Colloquium · Silenci en temps de soroll

Presented by: ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture

Venue: Carrer d’Espronceda 326, Nave 4–5, 08027 Barcelona

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026 (6:00–8:00 PM)

Dialogues with nature: art, architecture and technology

ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture proudly presents a public colloquium within the framework of the exhibition Silenci en temps de soroll, bringing together Regina Saura, Rita Roqueta, Henrik Sprengel, Kris Pilcher and Daniel González to explore the intersection of art, nature, architecture and artificial intelligence.

Conceived as a transdisciplinary space for reflection and exchange, the session will examine the conceptual and technological processes behind Bosc de Missatges and Cercle dels Desitjos, immersive projects developed within the research programme NUBIA LABS. The discussion will address how painting, spatial design, real-time systems and human-centred technologies converge to generate new forms of ecological awareness, participation and collective imagination.

The exhibition Silenci en temps de soroll will remain open until February 22, 2026, from 5:00–7:00 PM. Visits are by appointment at info@espronceda.net.

The artistic and technological framework

At the core of the dialogue is Bosc de Missatges, an interactive projection mapping installation that transforms the exhibition architecture into a responsive visual ecosystem. Using LiDAR sensors and real-time systems developed with TouchDesigner, the work translates painted landscapes into a living environment shaped by algorithmic processes and human presence.

The project was first developed by Ariadna Cortés and Lluís Sentís for the intervention presented at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in November 2025. The collaboration with Lluís Sentís — researcher and professor specialising in humanoid robotics, artificial intelligence and human-centred technologies — represents a singular and expert contribution to the conceptual and technological development of the installation.

Subsequently expanded within NUBIA LABS, Bosc de Missatges deepens the dialogue between art, architecture, ecology and digital systems, positioning immersive media as a shared space where emotion, environmental consciousness and algorithmic processes intersect.

Alongside it, Cercle dels Desitjos presents a mixed-reality environment where sound, spatial interaction and digital matter form a speculative forest of messages. Through real-time participation, the installation dissolves the boundaries between physical presence and virtual narration, generating a living archive of collective desires and shared imaginaries.

Programme

6:15 PM — Welcome and introduction of participants (Henrik Sprengel)
6:25 PM — Regina Saura & Rita Roqueta: artistic vision, projects and collaboration
6:43 PM — Bosc de Missatges: live activation and participatory QR moment
6:50 PM — Technological framework: Bosc de Missatges & Cercle dels Desitjos
Context, development and how to experience the installations (Kris Pilcher & Daniel González)
7:00 PM — Urban perspective (guest contribution)
7:05 PM — Open discussion and Q&A
7:20 PM — Colloquium wrap-up
7:20–8:00 PM — Informal continuation in the main gallery and direct experience of the installation

The evening will conclude with an open and informal exchange in the gallery, allowing visitors to directly experience the installations.

About the contributors

Regina Saura is a contemporary artist whose practice unfolds at the intersection of painting, design and graphic language. Educated at Elisava School of Design, her early background in graphic design and photography shaped her strong sensitivity to composition, colour and visual construction. Since relocating to the rural landscape of Empordà in the early 1980s, her work has evolved from intimate depictions of everyday objects toward a deeper exploration of forests and natural environments as emotional and symbolic territories. Her vibrant and luminous use of colour oscillates between figuration and abstraction, often incorporating mixed media, collage and typographic traces. With an established international career across Europe, the United States and Japan, her work reflects on ecological fragility and the sensory relationship between body, landscape and perception.

Rita Roqueta Saura is an architect, designer and interdisciplinary creator whose work bridges architecture, scenography, art and technology. Trained at ETSAB-UPC, with doctoral studies in restoration and innovation, she has developed projects across Europe and the United States, combining architectural rigour with immersive experimentation. Her practice focuses on spatial narratives and embodied perception, creating installations and environments that merge physical and digital layers. She has collaborated internationally in architectural studios and artistic productions, including immersive scientific and cultural projects such as Bosc Cremat for CosmoCaixa and Cuques de Llum at the Palau de la Música. Her work explores how space can become an experiential and emotional interface.

Lluís Sentís is a researcher and professor specialised in advanced robotics and human-centred artificial intelligence, currently based in Austin. With a multidisciplinary background spanning engineering, cognitive sciences and dynamic control systems, his work focuses on humanoid robotics, adaptive locomotion and safe human-machine interaction. His research integrates dynamic modelling, AI systems and experimental hardware design, exploring how intelligent machines can develop collaborative and responsive behaviours. Within Bosc de Missatges, his contribution provides a rigorous technological foundation for the real-time interaction between physical presence and digital transformation.

Henrik Sprengel is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture. With a background in law and an MBA from INSEAD, he has built and led multiple international ventures in technology and sustainability. As co-founder of ESPRONCEDA, he has helped establish a transdisciplinary ecosystem where artistic research, digital innovation and European cultural initiatives converge. His leadership emphasises the integration of creativity, technology and sustainable impact within contemporary cultural production.

Ariadna Cortés Danés is a scientific researcher and engineer specialised in computational modelling, physics and artificial intelligence. A graduate of the CFIS excellence programme at UPC in Physics and Computer Engineering, she combines advanced programming, mathematical modelling and GPU-accelerated systems. Her research has included work at the Human-Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, where she developed motion-planning algorithms for advanced robotics. Bridging science and creative technology, she has contributed to interactive digital artworks and scientific dissemination projects, bringing precision and computational depth to the development of real-time immersive systems.

Kris Pilcher is an award-winning mixed reality artist and researcher whose practice pioneers the use of immersive technologies to explore culture, embodiment and human experience. With over fifteen years of professional work, he integrates augmented and virtual reality, spatial computing and artificial intelligence into installations that dissolve the boundaries between physical and digital worlds. His projects have been presented internationally at festivals such as Ars Electronica and Cannes XR, and he is affiliated with research institutions including MIT and Georgia State University. His contribution to the colloquium situates immersive media within broader conversations on sustainability, empathy and collective imagination.

Daniel González Franco is an interdisciplinary researcher, artist and social innovator working at the intersection of immersive technologies and empathy-driven design. Co-founder of BeAnotherLab and co-creator of The Machine to Be Another, his work explores embodied virtual reality as a tool for understanding identity and perspective. His projects have received international recognition, including awards at Ars Electronica and Laval Virtual. Through immersive systems that foreground human experience, he investigates how digital technologies can foster social awareness and emotional connection.

The exhibition Silenci en temps de soroll forms part of NEB & Inclusió, a programme developed by ESPRONCEDA as an official partner of the New European Bauhaus (NEB). This European initiative integrates design, culture, social inclusion and innovation to rethink how we live together and promote more sustainable and sensitive models for transforming our environments.

Artwork availability

The silkscreen prints and a selection of Regina Saura’s original works presented in Silenci en temps de soroll are available for acquisition through ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture.