Exhibition
The exhibition is a proposal where science, technology, art and creativity come together to encourage reflection on people’s responsibility towards the environment and urges us to protect and preserve the balance between human beings, nature and the rest of the species that coexist on the planet.
Oceans are the lifeblood of our planet, regulating the climate system and producing a huge amount of oxygen and natural resources. They are the world’s largest ecosystem, home to almost a million known species, and have enormous untapped scientific potential. Oceans are key to human survival and the balance of the global ecosystem, and their conservation and sustainable use are among the Global Goals set by the United Nations for 2030. Human existence and life on Earth depend on the health of the seas and oceans.
The exhibition Echoes of the Ocean, curated by José Luis de Vicente, introduces us to this reality through an immersive and sensory experience created by the experiental artists’ collective Marshmallow Laser Feast in dialogue with the Bioacoustic Applications Laboratory of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Its work, Seeing Echoes in the Mind of the Whale, will be the centrepiece of the exhibition, a large enveloping audiovisual installation that invites visitors to reflect on the sustainability of marine ecosystems.
Comprising twelve large screens, this immersive installation integrates images generated by artificial intelligence technologies and real sound recordings of marine species captured in different parts of the planet. These data and sounds originate from research led by the UPC’s LAB, which studies noise pollution in the oceans and its impact on some of the species that inhabit them, such as whales, sperm whales and other cetaceans.
The exhibition Echoes of the Ocean emerges from the symbiosis of science and technology, combined with the power of art and creativity. It is an artistic proposal based on one of the most fascinating current scientific projects focused on the marine ecosystem. It compels us to ponder our responsibility towards the environment and urges us to protect and preserve the balance between humanity, nature, and the other species that co-exist on the planet. Only through empathy and harmonious co-existence with the natural world can we ensure a sustainable future for the generations to come.
The exhibition can be seen on floor 4 of Espacio Fundación Telefónica, from 12 February to 7 September 2025.
In collaboration with:
José Luis de Vicente, Project curator and Director of the Disseny Hub de Barcelona (DHub)
José Luis de Vicente is a leading Spanish writer, thinker and curator, known for his work in the field of innovation and new technologies. Throughout his career, he has combined his passion for digital culture with a critical view of the impact of technology on society. De Vicente has been a pioneer in exploring the intersections between art, science and technology, and has worked on the creation of multidisciplinary projects that promote reflective thinking about the future. He has collaborated with international cultural institutions and festivals, bringing his ideas about the digital future to a global audience. He is also a prolific author of essays and articles analyzing technological transformations and their impact on art, culture and social dynamics. His approach is characterized by the search for a balance between innovation and ethics.
His most notable works include his role as founder and artistic director of Sónar+D, the culture and art programme of the prestigious Sónar Festival, as well as co-founder and co-director of MODEL, Barcelona’s architecture festival, and Tentacular, festival of Critical Technologies and Digital Adventures at Matadero (Madrid). He has also curated the FutureEverything Festival (Manchester) and LlumBCN, Barcelona’s festival of light arts, initiated and directed the Visualizar programme on data culture at the innovative citizen lab Medialab Prado in Madrid, and curated more than 25 exhibitions in institutions around the world, including museums and cultural centres such as the CCCB (Barcelona), ArtsScience Museum (Singapore), Somerset House (London), MIT Museum (Cambridge, USA), Dox (Prague), Dox (Praha, UK), and the CCCB (Barcelona). Dox (Prague), Dox (Praha, UK), and the CCCB (Barcelona). Dox (Prague), Museo Reina Sofía and Espacio Fundación Telefónica (Madrid), as well as many others.
Marshmallow Laser Feast (Ersin Han Ersin, Barnaby Steel, Robin McNicholas), London-based experiential artist collective
Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) is an experiential artist collective that believes in the power of stories to tickle senses and shift perceptions. Their work takes people on a multisensory journey to where imagination and information collide. From coders to poets, chemists to ventriloquists, brands to institutions, MLF collaborates with specialists in all disciplines. To explore new forms of culture, interrogate our relationship with the world around us and leave a glittery slug trail as they journey through the cosmos.
They tell stories that untangle, entangle, and flavor our reality, blurring the lines between art, immersive experiences, XR and film. Alive in galleries, museums, public spaces, parks, nature reserves and the metaverse, MLF’s work is grounded in research. Designed to carve out space to expose, explore and expand the relationship with the living world. Their work has been exhibited internationally at institutions including ACMI, Barbican Centre, YCAM, DDB Seoul, Sundance Film Festival, Factory International, Quartier des Spectacles, Montreal, SXSW, Phi Centre and Lisbon Architectural Triennale.
Michel André, Professor and Director of the Laboratory of Bioacoustic Applications at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTech (UPC)
He is founder and president of The Sense of Silence Foundation and International Ambassador of the Mamirauá Institute (Amazonas, Brazil). He is a Rolex Award and International Fellow of The Explorers Club (New York, USA). His research work focuses on the development of technological solutions for the monitoring and regeneration of biodiversity in marine and terrestrial ecosystems; on the study of the effects of noise pollution on marine organisms and habitats; and on the monitoring of biodiversity in tropical rainforests.
Michel André, Professor and Director of the Laboratory of Bioacoustic Applications at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTech (UPC). He is the founder and president of The Sense of Silence Foundation and International Ambassador of the Mamirauá Institute (Amazonas, Brazil). He is a Rolex Award winner and International Fellow of The Explorers Club (New York, USA). His research work focuses on the development of technological solutions for monitoring and regenerating biodiversity in marine and terrestrial ecosystems; on the study of the effects of noise pollution on marine organisms and habitats; and on monitoring the biodiversity of tropical forests.
