Living Lab Festival 2025
September 6 - 7, 2025.
Valencia and surrounding region.
Living Lab Festival 2025
Art, Science and Ecology in Dialogue on the Mediterranean Coast
Dates: 6–7 September (festival) and 11 September – 5 October 2025 (exhibition)
Locations: Senda Azul, Belcaire Coastal Natural Park (festival) and Cloister of the Catholic University of Valencia, San Carlos campus (exhibition)
The Living Lab Festival 2025, part of the International Art and Science Programme (IASP), is consolidating its position as a key meeting point for artists, scientists and the general public. With a transdisciplinary approach, the festival offers a deep immersion into the intersections between contemporary art, science and ecology through sustainable and innovative practices.
Two-Phase Programme
The programme unfolds in two complementary stages:
6–7 September: Artistic activities and gatherings along the Senda Azul path of the Belcaire Coastal Natural Park, including site-specific interventions, performances and interdisciplinary dialogues within this exceptional natural environment.
11 September – 5 October: A group exhibition at the Cloister of the Catholic University of Valencia, San Carlos campus, showcasing the works developed during the festival alongside new proposals that expand the dialogue between art, science and sustainability.
Objectives and Philosophy
The main objective is to foster an active community exploring the connection between nature, culture and artistic creation, highlighting the importance of environmental care and biodiversity conservation. Conceived as a living laboratory, the festival brings together artistic experimentation and scientific research to generate new ways of understanding and relating to our environment.
Specific Locations
The festival takes place along the Senda Azul in the Belcaire Coastal Natural Park, a protected natural area that offers an exceptional setting for artistic experimentation and scientific inquiry. This Mediterranean coastal environment allows for direct exploration of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems that inspire the artistic proposals.
The exhibition will then move to the Cloister of the Catholic University of Valencia, San Carlos campus, establishing a compelling dialogue between the natural environment in which the works were conceived and the academic and historical setting in which they will be presented to the public.
Participating Artists 2025
International and local artists will take part, presenting proposals that explore the fusion of art and science from ecological perspectives:
Alessandra Carosi (Italy/Paris): Works with seawater on photosensitive paper to create photograms that evoke emotional and alchemical landscapes, exploring water as a feminine and transformative entity. Her artistic practice investigates natural processes as generators of image and meaning.
Manel Bafaluy (Valencia): Combines digital sculpture and virtual reality to generate a real-time living sculpture on the beach. His work reflects on the organic evolution of living beings and their relationship with technology, creating bridges between the natural and the digital.
Alexandra Knie (Germany/Valencia): Investigates the artistic and ecological potential of algae in her project Intervened Algae, merging textile techniques with marine materials to create hybrid forms between the natural and the synthetic, challenging the boundaries between art, design and biotechnology.
Hugo Dezellus (France): Artisan and biologist who transforms a traditional agricultural space into a natural reserve through bioremediation techniques, wild foraging and stone sculpture, connecting art, ecology and ancestral knowledge in an integrated practice.
Programme of Activities
The Living Lab Festival 2025 invites artists, researchers and the general public to participate in this collective experience that links the natural environment of the Senda Azul with the academic space of the university cloister. The programme includes specialised workshops, interpretive walks, expert talks and participatory activities in the natural park, followed by the exhibition in the cloister. These activities aim to deepen understanding of the environment and rethink our relationship with nature.
The activities are designed for different ages and levels of knowledge, ensuring accessibility for a broad and diverse audience.
Organisation and Collaborations
Curator and Programme Director: Elena Posokhova
Elena is a contemporary art curator and project manager based in Paris, specialising in cultural relations and the natural environment of the Mediterranean region. Her work focuses on the creative process through collaborative projects with artists, scientists and the public. She aims to create spaces for co-creation and the development of new works, while analysing the factors that influence creativity.
