The undulating facade of Casa Batlló will become an unusual stage this weekend. As part of the celebration of Gaudí Year 2026, the modernist building hosts a new edition of its annual mapping, although this year with a notable novelty: for the first time, contemporary dance will be a central part of the audiovisual show.
On January 31 and February 1, Casa Batlló will present Hidden Order, a mapping conceived by the London studio United Visual Artists (UVA), founded by Matt Clark, which explores the contemporary relevance of Gaudí's thought through light, sound, technology, and the movement of the human body.
On the occasion of the centenary of the architect's death, the institution wanted to avoid a conventional commemoration. As Maria Bernat, director of Casa Batlló Contemporani, explains, "we wanted to celebrate Gaudí's centenary in a different way. Not only commemorating the historical figure of the architect, but reclaiming him as a profoundly contemporary creator and revisiting how his art and architecture continue to be so relevant today and inspire so many artists."
Maria Bernat: "His art and architecture continue to be so relevant today and inspire so many artists"
The invisible order, from Gaudí's thought to digital art
This approach is materialized in two major artistic actions, inside and outside the building. The first is the Hidden Order mapping, which can be seen this Saturday and Sunday on the facade of Casa Batlló. "The proposal explores the hidden systems of nature that obsessed Gaudí and that he transformed into architectural and aesthetic solutions," explains Bernat. The project seeks to make visible the constant tension between opposing forces: "The work seeks to reveal the tension between chaos and order, and how humans perceive universal laws through art and technology," she adds.
The mapping will be free and will have passes every half hour, from 7:45 p.m. to 10:45 p.m., with an approximate duration of twelve minutes, on January 31 and February 1.
When the body dances with architecture
The great novelty of this edition is the incorporation of contemporary dance as a central artistic language. United Visual Artists has collaborated with international choreographer Fukiko Takase, who has created a piece inspired by the movement and visual effect of the building.
Maria Bernat: "A combination of architecture, light, sound and dance, all united in a public work of art"
"Fukiko Takase has been inspired by the movement and the effect generated by the house to offer a choreography within the digital environment," explains the director. Through motion capture technology, the dancer's movement is transformed into visual structures that directly dialogue with the organic forms of the facade.
The result? "A combination of architecture, light, sound and dance, all united in a public work of art and a gift for the city of Barcelona." As she anticipates, "a dancer will be seen dancing, and we will also see her projected onto the facade."
From the facade to the interior: Beyond the Façade is born
The mapping is just one part of a broader artistic project. On January 31st, Casa Batlló also inaugurates the exhibition Beyond the Façade, which transfers the spirit of the mapping to the interior of Casa Batlló and opens the new exhibition space located on the second floor of the building.
"The exhibition, also conceived by United Visual Artists, expands on the theme of mapping and speaks again of this invisible order of nature," explains Bernat. It is an immersive journey that plays with cycles of light and darkness, order and disorder, and can be visited until May 17th.
This project culminates a long-standing desire of the institution. "We have been trying for many years to translate what happens on the exterior of the house to the interior, because the interior and exterior must breathe the same spirit." And this year, finally, "we have achieved it: by renovating the second floor, which will be open to the public starting January 31st."
Gaudí, as a radically contemporary creator
For five years, Casa Batlló has invited contemporary artists to reinterpret its facade with large audiovisual installations. The selection responds to a clear criterion: "We look for artists who show the spirit of Gaudí: avant-garde, innovative, experimental, radical, and interdisciplinary." Artists who work with new media and technology to create immersive experiences. "We believe that, with these languages, we can reach new generations."
With a dancer projected onto the building's skin and the body dialoguing with the architecture, Casa Batlló joins the kick-off of Gaudí Year, reclaiming him not only as a key figure of the past, but as a living creator, capable of continuing to inspire the art of the present.