From the 23rd to the 26th of October, anyone interested in art should be and most probably will be attending the Art Futura exhibition held in the Mercat de les Flors, Barcelona. This year’s event will be focusing on the Máquinas&Almas (Machines&Souls) exhibit, already showcased in Madrid. This exhibit focuses on the ever narrowing gap between human and machine and the relation between technology and art. The festival delves into the world of art within new media such as videogames and animation. Each year, the latest design projects and innovations are showcased in Spain’s major cities and the Barcelona leg brings a special and unique event to an already bustling cultural arts city.

The exhibition boasts great success in previous years and says to be the leading exhibitor in new digital creativity. In past years, big names such as William Gibson, Theo Janeson and Ryota Kuwakubo have all participated in the event alongside the most highly acclaimed organisations in the field such as Ars Electronica, Blast Theory, Pixar and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

An important focus of the exhibition will be on the videogame section as it is considered one of the fastest growing and most lucrative entertainment media in the world. Ocean Quigley, art director and right hand man of Will Wright, responsible for such successes as The Sims and Sim City, will be touring alongside the exhibition to enlighten us on the world of video gaming and art.

The exhibition also includes workshops, interactive installations and live performances which can be enjoyed by all ages. A certain day of the event is dedicated to schools allowing GCSE and higher levels to learn about the technology within the videogames that many youngsters are often attached to. Furthermore is the chance for them to find out about careers in the field and to meet the directors of the companies involved. They also get a chance to play some of the games of course.

The event will be dazzling art lovers in Barcelona towards the end of the month, so get your skates on and get ready to be amazed. Not to worry however if you can’t make it to this leg of the tour as the exhibition will be attending no less than 9 other major cities; Alicante, Cádiz, Gijón, Madrid, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Valladolid, Vigo and Zaragoza.

Make sure to book your accommodation (alojamiento Barcelona) well in advance as most hotels (Barcelona hoteles) will be booked to the brim during the event. You could also consider the option of renting an apartment for your stay (apartamento Barcelona).