To commemorate the 20th anniversary of ISE and the 200th anniversary of Passeig de Gràcia, one of the major avenues in Barcelona and home to Casa Batlló, Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) is sponsoring a projection mapping on the façade of the iconic Gaudí building. Following Refik Anadol's mappings in 2022 and 2023, Casa Batlló has once again invited a renowned digital artist to transform the building into a canvas for technology-driven art. The chosen artist, Sofia Crespo, is a pioneer in exploring organic life and its evolution through Artificial Intelligence. Co-founder of Entangled Others Studio, Sofia is best known for her work with neural networks and machine learning, along with her huge interest in biology-inspired technologies. Her work, including Neural Zoo and Artificial Remnants, explores the potential of AI in artistic practice and its ability to reshape our understandings of creativity.
Crespo's creations have been shown across the world, including a month-long takeover of Times Square last May during which digital works were displayed across 96 billboards. She has also been part of the Meta AI Artist in Residence programme, in collaboration with Meta Open Arts, during which she created Critically Extant, a project exploring the limits of available data as a means of engaging with critically endangered species. "The great challenge has been to convey Gaudí's inspirations in a façade with a lot of personality and intricate details," said Crespo. "I wanted to capture how he worked and thought, including the materials, the symbology, and his more spiritual dimension. It has been a fascinating project because it combines art and technology, the cultural legacy of Barcelona, and a creator whose work remains alive and is constantly reinterpreted by artists."
