Sónar+D is not afraid of artificial intelligence

BarcelonaSónar has never turned its back on technological innovations, nor on the ethical and labour challenges that they entail. Tools such as artificial intelligence have been present both in the artistic proposal of the Barcelona festival, and in the part called Sónar+, a programme that year after year has established itself as a space between the presentation of technological innovations, music and even philosophical reflection. Precisely artificial intelligence (AI) and creativity will be one of the axes of the edition of Sónar+D, which will be held at Fira Montjuïc on June 12, 13 and 14. The purpose, as usual, is to stimulate the relationship between "people who research and develop AI tools to apply them to music", as Antònia Folguera, curator of Sónar+D, said during the presentation of the programme (a hundred activities) that was held at the headquarters of the IaSlab at La Salle Campus.

Within this line of AI and creativity, "always from a decidedly humanistic perspective", there will be premieres such as the project Love by Maria Arnal, the result of artistic and technological research that the artist from Badalona has carried out in recent years. Rebecca Fiebrink, professor of creative computing at the University of the Arts London, a pioneer of AI in music on the Wekinator platform, created in 2008, will also participate. And the Thai Yaboi Hanoi, designer of tools for Google and TikTok, will give a talk on how to "fuse AI pattern sounds." Everything will start with an open forum, Introducing AI & music, supported by the European Commission's S+T+ARTS programme, will bring together multidisciplinary artists, researchers and experts in interaction with computing and AI for musical purposes.

A second line of Sónar+D 2025 is Imagining the future of creative industries: debates, presentations and shows that reflect the new models of creation, production and exhibition that have emerged in the digital arts. One example is Lux Mundi, the mapping that was presented last year in Sant Climent de Taüll and with which four digital artists, Alba G. Corral, Massó, Desilence and Hamill Industries, and the duo Relena cake reinterpreting Romanesque paintings. According to Folguera, "a meeting point between the 11th century and the present to project a look towards the future." Also worth highlighting is the interactive session Hacking the world, in which trend analysts Berta Segura and Francesca Tur analyse the impact of digital culture on the transformation of "creators, the formation of audiences and the interactions between artists and audiences".

Finally, Worlds to come will offer activities that explore different possible futures, such as Eat my multiverse, a lecture by Libby Heaney, a doctor in quantum science who uses quantum computing in art; and performance Synapticon, in which experimental artist Albert.DATA, a PhD in cognitive sciences, shows his brain activity using brain-computer interfaces.