Week of future media in motion: Artists, algorithms, and shared realities
Reflecting on the PMP Future Media Workshop Week – Barcelona, March 2025
By Alessia Gervasone and Maria Mantzakou, Espronceda, Insitute of Art & Culture
From March 10th to 14th, 2025, Espronceda had the great pleasure of hosting the Future Media Workshop Week as part of the project, welcoming 34 participants coming from 7 different countries as well as the project partners. The week was an inspiring convergence of creativity, experimentation, and critical engagement with immersive technologies – focused on how artists can claim space in the evolving digital landscape.
Dual workshop tracks in XR and embodied storytelling
To better support diverse artistic interests and skillsets, we curated two complementary workshops: the Embodied Narratives Production Workshop, and the Virtual Environments Workshop. This dual structure allowed us to offer both a human-centered, empathetic approach to storytelling through virtual reality and a more technical exploration of XR tools, interaction design, and spatial computing.
In fact, the embodied narratives workshop invited participants to explore identity, presence, and multisensory dramaturgy, using The Machine to Be Another as a powerful catalyst for personal storytelling. Meanwhile, the virtual environments group engaged with core XR technologies – developing immersive projects, analyzing VR applications, and discussing the role of simulation in creative practice.
Crafting community through creative technology
Beyond the technical training, what stood out most was the atmosphere of collaboration and mutual learning. The workshops became a space where artists could not only expand their professional digital skills, but also a space of cooperation, sharing and creating together.
In addition to the workshops, participants took part in the “AI Art Adventure” conference and workshop during the week, which introduced participants to cutting-edge AI tools related to the development of creative projects. Also prominent was the public event “When Sound Art, Gastronomy & Ecosystems Meet” by sound artist Maribel Tafur, presented in collaboration with the Theater in Palm project. Through a multi-sensory experience based on ecological soundscapes and culinary memory, Tafur explored the intersections of biodiversity, sound design and gastronomy, offering new ways to reflect on connecting with the planet through art.
It was a very busy but certainly enriching and stimulating week. As organizers, we were truly moved by the level of engagement, generosity, and insight participants brought into the week. We left with the strong conviction that immersive media, when grounded in collaboration and care, can be a powerful tool not just for innovation – but for connection, expression, and change.
Watch a video for some highlights and comments
Video by Vitor Schietti, www.schettiphotography.com, IG:@schietti