AI has been marketed as a tool for automating creativity or making music from text prompts - but what would happen if we went in the opposite direction? What would happen if we learnt to play AI like an instrument?
That’s the question we’re asking for the 2025 edition of the AI Performance Playground, which will take place between 11th and 14th June as part of Sónar+D 2025. We’re opening applications to be one of 12 participants at this intensive, collaborative hacklab - which will be led by renowned technologist, artist and writer Peter Kirn and experimental music producer and researcher Anna Xambó.
Whether you’re an experienced coder or a musician with limited experience working with AI, don’t hesitate to send us an application! We’re looking for a wide range of profiles and backgrounds, with an emphasis on those who are keen to collaborate and who have an open mind.
The hacklab will start on Wednesday 11th June at La Salle-URL’s IASLab, a pioneering European laboratory for transdisciplinary research and artistic creation, and continue at Sónar+D on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th June, before concluding with a final collaborative performance at SonarÀgora - open to the general public at Sónar by Day - on Saturday 14th June.
The deadline for applications is midnight (CET) on Thursday 28th February.
Please read the below guidelines carefully before submitting your application here.
Who can apply?
We’re looking for artists, coders, musicians, DIY creators, and creative technologists interested in exploring and deepening their use of machine learning tools, AI, and other related technologies for performance. You don’t necessarily need any prior experience with these technologies, but you do need to have an open mind and be willing to learn, share, contribute and work as part of a group. We welcome applications from anywhere in the world.*
What are we looking for?
Participants will be selected by Peter and Anna, with a special focus on individuals from diverse backgrounds and different disciplines who are interested in working as part of a group - this won’t be a place to work on your individual projects. The Hacklab is a collaborative exercise, where all participants will learn to make use of new tools, exchanging both skills and knowledge.
When and where does it take place?
The Hacklab runs over four days in Barcelona between La Salle-URL’s IASLab and Sónar+D (held in FIRA Montjuïc as part of Sónar by Day 2025).
Wednesday 11th June: 10:30am to 6pm @ La Salle-URL’s IASLab
Thursday 12th June: 10:30am to 6pm @ Sónar+D
Friday 13th June: 10:30am to 6pm @Sónar+D
Saturday 14th June: 3pm to 5pm @ Sónar+D
What do we offer?
Selected participants will participate in an intensive three-day hacklab, taking place between Sónar+D and La Salle-URL’s IASlab (located in their Barcelona campus). The sessions will be a mix of knowledge sharing, collective experimentation and collaboration. The Hacklab will conclude with a public presentation and collaborative performance at Sónar on Saturday at SonarÀgora, a c.200 capacity indoor stage.
This is a unique experience, offering the opportunity to learn more about how to use AI and machine learning tools for music, art, and performance, working together with a group of inspiring people with different perspectives and ideas. It’s a chance to hone your skills and establish valuable connections with other creatives from a variety of backgrounds, in the unique context of Sónar 2025, one of the world’s leading festivals for forward-thinking music and art.
All selected participants will receive a Participant +D pass, which includes:
- VIP access to the full programme of Sónar+D, Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night on the 12th, 13th and 14th June in Barcelona, including free shuttle bus services, fast-track access to the venues, exclusive VIP-only areas with bars and restaurants, and other benefits.
- Access to the networking App to connect with the entire professional community at Sónar.
- Food and drinks on all four days of the Hacklab.
You’ll also each receive an additional SonarPass+D VIP for a guest of your choice, which includes:
- VIP access to the full programme of Sónar+D, Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night on the 12th, 13th and 14th June in Barcelona, including free shuttle bus services, fast-track access to the venues, exclusive VIP-only areas with bars and restaurants, and other benefits.
- Access to the networking App to connect with the entire professional community at Sónar.
* Please note that we cannot provide any assistance or funding for organising travel to and accommodation in Barcelona during the Hacklab: these costs and logistics are the sole responsibility of each participant.
We can provide a formal letter of invitation if needed for any funding or visa applications.
How do I apply?
This is the easy part: just fill in this form before midnight (CET) on Friday 28th February. Those selected to participate will be informed by the end of March 2025.
More about the facilitators:
Peter Kirn:
Peter Kirn is a music artist, technologist, and journalist with Lebanese-American heritage, creator of the daily site cdm.link and a regular instigator of collaborative laboratories for performance and artistic research, including performances and interactive labs for CTM Festival, MUTEK (Montreal, Japan, Mexico, and Dubai), and Sónar. He studied music composition at the CUNY Graduate Center, and draws on a background in musicology and media archaeology in explorations of evolving media, with audiovisual and improvisatory work. His own releases, a mix of experimental, ambient and techno, have appeared on labels including FLASH Recordings, TRAPEZ, Kotä, Industrial Complexx, Dark Carousel, as well as his own imprint Establishment Records.
Anna Xambó:
Experimental electronic music producer and researcher. Biased for being passionate about extreme digital minimalism and a past performer on bass guitar, she likes to explore the boundaries of digital sound focusing on low frequencies, compulsive rhythms, and noisy textures. Her research and practice concentrate on creating sound and music computing systems looking at novel approaches to collaborative, participatory, and live coding experiences. To date, she has released four solo albums: "init" (Carpal Tunnel, 2010), "On the Go" (Carpal Tunnel, 2013), "H2RI" (Pan y Rosas, 2018) and "detuning a tuning" (Carpal Tunnel, 2023). She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Sound and Music Computing at the Centre for Digital Music (C4DM), School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London. She is the Principal Investigator of the Arts and Humanities
Research Council-funded project “Sensing the Forest: Let the Forest Speak using the Internet of Things, Acoustic Ecology and Creative AI" (2023-2025) and has also led the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Human-Data Interaction Network Plus funded project “MIRLCAuto: A Virtual Agent for Music Information Retrieval in Live Coding” (2020-2021).