Open Program 2026
Theme 2026 THE EXPERIENCE OF SPACE
We understand the experience of space as a lived experience that goes beyond physical perception, becoming an intimate encounter between body, memory, and emotion. Architecture ceases to be a mere container and becomes a living ecosystem capable of generating atmospheres that transform how we inhabit and interpret the world.
Within this framework, the opening of RCR La Vila. Centre for the Experience of Space to the public represents a decisive step. RCR La Vila is conceived as both a legacy and a beacon of transformation —a place for interdisciplinary research where architecture, landscape, art, science, and thought converge. It is a space to explore new ways of living, feeling, and thinking about space, and to share processes that encourage a deeper awareness of our surroundings.
The experience of space resonates with the 2025 theme, Atmospheres, which understands space as an emotional and subjective reality. Atmospheres arise from the subtle interplay of light, materials, colours, and forms, as well as from the intangible: memories, sensations, and expectations. What cannot be measured is often what leaves the most transformative imprint.
Thus, the experience of space emerges as an invitation to discover the invisible essence that dwells in every place. The proposal seeks to nurture this shared revelation, transforming each space into a stage for experiences that connect people with what is deep, subtle, and truly meaningful.
Lecture Series RCR TALKS
The series of three lectures will be given by Enric Palau, a musician closely linked to technology and experimental music; by Japanese architect Junya Ishigami, recognized for a delicate and radical architecture that explores the limits between space, nature and human experience; and by a Pecha Kucha session, in which former members of the studio will share projects, processes and ideas that have been born and evolved since their time at RCR Arquitectes.
FOREST MATTER VIII
Forest Matter VIII and the Experience of Space
Forest Matter VIII proposes a sensitive immersion in the experience of space, understood as transcending form and matter. The forest becomes a territory of changing atmospheres, where light, time and materials dialogue with the body and perception. Space is not presented as an object, but as a living experience, capable of evoking memories, emotions and silences. This encounter invites us to inhabit the space from a listening perspective, revealing its most intimate and intangible dimension.
Forest Matter is a project by RCR Bunka Fundació and LABEA – Laboratory of art, science, and nature, created in 2019 and inspired by the deep connection between RCR Arquitectes‘ work and trees as a primary material for constructing spaces for life.
The audiovisual cycle opens the Open Program conferences and celebrates the poetic power of trees.
The cycle has presented over 50 works by artists from around the world in various contexts and festivals, including Arbola Fest (Navarra), Eima Festival (Mallorca), La Pinochera (Canary Islands), and Be Festival (United Kingdom), as well as through the channels of the Instituto Cervantes.
LABEA – Laboratory of art, science, and nature – is a platform that fosters dialogue among artistic, scientific, and environmental disciplines to generate new ways of understanding and engaging with our natural surroundings.
Curated and produced by: LABEA and Sámara Biran
Materia Bosque 2026 Jury: Amaia Pérez Larumbe, Eduardo Bonito, Isabel Ferreira, Lívia Diniz and Olivier Bertrand
2026 Collaboration: L’Estive – Scène Nationale de Foix et l’Ariège, Festival Arbola, Dansàneu – Festival de Cultures del Pirineu, and Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park.
International call for audiovisual creations FOREST MATTER VIII
Matèria Bosc VIII celebrates the poetic power of trees through a second international open call for audiovisual creations, seeking original perspectives on forests and forest ecosystems. The forest becomes a space of constantly shifting atmospheres, where light, time and materials resonate with the body and the senses.
As part of the eighth edition of Matèria Bosc, an international open call was launched for audiovisual works with a maximum duration of 10 minutes, aiming to encourage new perspectives on forests and forest ecosystems. Following the selection process, the jury chose two winning works, each receiving a prize of €700. The winners of the Matèria Bosc 2026 Competition were Les nostres arrels, by Brazilian-German artist Ivan Morales Jr., and Outside, Inside the Forest, by British artist Sarah Misselbrook. Their inclusion in the programme will provide opportunities to connect with other professionals in the artistic and environmental fields, as well as to expand their networks for collaboration and professional development.
Both works will be presented as part of the RCR Open Program 2026 on 28 June in Olot (Catalonia); on 1 August at 9:00 pm, during Dansàneu – Festival of Pyrenean Cultures, in the Àneu Valley (Catalonia); and from 16 to 18 September in Pamplona-Iruña and Basaburua (Navarre).
