Espai ONÍRIC:
An immersive journey across Catalan Digital creativity
Catalan digital creativity is making powerful strides at Sónar through its Espai Oníric, an immersive project from the Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya) and Sónar in collaboration with Landscapes, the digital art agency organising the MIRA Festival.
The 31st edition of Sónar, Barcelona’s festival of music, innovation and digital creativity, will be taking place from 13 to 15 June in various stages and venues of Fira Barcelona. The Ministry of Culture, through the General Directorate of Innovation and Digital Culture, has taken on a prominent presence there with Espai Oníric, an immersive 60-square metre cube featuring the projects of six Catalan artists and studios with a solid career in the field of digital creativity.
This immersive experience, created specifically for Sónar 2024 and curated by Antònia Folguera, curator of Sónar+D, and Marc Gomariz, co-director of the MIRA festival, highlights the projects of the following artists: Blit, with its piece Data-ism; Desilence with Paramnesico; Eyesberg with the piece 1.5 degrees; Masso, with his piece Pax Rata Fiat; Onionlab with Climate, and Sevi Iko Dømochevsky, with the act “Cancer” of his work Break Cycle.
The proposal seeks to shine the spotlight on the talent of artists and studios that are part of the vibrant Catalan creative community. The different works are natively immersive and explore a wide range of topics addressing current issues that impact our society, such as climate change and our relationship with technology.
Find more information on the artists and the pieces of work that will be shown in the immersive experience Espai Oníric: an immersive journey across Catalan digital creativity below.
Blit
Data-ism
They define themselves as the creative studio making lines dance! For eight years they have been bringing visual rhythm to dance floors and beyond, crafting content for brands, events, music and art. Transforming spaces into mesmerising spectacles thanks to a talented team of animators, editors and producers delivering meaningful work for local, national and global clients.
‘Data-ism’ celebrates the fusion of the physical and natural worlds, using environmental data to create immersive animations. It draws attention to the impact of human activities on climate change, deforestation, water scarcity, and habitat loss. Data-ism connects the theories of Darwin and Turing, exploring the visualization of natural world data through computerized algorithms.
Desilence
Paramnesico
Tatiana Halbach (Barcelona) and Søren Christensen (Denmark) are the creative force behind Desilence. At the core of Desilence there are the love for painting, the hypnotic motion and a relentless determination to find balance. Since 2005 they have been carefully creating big stage shows, live visuals, visual scenography, musicals, dance performances and installations.
‘Paramnesico’ is a game, an experiment that starts from writing down the artists dreams and representing them creating a surreal sequence shot, with the help of AI and music by Siriusmo.
Eyesberg
1.5 degrees
Eyesberg is a multimedia art studio specialized in the transformation of environments into interactive and immersive artworks. Being the medium to reach the viewer, technology plays an essential role in Eyesberg’s identity.
‘1.5 degrees’ is a contemplative art piece inspired by glaciers, crucial elements for the climate balance on our planet.
Masso
Pax Rata Fiat
Visual artist who focuses his work on videomapping, real-time visuals and immersive and interactive environments. He was part of Eyesberg Studio and made his solo debut in 2019 with the fulldome film ‘Smartzombies’, presented at the MIRA Festival. In 2023 he presented ‘Warp It’, a piece in immersive format premiered at IDEAL, Centre d’Arts Digitals. He is currently in charge of the innovation and video department of this centre focused on immersive arts.
‘Pax Rata Fiat’ narrates a fascinating journey among flowers and plants, which seeks to highlight the importance of preserving and caring for our connection with the forest. The common thread of the narrative is the making of ratafia, a traditional Catalan liqueur, and an abstract vision of its ingredients.
Onionlab
Climate
Multidisciplinary studio that designs installations, audiovisuals and interactive experiences for institutions that seek to relate to technology, design and art. Specialists in projection mapping, VR and audiovisual content for festivals, exhibitions and music. Based in Barcelona, working worldwide.
‘Climate’ is an immersive audiovisual piece that invites us to reflect on the conflict between two possible antagonistic futures. A utopia where we have managed to stop climate change and where we can live in balance with nature and a dystopian future where environmental disasters become an absolute reality.
Sevi Iko
Dømochevsky
Break Cycle
Multidisciplinary artist based in Barcelona with an expertise in music production and CGI. His work focuses on the exploration of pseudonarratives and worldbuilding through carefully crafted compositions, ranging from a figurative focus to more spatial oriented scenes, always trying to blur the line between the obvious and the unseen.
‘Break Cycle’ was born as an artistic dialogue between all the artists involved in the film, looking to build an experimental proto narrative with an emotional tapestry based on very abstract concepts related to universal archetypes. This movie was an experiment intended as a subconscious experience.