A spectacular, interactive column of light will illuminate the Barcelona Skyline. Between December 16 and 29, as part of the Barcelona Nadal Festival, Sónar invites those who live in Barcelona or visit during these holidays to explore the annual path of the sun and celebrate the winter solstice through the interactive audiovisual installation Analema.

This spectacular column of light, developed by the creative studio Glassworks, will be located in Plaça Universitat and will take the form of a huge luminous and interactive cylinder accessible to everyone. In this way, citizens with their movements throughout the day, will indirectly generate the nightly dance of light that will illuminate the skyline via a vertical light tower.

This large-format work will have a circular LED screen 6m in diameter and 3m high and a generative sound system that will react depending on the user’s position, reproducing the sonic environments created by the musical duo Tarta Relena, who will also intervene live, on two occasions.

Xavier Tribó, director of Glassworks, explains: “For our studio, ‘Analema’ is much more than a simple large-format interactive installation. It has been a unique opportunity to experiment with real-time algorithms based on the physics of light and time. We are very proud of this proposal for the sensory perception of light. We invite everyone to discover different visual and sound spectrums depending on their position and time of day. It is an experiment, informed by the winter solstice, controlled by generative algorithms.”

‘Analema’ was developed by Glassworks, a creative studio with offices in Barcelona, London and Amsterdam, where they also develop audiovisual research projects, sophisticated installations and interactive experiences.

The sonic environments of ‘Analema’ have been created by Tarta Relena, whose voices transport tradition to the future and are placed better than anyone to explore the connection between traditional festivals such as the solstice and our modern celebrations.

What will happen in Plaça Universitat at each moment of the day?
The installation will operate every day between December 16 and 29, from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and will take two distinct states:

From 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The public will be able to interact live with the installation. This will capture the movements, transform them into data and convert this information into light and musical loops, which will be synchronized with the vocal samples prerecorded by Tarta Relena.

From 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., during daylight hours, each of the prisms will emit the sound of each of the samples, depending on the movements of the audience.

From 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., already under the night sky, each interaction will cause one of the ‘Analema’ light sources to be activated, so that attendees will be illuminating the Barcelona skyline with their presence and movement.

From 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m:
Every night, during this time period, a large column of vertical light will be projected into the sky that will offer a choreography, which will be the result of all the interactions recorded during the day. In this way, the experience of each night will be unique and unrepeatable. A five-minute exhibition that will be repeated every quarter of an hour and can be seen from different points of the city.

What is an analemma?
The name of the installation refers to the analemma, which is the curve the sun traces in the sky if its position is captured every day of the year at the same time from the same point of view.

This curve is shaped like the number 8, since the position of the sun varies every day due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis. In Greek times, the word “analemma” referred to the pedestal that supported a sundial. Today, it gives its name to this artistic exploration of the solar path.

Tarta Relena will participate live in the installation on December 16 and 21.
The vocal duo Tarta Relena, accompanied by four more singers, will carry out a symbolic inauguration of the installation with a live performance. Each prism will have an assigned tone that, when activated, will trigger a sonic environment in which melodies and choreographies of light are placed. Through experimentation with space and distance, possible combinations of light and sound will appear, in celebration of the arrival of the winter solstice.

Marta Torrella, from Tarta Relena: “Making an installation like this in the center of the city where we have grown up is an idea that seduced us from the first moment. The composition process has been linked to the excitement of imagining our voices being part of the soundscape of the Plaça Universitat during the holidays. In part, it has been like a game.”

Helena Ros, from Tarta Relena: “Composing from the number 12 and with light as the central axis has been a symbolic and suggestive experience. We have experimented with free associations between musical tonalities and sensations, taking as reference the sound imagery of these dates. “We are very grateful for the proposal and for being able to participate in this very special project.”

Sónar, also represented in the Sounds of the City concert cycle.
Sónar will also present the concert by the Barcelona producer Adelaida for free during these holidays. This show is included in the 100 musical activities that make up the Sounds of the City concert cycle presented by the Barcelona City Council, as part of the Barcelona Christmas Festival.

The concert, which will take place on Saturday, December 23 at 6:00 p.m. in the Placeta de Montcada, will allow citizens to discover the dream world of Adelaida, one governed by voice and full of fantasy.

With a background in Fine Arts and taking part in choirs during her childhood and adolescence, her approach to music is unorthodox and deeply personal. Adelaida will explore the expressive limits of her voice, creating songs with infinite layers, and combining track from Cántaros, her debut album, with unreleased cuts from a second work that is more baroque, dark and marked by minimal electronic beats. Adelaida will also be performing at Sónar 2024, on June 13, 14 and 15 next year.

About Sónar.
Sónar is the pioneering festival that’s reflected the evolution and expansion of electronic music and digital culture since its first edition in 1994. Each year, Sónar converts Barcelona into a focal point for music lovers, artists and professionals from across the world, drawn to the multiple stages and venues of the Fira Barcelona by the festival’s innovative content, format, and celebratory atmosphere.

True to its name, Sónar tracks and amplifies the present and future musical landscape, hosting the most influential artistic creations of the current moment and providing a platform. In doing so, it acts as a proving ground for new and emerging trends at the intersection of performance, music, science, information technology and beyond.

After three decades and over 100 editions worldwide, Sónar continues to re-define what a festival can be, removing barriers and forging connections between audiences, genres and creative disciplines.

About Sónar+D.
Sónar+D is the international meeting of art, science, and digital culture hosted by Sónar during the festival, exploring how creativity changes the present and imagines new futures. Since 2013, this anti-disciplinary event has brought together leading artists, technologists, creatives, musicians, designers, thinkers, scientists, and entrepreneurs in Barcelona for a carefully curated programme of talks, masterclasses and groundbreaking performances, with a focus on inspiration and networking.

For thousands of professionals and curious individuals from over 100 countries, Sónar+D offers a unique, open and relaxed environment to meet. Across three fruitful days, they come to discover groundbreaking new work and opportunities, learn new skills and showcase initiatives via talks, demos and workshops, performances, live concerts, exhibitions, immersive and interactive experiences and encounters with different communities.

H/T Sónar festival.