The iconic façade of Casa Batlló prepares for a new visual odyssey with the upcoming mapping by Argentinean digital artist Sofia Crespo. It also joins the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Passeig de Gràcia and the Festival Llum BCN 2024.
After the success of the last two years where the mappings were designed by the artist Refik Anadol, this time Sofia Crespo has been selected. The presentation, Structures of Being, will be screened at Casa Batlló free of charge on 27 and 28 January, immersing viewers in a fascinating journey connecting art and technology with the essence of Gaudí. On Saturday 27 January the show will begin at 9pm, while on Sunday it will start two hours earlier, offering sessions every half hour until 10.30pm.
Sofia Crespo has been influenced by one of the great representatives of Catalan art to reflect on the façade of Casa Batlló what is hidden inside it. Gaudí was passionate about integrating nature into his work, and now Crespo, through AI, brings that legacy to life by creating a dialogue between tradition and innovation. To create this organic life, Sofia has used artificial neural networks, algorithms trained to embrace the variety of forms that Gaudí included in Casa Batlló.
Argentine artist Sofia Crespo and her ocean and sea creatures designs.
With this, he has managed to obtain shapes of beings that defy the imagination of the beholder, because for some, a shape may look like a fish, but for others like a dragon. This immensity of nature, animals, minerals, shells, etc., will interact in 3D on the façade, projecting the cultural legacy that is still alive in Barcelona.
Traditional melody and avant-garde technology
The artist has the musical collaboration of Robert M. Thomas, a generative composer, who has composed a unique melody with algorithms that connect with the visual spectacle. All this, with the aim of capturing the emotions of the audience when viewing the new mapping. The music is performed by local artists and recorded at the legendary Palau de la Música Catalana.
Robert M. Thomas working with the musicians at the Palau de la Música Catalana.
It also includes the string quartet Cosmos Quartet and the organist Juan de la Rubia. The artist wanted to seek out different aspects of Gaudí’ s life and transmit them through melody. To this end, his approach has not neglected traditional Catalan music, as well as the presence of the organ.
The organ is the frame of the whole composition. It is the immortal part of Gaudí and symbolises the divine,” says Robert M. Thomas.
Another of the collaborations in the 2024 mapping is that of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, which has participated in the aquatic sequence of the projection. Through them, it has been possible to include the simulation of eddies that are created in the ocean, which help to regulate the temperature of the water. These simulations play an important role in European projects such as DestinE, which provides information on the future of the planet in terms of climate change.
The mappings designed by Refik Anadol projected in Casa Batlló.
In this way, Sofia’s creativity will connect Gaudí’s natural world with innovation and technology, through time. This is proof that what is not forgotten does not die, and the influence of Antoni Gaudí is and will be an eternal reference point. The show will begin its first session on Saturday 27 January at 21.00h, but if you can not enjoy it in person, you can also follow it virtually. On the Casa Batlló website it will be possible to follow it live from 20.45h.
Images courtesy of Casa Batlló.
