robotic art and AI-driven spirituality empower human connection at sónar+D 2026

Sónar+D 2026 explores new digital art in Barcelona

What if the future of digital connectivity is rooted in moss-covered phone booths and robotic brushstrokes? Sónar+D 2026 imagines a world where the rigid boundaries between the biological and the algorithmic dissolve, repurposing Barcelona’s gothic Llotja de Mar as a laboratory for critical constructive reflection. The Festival’s exhibition program proposes a shift away from corporate-driven tech, favoring a playful, human-centric experience that invites curiosity rather than passive consumption. Through an active media partnership, designboom not only highlights must-see events but also joins this exploration for a talk, bridging the gap between speculative research and tangible design.

all images courtesy of Sónar+D

Must-see Sónar+D installations and exhibitions

Sónar+D 2026’s installation program (see here) reshapes the neoclassical halls of Llotja de Mar, beginning with a monumental robotic arm painting the air. This work, Astral Twin by Brooklyn-based Volvox Labs, creates a rhythmic dialogue with the courtyard, while Belgian studio Superbe uses the installation, From0, to reflect on the fluidity of language through sound and motion. On the ground floor, Qs Ventures 2147 presents A Voice from the Future, an abandoned phone booth reclaimed by vegetation where an AI persona represents the living superorganism of Earth. Upstairs at Àgora+D, AUSGANG proposes a vision of cybernetic futurism with tentacle-like cables and a deactivated signal jammer, questioning the laws that restrict our digital freedom.

designboom leads talk with yehwan song

The Expo+D section explores the Digital Gardens and Dark Forests of the modern web, where creators like Yehwan Song interrogate the fantasy of the internet as a free space by introducing intentional friction into user interfaces. This inquiry into the digital self reaches a peak as Song joins designboom’s Managing Editor, Claire Brodka, in a live conversation to dissect the nuances of our online existence. Nearby, the Digital Occultism category merges the divine with the algorithmic: Lola Liñán Fernández invites users to confess sins within a digital rosary booth, while Liz Melchor’s Fortune Robot writes poetic prophecies using mechanical movements simpler than a wristwatch. These works suggest a future where technology facilitates a deeper, more spiritual connection to the self rather than a distraction from it.

The evolution of human expression continues through Weird Gear and Sense and Sensitivity, where technology facilitates a return to sensory awareness. Leon Eckard proposes a wearable headset that recreates the echolocation of a bat, while ODD SPACES experiments with how moss responds to light through generative soundscapes. The sonic landscape is further redefined by Passepartout Duo’s Haloplane, a microloop sampler that allows musicians to draw sound in the air, and Google DeepMind’s suite of AI tools like Lyria 3, which explores the collaborative potential between human emotion and machine learning. This focus on experimentation leaves the visitor with a sense of possibility, suggesting that the tools of tomorrow could be as organic and diverse as the people who use them.

festival info:

festival: Sónar+D 2026
date: June 18th – 19th, 2026

main program guests: Yehwan Song, Eugene Healey, Mindy Seu, Mónica Rikic, Chia Amisola, Joana Moll, and Yancey Strickler

sections: installation program and Expo+D