Curator Statement

June 10-18, Espronceda. ISEA2022 Extended Programme

Today’s society moves between the physical and the digital, both territories are part of the same reality, so it is necessary to become aware of that flow through education, the social awareness of all our actions with respect to humans and our terrestrial ecosystem. The exploration of new worlds, metaverses, digital, is a great challenge to the conscious use of advanced technologies and at the same time it is important to maintain cultural heritage, material and immaterial, linked to artistic creation and communities

From June 10 to 18, 2022, within the extended program proposed by ISEA2022 Barcelona and New European Bauhaus Festival (side events): ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture – organizes a major exhibition and workshops in collaboration with national and international artists/entities, curated by Alejandro Martín and available also online in Espronceda virtual: https://hubs.mozilla.com/LF3tHg9/espronceda-virtual-neb-festival-2022-isea

Projects:

The Introns project, installation by the artist Solimán López, consists of the creation of three-dimensional digital entities that represent the genome of humans and plants, as well as their research environment in the metaverse. These digital entities respond to the genetic code of the specific species, from whose code identifies features and patterns represented by dynamic 3d models and sculptures that respond to their composition in the real world.
Aalto University, the prestigious Finnish university, presents a selection of aspects in the process of engaging with heritage as a source of knowledge in art and design education. The exhibition showcases processes and outcomes of co-design methodologies employed during the MA Fellowship Programme in collaboration with Centre Pompidou. The MA Fellowship Programme took place from autumn 2020 to summer 2021 as part of the research project Beyond Matter – Cultural Heritage on the Verge of Virtual Reality led by ZKM Karlsruhe and funded by Creative Europe Programme of the European Union (607558-CREA-1-2019-DE-CULT-COOP2). The Fellowship run alongside the conceptual phase of the digital reconstructions of two momentous historical exhibitions, Les Immatériaux (Centre Pompidou, 1985) and Iconoclash (ZKM, 2002). In addition to the exhibition, there will be a co-creative workshop offered to the local community. The workshop is part of novel framework based on the Performance-Oriented Research Methods for Audience Studies and Exhibition Evaluation (PORe), developed and implemented at Aalto University by Lily Díaz-Kommonen and Cvijeta Miljak in the scope of the Beyond Matter project.
“Digital Awareness for Sustainable Futures with Leonardo” explores the Possibles of global futures that Reimagine Everything to invite a vibrant, just, regenerative world with VR, AR, video, web and immersive experience selected from the Leosphere. Organized by Diana Ayton-Shenker.
AI4FUTURE, Creative Europe project – the international network of artists and activists redefining the concept of post-covid mobility through Art and Artificial Intelligence – will present interactive installations, a press preview, an open event and guided visits hosted by ESPRONCEDA.
Schedule:

June 10th: 5 pm – Press preview / 7 pm – Opening of the exhibition and guided tour. From 7 pm to 9 pm with the presence of artists and partners.
June 11th: From 12 pm to 3 pm – Workshop by Aalto University on: Cultural heritage as a source of knowledge in art and design education.
June 13th: From 4 pm to 6 pm – Games workshop for sustainable goals by Leonardo/ISAST  From 7 pm to 9 pm – Guided tour for ISEA2022 Barcelona experts and visitors.

• Alejandro Martín (Barcelona, Spain) is Art Director and Curator of Espronceda. He strongly believes that creativity and art are key in our globalised world. He has a holistic vision stems from his background chemistry and engineering, a vast experience in Business Development, and he has indulged in long research of Fine Arts and Art Production. https://www.espronceda.net/?team=alejandro-martin

This project has been awarded with the ISEA2022 Barcelona Grant by Fundació Sorigué https://www.fundaciosorigue.com