Organised by:
Art Made Association
IMEDMAR – UCV: Environmental and Marine Science Research Institute, Catholic University of Valencia (UCV)
With the support of:
Vice-Rectorate for Research at UCV, member of EU-CONEXUS – European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability
In collaboration with:
Moncofa City Council
Contact and Information
For more information about the full programme, registration and specific activities, visit:
https://artmadeassociation.com/es
The Living Lab Festival 2025 is part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability and innovation within the Mediterranean cultural landscape, promoting new forms of collaboration between art, science and society.
Living Lab Festival 2025
Art, Science and Ecology in Dialogue on the Mediterranean Coast
Dates: 6–7 September (festival) and 11 September – 5 October 2025 (exhibition)
Locations: Senda Azul, Belcaire Coastal Natural Park (festival) and Cloister of the Catholic University of Valencia, San Carlos campus (exhibition)
The Living Lab Festival 2025, part of the International Art and Science Programme (IASP), is consolidating its position as a key meeting point for artists, scientists and the general public. With a transdisciplinary approach, the festival offers a deep immersion into the intersections between contemporary art, science and ecology through sustainable and innovative practices.
Two-Phase Programme
The programme unfolds in two complementary stages:
6–7 September: Artistic activities and gatherings along the Senda Azul path of the Belcaire Coastal Natural Park, including site-specific interventions, performances and interdisciplinary dialogues within this exceptional natural environment.
11 September – 5 October: A group exhibition at the Cloister of the Catholic University of Valencia, San Carlos campus, showcasing the works developed during the festival alongside new proposals that expand the dialogue between art, science and sustainability.
Objectives and Philosophy
The main objective is to foster an active community exploring the connection between nature, culture and artistic creation, highlighting the importance of environmental care and biodiversity conservation. Conceived as a living laboratory, the festival brings together artistic experimentation and scientific research to generate new ways of understanding and relating to our environment.
Specific Locations
The festival takes place along the Senda Azul in the Belcaire Coastal Natural Park, a protected natural area that offers an exceptional setting for artistic experimentation and scientific inquiry. This Mediterranean coastal environment allows for direct exploration of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems that inspire the artistic proposals.
The exhibition will then move to the Cloister of the Catholic University of Valencia, San Carlos campus, establishing a compelling dialogue between the natural environment in which the works were conceived and the academic and historical setting in which they will be presented to the public.
Participating Artists 2025
International and local artists will take part, presenting proposals that explore the fusion of art and science from ecological perspectives:
Alessandra Carosi (Italy/Paris): Works with seawater on photosensitive paper to create photograms that evoke emotional and alchemical landscapes, exploring water as a feminine and transformative entity. Her artistic practice investigates natural processes as generators of image and meaning.
Manel Bafaluy (Valencia): Combines digital sculpture and virtual reality to generate a real-time living sculpture on the beach. His work reflects on the organic evolution of living beings and their relationship with technology, creating bridges between the natural and the digital.
Alexandra Knie (Germany/Valencia): Investigates the artistic and ecological potential of algae in her project Intervened Algae, merging textile techniques with marine materials to create hybrid forms between the natural and the synthetic, challenging the boundaries between art, design and biotechnology.
Hugo Dezellus (France): Artisan and biologist who transforms a traditional agricultural space into a natural reserve through bioremediation techniques, wild foraging and stone sculpture, connecting art, ecology and ancestral knowledge in an integrated practice.
Programme of Activities
The Living Lab Festival 2025 invites artists, researchers and the general public to participate in this collective experience that links the natural environment of the Senda Azul with the academic space of the university cloister. The programme includes specialised workshops, interpretive walks, expert talks and participatory activities in the natural park, followed by the exhibition in the cloister. These activities aim to deepen understanding of the environment and rethink our relationship with nature.
The activities are designed for different ages and levels of knowledge, ensuring accessibility for a broad and diverse audience.
Organisation and Collaborations
Curator and Programme Director: Elena Posokhova
Elena is a contemporary art curator and project manager based in Paris, specialising in cultural relations and the natural environment of the Mediterranean region. Her work focuses on the creative process through collaborative projects with artists, scientists and the public. She aims to create spaces for co-creation and the development of new works, while analysing the factors that influence creativity.
