet and a word related to the world of mountaineering that connects to the artist's work. The artist will define this word in a text that will also appear on the panel.

The quality of the artists and scientists is nationally and internationally renowned, such as Jeremy Collins from the United States (a famous climber, illustrator, and activist, featured on the cover of National Geographic, whose drawings and maps have appeared in the most important mountaineering and climbing magazines, and whose book and documentary, Drawn, won numerous awards at international festivals).

Max Baitinger (renowned German comic book author), Seb Cazes from France, Natalia Castañeda from Colombia, and Lau Vankilsdonk from Chile. The artists from Spain are equally incredible: Sergi Ricart (explorer, climber, photographer, and illustrator) will begin the exhibition with the letter A for Andes and his drawings and photos of his Andean adventures by bicycle and climbing volcanoes.Luis Miguel López Soriano (eight-thousander, cameraman and photographer on Carlos Soria's expeditions) Eli Azurmendi (with drawings by explorers Hilo Moreno and Silvia Vidal), Rafa Elorza together with Eli from the ExpoCroquis project, Julia Vallespin, Maria Pinta, Chema Agustín, Vera Galindo, Jorge Gecko, Irene Cuesta, Beatriz Aisa, Tania & Jorge, Ernesto Pastor from Montañas Vacías, Eduardo Martinez de Pisón and the scientists: Graciela Gil Romera (IPE-CSIC), Anchel Belmonte from the Sobrarbe Pyrenees Geopark, and the Geotransfer Geology group from the University of Zaragoza. And also the prestigious nature and adventure photographers: Andoni Canela and James Q Martin.
We also have the support of the young blind paraclimbing medalist Guillermo Pelegrín, who will help us promote the exhibition and who appears climbing in one of the exhibition photographs.

Don't miss it!!!! It's worth a visit to Zaragoza, from November 20th until the end of January 2027. And if you can't manage with the digital guide and audio guide, we'll bring this exhibition to you, and perhaps one day the exhibition will come to your city or town—we hope so!

PROJECT OBJECTIVES
1. To democratize adventure culture, science, and art related to mountain areas. 2. To highlight the undisturbed mountain landscape and its close relationship with its ecosystems, science, and adventure activities.

3. To provide a stimulus to the population by bringing art closer to science.

4. To connect with and attract a young and nonconformist audience.

5. To awaken interest in Earth Sciences and Geography, Biology, Environment, and Ecology among the general public and future generations of scientists, artists, and explorers.

6. To promote young people's interest in exploration, adventure, travel, and learning about other cultures.

7. To encourage visitors to draw and express themselves through art.

8. To contribute to developing sensitivity towards mountain areas, currently at risk due to biodiversity loss, climate change, real estate speculation, and overcrowding.

9. To highlight the value of artists and their work in the face of AI abuse.
   10. To reaffirm that the social and solidarity economy is a tangible reality in Aragon for managing culture and work.

11. To emphasize the importance of art in environmental activism and science communication.

Relationship with the public. Approaches:

• Discovering great national and international creative artists.

• Sharing creative experiences through the artworks, their stories, activities, and educational materials.

• Audio guide for the general public, blind people, and people with visual impairments.

• Exhibition designed for the enjoyment of young people, children, people with disabilities, and people with visual impairments.

• To provoke thought in the public through artworks that call us to action to protect the mountains from the current climate crisis, the loss of environmental values, and over-tourism.

DIRECT AND INDIRECT BENEFICIARIES
1. The public/users, civil society of Zaragoza, and tourists. There is a growing interest in natural spaces.

2. Social groups in Zaragoza and the surrounding area: children, teenagers, young adults, senior citizens, women, and immigrants.**

3. A special promotion will be carried out to encourage visits from high schools, colleges, non-formal education centers, clubs, and associations.

4. The Mountain Wilderness Spain and International Association, the University of Zaragoza, and participating patrons and sponsors.**

5. The entire national and international artistic community** that will be influenced and stimulated by the exhibition.

6. The regional and national creative economy**, stimulated by the positive impact of the exhibition.

7. Anyone interested can access the exhibition guide and audio guide, which will be freely available on the Mountain Wilderness Spain website.

WHO ARE WE? AND THE EXPERIENCE OF THE DRIVING TEAM

None of this would be possible without the voluntary involvement of each of the 30 artists in the exhibition and their outstanding artistic, or scientific experience.
We are adventurers with artistic interests who aim to highlight the value of mountaineering, mountain ecosystems, and landscapes. The driving team consists of:

• Borja Antolín Tomás (President of Mountain Wilderness Spain, PhD in Himalayan Geology, high school teacher) and Jana Pausch (Kambium Carpentry) created the permanent exhibition “Earth the Architect of the Himalaya and Grenville Mountains” with a budget of 20,000 Euros (Queen's University, Canada, 2011). Jana and Borja are also the authors of the illustrated book on children's rights: Our Rights from East to West. Foreword by Federico Mayor Zaragoza (former Director-General of UNESCO) (2020). Budget: €12,000 via crowdfunding (Verkami).

• Eli Azurmendi: Visual artist, author and curator of the exhibition, documentary, and book: Expocroquis (HARRI, ORRI ARkatz), The Art of Climbing Sketches.

* Chema Agustín: Alpinist54 Project: exhibition, book, and card game.

* Irene Cuesta: Illustrator for cultural projects at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

• Inma Grau: Designer and illustrator from Zaragoza: https://lus3.es.

The exhibition curators are Borja Antolín and Eli Azurmendi.