How are the creative industries preparing for the future at a time of radical transformation? We’re inviting you to help us answer this question at Sónar+D 2024.
The current creative landscape looks like the Wild West: with the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence, the economic imperatives of platform capitalism, and the new frontiers being opened up by immersive entertainment and augmented reality. That’s why at the 12th edition of our meeting of innovation and digital culture, we’re giving the stage to a variety of creative minds. By listening to them speak and watching them in action, we can understand how they’re adapting to these new realities.
Delve into cinema made using AI in the 2nd edition of the +RAIN Film Festival. Experience multidisciplinary performances that draw on dance, music, theatre, and technology, as part of the AI & Music programme, powered by S+T+ARTS. Discover the latest trends across the creative industries, from music and fashion to gaming, cinema and literature, and more. And witness the latest advances in immersive art and digital entities and avatars, amongst other new technologies.
You’ll be invited to navigate the programme via four themes: Talks & Forums, a series of of open conversations in SonarÀgora and Room+D; Exhibition, featuring over 100 exhibits from around the world in Project Area; Performance, a programme of multidisciplinary shows in Complex+D and Stage+D; and Networking, a series activities designed to encourage new connections between both professionals and curious members of the public.
While the majority of these activities are open to everyone at Sónar by Day, to experience the entirety of Sónar+D, you’ll need to purchase a SonarPass+D (which includes Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night) or a Sónar by Day Pass (which includes all three days of Sónar by Day), which give you access to exclusive morning sessions. Both tickets are available (in standard and VIP) via our tickets page
Thursday: focusing on the impact of AI on the creative industries
Sónar+D opens on Thursday 13th June with an inaugural conference that addresses the impact of AI on the creative industries. Under the title 'Generating Panic?', a group of experts - Marta Peirano, Marta Handenawer (Domestic Data Streamers), Eduard Alarcón, Andrew Adamatzy, Manolo Martínez and Rebecca Fiebrink - will separate hype and hysteria from reality.
As part of the AI & Music programme powered by S+T+ARTS, the forum 'We Are the Music Makers' brings together musicians and instrument makers who use AI in their day-to-day work. Under the same banner, two sessions will show that our imagination isn’t redundant in the age of AI. Nicole L'Huillier and Marta Verde will both show that technology still requires human creativity in 'Vibrational Intelligence' and 'Surprise! AI Feedback and the Unexpected'.
Sasha Costanza-Chock invites the audience to reflect on how we design technology to be more inclusive, in an AV talk presented by SEIDOR. The roundtable discussion 'Dance Dance Revolution' brings together artists from the Sónar 2024 line-up who are taking dance into uncharted territory: Kianí del Valle, Meritxell de Soto, Gabber Eleganza and Tianzhuo Chen (ASIANDOPEBOYS). And in ‘Audiovisual Aesthetics’, Barcelona creative studio Querida and Ela Minus explain how they’re collaborating to create the visual identity for Ela’s musical project.
The first dayl closes with a pair of shows that explore digital identities on Stage+D: 'Second Self' by Myriam Bleau & Nien Tzu Weng and Team Rolfes’ live VR opera '321 Rule' starring Lil Mariko. Over at Complex+D, Aïsha Devi brings her thunderous new live show 'Les Immortelles' to the festival, in collaboration with visionary set designer Emmanuel Biard.
Friday: where the creative industries connect
On 14th June, Friday’s session opens with two forums. ‘What's Immersive Anyway?’ brings together representatives from the emerging world of immersive experiences, from studios and venues like Superblue, to agencies like Moment Factory, among others.
In recent years, conferences have moved away from academia, becoming an entertainment format that appeals to audiences both niche and mainstream. 'Curating the Curators' presented by TIMES, brings togethers seven curators who are taking conferences to the next level, with representatives from TED, The Conference, Katapult, OFFF, A MAZE., and European Lab.
There’ll still be room to talk about AI on the second day of Sónar+D. 'Abogamer' Micaela Mantegna explains why we need to reimagine copyright in the age of generative AI to avoid a dystopian future. And two writers who explore technology and society tackle AI from the perspective of fiction and critical analysis: Tim Maughan with '2 tired 2 prompt' and Joanne McNeil with 'Stories from the AI Underclass'.
A more optimistic picture of AI can be found in actions that bring together science and art. This year, SonarMies takes over the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion throughout Sónar Week with 'Liquid Strata', an installation created in collaboration with TBA21, that reveals the unknown ecosystems of the depths of the ocean. Over at Stage+D, its creators, oceanographer Joan Llort and artists Entangled Others and Daphne X, will explain how they created the installation in the audiovisual conference 'Diving Into Liquid Strata'.
‘Creating new identities through (digital) fashion’, presented by Vogue Business, explores how digital fashion is doing more than just making clothes for avatars: it’s tearing up the fashion rulebook. The roundtable discussionl includes renowned creative director Isabelita Virtual and Leanne Elliott Young of the revolutionary agency Institute of Digital Fashion, and is moderated by Elektra Kotsoni of Vogue Business.
On Friday, the lineup for Complex+D features experimental pianist Kelly Moran and a brand new live show by Catalan vocalist Adelaida, amongst others. And Stage+D closes with a pair of multidisciplinary performances: ‘Cortex’ by Kianí del Valle Performance Group featuring music by Tayhana and visuals by Hamill Industries; and ‘Cortical’ by local artists Daniel Benza & Dømochevsky. On Saturday, Stage+D is taken over completely by ‘PHYSIS’, ASIANDOPEBOYS’ astounding 6-hour long immersive performance.
Project Area: where the public becomes the main character
Open to the entire festival audience, Project Area, this year supported by Fundación Banco Sabadell, showcases the most innovative creative technology projects in the heart of Sónar by Day. With over 100 projects by 73 different exhibitors from around the world, it’s the place to try, touch, ask about, experiment with, and, in short, discover what’s next for creative tech.
The projects are divided into eight distinct sections: AI & Music powered by S+T+ARTS, covering the use of AI technology in music; Creative AI, featuring work that uses AI to support creative processes; Music Tech, exhibiting cutting-edge music technology and modular synthesiser gear; Weird Science, showcasing experiments that cover science, the natural world and more; Global Lab, featuring contributions from a range of universities, scientific and artistic institutions; Realities+D, where you’ll find Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality experiences; Gaming, home to alternative and experimental video games; and Digital Identities, exploring the world of avatars and digital beings.
Sónar Week: Sónar+D expands beyond Sónar by Day
Once again, Sónar+D expands beyond the borders of Sónar by Day this year. Sónar 2024 kicks off on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th June with the 2nd edition of the +RAIN Film Festival, the international film festival for cinema made entirely with AI. Co-organised with the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Over 5 days, the festival explores how this technology is shaping modern cinematic narratives.
Following the opening two days at the UPF Poblenou Campus, the festival moves to Sónar by Day from 13th to 15th June at Sónar by Day, with screenings of the winning film; alongside the AI & Web3 Creative Summit, hosting debates, demos and roundtables on expanded media, creativity and cinema.