Organised by:
Art Made Association
IMEDMAR – UCV: Environmental and Marine Science Research Institute, Catholic University of Valencia (UCV)
With the support of:
Vice-Rectorate for Research at UCV, member of EU-CONEXUS – European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability
In collaboration with:
Moncofa City Council
Contact and Information
For more information about the full programme, registration and specific activities, visit:
https://artmadeassociation.com/es
The Living Lab Festival 2025 is part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability and innovation within the Mediterranean cultural landscape, promoting new forms of collaboration between art, science and society.
International Art and Science Program (IASP-Maritima). Living Lab Residency.
The program took place from September 4–7, 2025, offering selected artists the opportunity to work in an open air studio within a unique ecological setting in a natural park reserve, located between beach vegetation zones, watershed areas, and the Mediterranean Sea. This unique coastal space was awarded the ADEAC-FEE designation as a European Blue Trail in 2017 for its ecological value and the quality of its crystal-clear waters. Artists will have 24-hour access to designated workspaces.
The institutions organized an experimental masterclass program that offers:
on-site workshops with scientists, artisans, and the audience (coastal space was awarded the ADEAC-FEE designation as a European Blue Trail in 2017),
a visit to the bio-marine research laboratory IMEDMAR-UCV in Calpe,
studio visits by curators and art professionals,
the final exhibition featuring selected artworks and documentation of the research process wiil be held at the Claustro Hall of the San Carlos Borromeo Building (1760) on the Universidad Católica de Valencia campus, located in the historic center of Valencia.
Selected final works will also be presented in France in 2026, extending international visibility and collaboration.
The residency at IASP provides an interdisciplinary experience across multiple art and craft mediums (new media, visual arts, engraving, ceramics, sound art) and fosters an international network involving artists (including those from POUSH (Paris)), scientists (bio marine and biological researchers), artisans (from Valencia and France), and curators.
PRESS RELEASE
Living Lab Festival 2025
Art, Science & Ecology on the Mediterranean Coast
Dates: 6–7 September (festival) | 11 September – 5 October 2025 (exhibition)
Locations: Senda Azul, Belcaire Coastal Natural Park (festival) | Cloister, Catholic University of Valencia, San Carlos campus (exhibition)
The Living Lab Festival 2025, part of the International Art and Science Programme (IASP), brings together artists, scientists, and the public to explore the intersections of contemporary art, science, and ecology through innovative and sustainable practices.
Two-Part Programme
6–7 September – Festival: Site-specific interventions, performances, and interdisciplinary dialogues in the natural setting of Senda Azul, Belcaire Coastal Natural Park.
11 September – 5 October – Exhibition: Works created during the festival, along with new projects, showcased at the Cloister of the Catholic University of Valencia, San Carlos campus, creating a dialogue between nature and academic space.
Participating Artists
Alessandra Carosi (Italy/Paris): Photograms with seawater exploring water as a transformative entity.
Manel Bafaluy (Valencia): Real-time digital sculptures blending natural and technological worlds.
Alexandra Knie (Germany/Valencia): Hybrid algae-based works combining textile and marine materials.
Hugo Dezellus (France): Transforming agricultural spaces into natural reserves through art, ecology, and ancestral knowledge.
Activities & Workshops
The festival offers workshops, guided walks, expert talks, and participatory activities connecting the natural environment of the park with the exhibition space at the university. Activities are designed for all ages and knowledge levels.
Organisation
Curator & Programme Director: Elena Posokhova (Paris)
Organisers: Art Made Association | IMEDMAR – UCV
Support: UCV Vice-Rectorate for Research (EU-CONEXUS member)
Collaboration: Moncofa City Council
More information & registration: Art Made Association
Living Lab Festival 2025 continues the commitment to sustainability, innovation, and collaborative dialogue between art, science, and society.
08.05.2025
LIVING LAB FESTIVAL 2025
September 6–7 and September 11 – October 5, 2025.
Valencia and surrounding region.
The International Art and Science Program (IASP) invites artists, curators, researchers, and the public to explore new creative practices and ecosystems along the Mediterranean coast through an innovative ecological art and science festival ...