Bio

María Castellanos and Alberto Valverde (uh513), began working together as a duo in 2009. María Castellanos is currently working as post-doc researcher at Oslo Metropolitan University, in the framework of FeLT Project –Futures of Living Technologies–.  Alberto Valverde is an artist and technologist with experience in system design, creation of interactive environments, multimedia and robotics.

They joint practice focuses on the relationships between human beings , non human beings and machines. During the  recent years they have centred their research on the exploration about boundaries of human senses and the creation of complex systems that promote the communication and the understanding between humans and plants.

Their work has won awards like Leonardo Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators by BBVA Foundation (Spain) in 2020. In 2017 they received the prize  VERTIGO STARTS,  granted under the aegis of EU-Horizon 2020, an initiative led by Centre Pompidou and IRCAM , Paris, and the Fraunhifer. Gesellschaft, Germany, to foster collaboration between art practitioners and R&D projects. In 2016 they were awarded the Antón Scholarship for Sculpture Research from the Museo Antón in Candás (Spain). Also in 2016 they were nominated for the STARTSPrize' 16 at Ars Electronica, Linz (Austria) and the Japan Media Arts Festival, Tokyo (Japan).

During the last years they have been artists in residence at EMARE [European Media Artist in residence Exchange] at Kontejner. Zagreb, 2020; OsloMet University, in the framework of the FELT Project, 2019; a research stay at CITA– Center for Information Technology and Architecture–, in the context of VERTIGO STARTS 2017. Copenhagen; a research residency at SoftLab at  Umeå University (Sweden); and the Next Things residency at LABoral Centro de Arte (Gijón) and Telefonica I+D (Barcelona), 2015.

Their work was exhibited and performed at venues and festivals such as Ars Electronica Festival (AT), LABoral Art Centre (SP) , Athens Digital Arts Festival (GR), Onassis Stegi (GR), House of electronic Arts Basel(CH), La Gâite Lyrique Museum (FR), DRIVE Volskwagen (DE), Matadero Madrid (SP), Bozar Electronic Art Festival (BE), Arts Santa Mónica (SP), Touch me Festival (CH) MUSAC (SP), CEBIT. Europe's Festival for Innovation and Digitization (DE), RIXC Art Science Festival (LV), Meta.Morf. Trondheim International Biennale for Art and Technology (NO).
 

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>> ONGOING EVENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

>> Hyperobjects. Can Felipa. Barcelona. Curated by Patricia Marqués 03.05.22-17.07.22
>> Meta.Morf 2022. Trondheim International Biennale for Art and Technology.
     Curated by Zane Cerpina 06.05.22-14.08.22
>> Earthbound – In Dialogue with Nature. Esch2022. Luxembourg.
     Curated by Sabine Himmelsbach and Boris Magrini 03.06.22-15.08.22
>> Les Portes du possible - Art & science-fiction. Pompidou-Metz 05.11.22-17.04.23

 

>> AWARDS AND GRANTS

2020 EMARE Residency [European Media Artist in residence Exchange] Kontejner. Croacia.
2018 2º Prize EAC. XVIII Encuentro de Arte Contemporáneo. Diputación de Alicante. Spain
2017 Winning project  VERTIGO STARTS. European Project EU-Horizon 2020. Call for artist in residence
2017 Jury Selection. 20th Japan Media Arts Festival. Tokyo
2016 Anton Grant to sculpture creation and researching. Anton Museum. Candás, Asturias. Spain
2016 Winning project of Paseo Project 2016. Etopía Center for Art & Technology. Zaragoza. Spain
2016 SoftLab Residency. Sliperiet.Umeå University. Sweden
2016 Nomination at STARTS Prize'16. Ars Electronica. Linz. Austria
2016 Best Paper Award. Technarte 2016. International Conference of Art and Technology. Bilbao. Spain
2015 Winning project of Next Things 2015 – Conducta. LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial and Telefónica I+D. Spain
2012 AlNorte Grant 2012. Diario El Comercio. Gijón. Spain
2012 FibArt 2012. Beca FIB Residence. Benicasim
2011 Tentaciones Prize 2011. Estampa Art Fair. Madrid. Spain

>> SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2020
When the butterflies of the soul flutter their wings. LABoral Centro de Arte (Sp)
Renconrtes Internationales Mondes Multiples. Antre Peaux. Bourges. (Fr )[online]
Biotopías. Parque Doramas. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. (Sp)
Touch me Festival. Kontejner. Zagreb. Croatia
EMAP Journeys. Ars Electronica 2020
Mutations.Première Vision. Paris. France

