BIO

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María Castellanos and Alberto Valverde began working as an artistic duo in 2009. María Castellanos holds a Ph.D. in Fine Arts from the University of Vigo and served as a postdoctoral researcher at Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway) as part of the FeLT – Futures of Living Technologies – project from 2021 to 2023. Alberto Valverde is an artist and technologist with a strong background in mathematics and extensive experience in system design, interactive environments, multimedia, and robotics.

Their collaborative artistic practice delves into the intricate relationships within ecosystems, focusing on the dynamic interplay between humans, non-humans, and machines. They explore the complex interactions that arise among these entities, seeking to uncover new perspectives on coexistence. In recent years, their research has concentrated on pushing the boundaries of human sensory perception, using technology to challenge and expand our sensory capabilities. Concurrently, they have developed innovative interspecies communication systems that cultivate symbiotic connections, fostering dialogue and understanding between humans and non-human life forms. Their work encourages a profound connection with the natural environment and inspires critical reflection on traditional boundaries, reimagining the relationships between species and forms of life.

Over the years, their work has received numerous awards, including the Leonardo Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators from the BBVA Foundation in 2020 (Spain) and the VERTIGO STARTS Prize in 2017. In 2016, they were awarded the Antón Grant for Sculptural Research by the Antón Museum in Candás (Asturias). They have also been nominated for prestigious honors such as the STARTS Prize 2016 at Ars Electronica in Linz (Austria) and the Japan Media Arts Festival in Tokyo (Japan).

They have participated in various notable artistic residencies, including Eufònic 2024 (Spain), a residency at CITA – Center for Information Technology and Architecture – in Copenhagen, a research stay at the SoftLab of Sliperiet at Umeå University (Sweden) in 2016, and the Next Things residency at LABoral Centro de Arte (Gijón) and Telefónica I+D (Barcelona) in 2015.

Their work has been showcased in an impressive array of art centers and festivals, such as Ars Electronica Festival (Austria), LABoral Centro de Arte (Spain), Athens Digital Arts Festival (Greece), House of Electronic Arts Basel (Switzerland), La Gaîté Lyrique (France), DRIVE Volkswagen (Germany), Matadero Madrid (Spain), Touch Me Festival (Croatia), Bozar Electronic Art Festival (Belgium), CEBIT: Europe's Festival for Innovation and Digitization (Germany), Arts Santa Mònica (Spain), Onassis Stegi (Greece), MUSAC León (Spain), V2_Lab (Netherlands), Pompidou-Metz (France), Antre Peaux (France), Trondheim International Biennale for Art and Technology (Norway), and RIXC Festival (Latvia)
 

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UPCOMING
 

April 8, 2025            Round Table. RE 2025. Oviedo School of Art. [ES]
April 8-10, 2025       Workshop: Interactive and Sound Elements. EAO. [ES]
June 12-14, 2025       Other Intelligences, Sonar D Festival. Barcelona [ES]
September, 2025     Hungry Ecocities. STARTS (Be)together.
October, 2025         Bionic Ecosystem. Los Encuentros de Pamplona [ES]  

 

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CV

>> AWARDS AND GRANTS

2025   Hungry Ecocities : Paths To Progress Experiments. STARTS (Be)together. (work in progress)
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

2023
Les Portes du possible - Art & science-fiction. Pompidou-Metz. France.

2022
Earthbound – In Dialogue with Nature. House of Electronic Arts. Basel. Switzerland.
Meta.Morf 2022. Trondheim International Biennale for Art and Technology. Norway
Earthbound – In Dialogue with Nature. Esch2022. Luxembourg
Sustainability. Augustenborg Art Project. Denmark
Beyond Human Perception. New European Bauhaus Festival, at KBR Museum. Brussels. Belgium
Hyperobjects. Can Felipa. Barcelona. Spain
XXI International Image Festival - Bogota Colombia

2021
RIXC Festival 2021 PostSensorium. Riga. Latvia
EMAP Garden. Organized by Werkleitz at Ars Elctronica 2021. [online]
ECOSS. Ecosystem of the Unespected. Arts Santa Mónica. Barcelona. Spain
Ecozine Film Festival. Video art selection. Etopía. Zaragoza. Spain.

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

2022 Workshop. Interfaces tecnológicas corporales. MediLab CCBA. Buenos Aires. Argentina.
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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