Client
Universal Forum of Cultures, Barcelona 2004
Location
Barcelona Convention Center designed by Josep Lluis Mateo, Barcelona, Spain
Duration
5 months
Visitors
1.5 million
Description
Voices was dedicated to diversity, one of the core themes of the Forum. Its architectural form, audiovisual experience, and participatory strategies explored four themes — language, dialogue, communication and diversity — using different new digital technologies.
A central iconic form created from seemingly floating tectonic-like plates and 22 synchronized projectors formed an immersive hemispheric theater. The plates served as projection surfaces that surrounded the viewer in a multimedia environment. Images of dramatic scale revealed, through gestures, expressions, sounds, and words, the richness of human communication, the diversity of languages in the world, and the possible extinction of certain languages.
A peripheral wall utilizing 24 synchronized projectors presented a catalogue sample of the world’s languages, their locations, and number of speakers. Twenty graphic and interactive tables explored the main concepts of communication and mass media in a global context. Two projections linked by LED text messages addressed the importance of dialogue.
Products
Exhibition, Catalogue
Project developed as part of Ralph Appelbaum Associates’ team