2019
Open Environmental Kit. Laboratorio 987 MUSAC. León. Spain
Jardín Cyborg. Nave 16. Matadero. Madrid. Spain
Eco-Visionarios. LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial. Gijón. Spain
Environment Dress 2.0. Mobile Week. Disseny Hub Barcelona
e-cuerpo | FuturXble. Encueuntro de Arte, Tecnología y Wearable. Ciudad de Mexico

2018
The Plants Sense at ICT 2018: Imagine Digital - Connect Europe. Vienna. Austria
Eco-Visionaries. Hek. Haus der elektronischen Künste. Basel. Switzerland
STARTS. CEBIT. Europe's Festival for Innovation and Digitization. Hannover. Alemania
Especulacións Utópicas. Colexio de Fonseca. Santiago de Compostela. Spain

2017
Exhibiton Next Things_Next Starts. LABoral Centro de Arte. Gijón, Spain
Ensayo y error del posthumano. Anton Museum. Candás, Asturias. Spain
LookForward Fashion Tech Festival. . Musee La Piscine. Roubaix France and  La Gâitè Lyrique, París. France
Postfuture Journey. Athens Digital Art Festival. Atenas. Grecia

2016
Bozar. Electronic Arts Festival 2016. Brussel. Belgium
Ars Electronica Festival 2016. Post City. Ars Electronica. Linz. Austria
Human Factor, organized by Ars Electronica at DRIVE - Volkswagen Group Forum in Berlin. Germany
Avilés Data City. La Factoría Cultural. Avilés. Spain

2015
Materia Prima. Experiments on digital art & science. LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial. Gijón. Spain
Process. CMAE. Avilés. Spain

2014
Reactions/Interactions. Verge Gallery. Sydney. Australia

2012
La Biblioteca de Babel. Espacio Líquido Gallery. Gijón. Asturias. Spain
La mirada perdida del observador incómodo. 9thw13 Gallery. A Coruña. Spain
MEM Festival. Arropame Gallery. Bilbao. Spain

2011
Tentaciones 2011. Estampa Art Fair. Madrid. Spain
ArteSantander 2011 Art Fair. Santander. Spain
Clorofila 3.0. Valey, Cultural Center. Asturias. Spain

2010
SineDie. Texu Gallery. Oviedo. Spain
Kaldarte 2010. Caldas de Reis. Pontevedra. Spain
Pontevedra Biennial. Museo de Bellas Artes de Pontevedra. Spain
Process as Paradigm. LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial. Gijón. Spain
Arte con fecha de caducidad. LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial. Gijón. Spain

2009
Doll-is. 7º Anniversary MARCO Museum. Vigo. Spain
 

>> LECTURES / PRESENTATIONS / TALKS

2020
>> Round Table "Arte y Tecnologías Exponenciales" JusMad. Madrid. Spain. 29 February 2020
>> Relatioships between humans, plants and machines. at "Electronics Week". Public University of Navarre. Pamplona. Spain. 6 February 2020

2018
>>  Methodology and process in the creation of technological body interfaces. DATART. Faculty of Fine Arts. UCM. Madrid. Spain 19 October 2018
>> Round Table: "Conexiones:aproximaciones a los retos medioambientales desde el arte y la ciencia" LABoral. 20 September 2018
>>  Interfaces tecnológicas corporales. "1º Congreso Internacional Mujeres: Artistas, Tecnólogas". UPV. Valencia. Spain. 27 June 2018
>>  The Plants Sense. STARTS Residency Day. IRCAM. Centre Pompidou. París. 15 June 2018

2016
>>   Environment Dress. The App Date Fashion. Espacio Fundación Telefónica. Madrid. Spain

 

>> WORKSHOPS

2019 Workshop "Descubirnedo otras Inteligencias"  EducaThyssen. Museo Thyssen. Madrid
2019 Wearables Workshop. Arenas Movedizas. Gijón. Spain
2019 Development of body-worn technological interfaces. MUSAC. León. Spain
2019 Taller Mutante. Matadero Acción Mutante. Matadero. Madrid. Spain
2018 Introducción a la Creación de Interfaces Tecnológicas Blandas. LABoral. Spain
2017 Workshop at Encuentros de Juventud de Cabueñes. From Net.Art to Cyber.Art
2017 Workshop Humans & Machines. auLAB. LABoral Centro de Arte. Gijón. Spain
2017 Art and technology project consulting workshop for Fine Arts students. University of Vigo. Spain
2016 Workshop Wearables: Garment as interface. Debut 2016. ESDEMGA. University of Vigo. Spain
2016 Workshop "Body Technological Intefaces" at WinterLab 2016. LABoral Centro de Arte. Spain
2015. Laser technology at textil laboratory. Fine Arts Faculty. University of Vigo. Spain
2010. Workshop Doll-is. CAMON. Caja Mediterraneo. Madrid. Spain



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