Sunday, June 28, 2026 · Forest Matter VIII · Pati de l'Hospici · Olot · 10 a.m.
FORREST MATTER VIII · Our Roots (2026) · Ivan Morales Jr. · Brazil/Germany · 10′
Winning work of Forrest Matter 2026. A cinematic letter from a man to a tree, in which memories and dreams intertwine to offer a poetic reflection on the relationship between species.
Memories and dreams merge into an organic narrative about a relationship between species, unfolding across different places and moments in a life shaped by movement. Told as a cinematic letter from a man to a tree, the film is a personal animated documentary—a poetic reflection on our relationship with nature.
Ivan Morales Jr. (Pindamonhangaba, State of São Paulo, Brazil, 1981) graduated in film editing from the International School of Film and Television (EICTV) in Cuba. In 2005, he received a scholarship to study at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, where he has lived ever since. He teaches dramaturgy and film editing workshops at the EICTV in Cuba.
His films have been screened at numerous international festivals and have received several awards. Under the artistic name Richard There, he has released several animated short films, comics, and music albums. He has also toured internationally with a live performance combining his music and animation.
Ivan Morales Jr. · Web · Instagram · YouTube
Sunday, June 28, 2026 · Lecture · Pati de l'Hospici · Olot · 10:00 a.m.
SOUND · Music and Space · Enric Palau Pujols
Presented by Jaume Prat, Architectural Theorist and Critic
This conference is supported by Perelada Vins i Caves.
This talk explores the relationship between music and space by analysing how it manifests in three different situations. First, it examines buildings designed for music, where space precedes music. Second, it considers cases in which music enters into dialogue with spaces that may not have been conceived specifically for a musical purpose. Finally, it looks at situations in which music and sound become a creative force, generating new spaces, whether within a building or in outdoor environments.
Co-Founder of Sónar Festival and Sónar+D
Enric Palau (Manlleu, Spain, 1964) is a co-founder of Advanced Music, the company that organises the Sónar festival. He served as co-director and head of programming until the end of 2025. As a musician and music industry professional for over 30 years, he has been closely connected to technology, sound, and advanced music.
Together with his partners Ricard Robles and Sergio Caballero, he created Sónar in 1994, a pioneering festival in both format and content that has since become a global reference in music, creativity, and technology. Sónar has received numerous national and international awards, including the City of Barcelona Award, granted by the Barcelona City Council on two occasions (2002 and 2009), the Ondas Award in 2017, and the Creu de Sant Jordi, awarded by the Government of Catalonia in 2023.
With more than 100,000 attendees in Barcelona every June, Sónar is regarded as a major meeting point for global electronic culture, showcasing the latest developments in advanced music and its interactions with other musical genres and artistic disciplines. Since 2002, the festival has held more than fifty editions worldwide, in cities such as London, Tokyo, Chicago, New York, São Paulo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Cape Town, Istanbul, and Reykjavik, among many others.
Over the past decade, through Sónar+D, the festival has also engaged with the field of science through projects developed in collaboration with various research centres. Enric Palau has been, and continues to be, particularly involved in the AI & Music project of the European S+T+ARTS program. This project brings together creators from the sound and music fields and researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
Sónar · Web
Sunday, June 28, 2026 · Forest Matter VIII · Pati de l'Hospici · Olot · 12 a.m.
FORREST MATTER VIII · Outside, Inside the Forest (2019) · Sarah Misselbrook · United Kingdom · 5′
Winning work of Forrest Matter 2026. Created one month before Brexit, the work explores tensions between the inside and the outside, belonging, territory, and displacement.
Outside, Inside the Forest is a performance work created in late 2019 in response to the “Outside, Inside” open call, as part of a symposium organised by Chapel Arts Studios. Filmed in a forest landscape, the piece depicts a figure standing on a rock and delivering a diatribe from within the forest. Created one month before Brexit and just over a year before the outbreak of the pandemic, the work explores the tensions between inside and outside, belonging, territory, and displacement.
Sarah Misselbrook (Southampton, United Kingdom, 1977) is an artist working across performance, moving image, and installation. She lived and worked in Cyprus and has been based in Riba-roja d’Ebre, in rural Catalonia, for the past fourteen years. Her artistic practice explores language, voice, and embodied presence in relation to landscape, displacement, and contemporary political and ecological thresholds. Often working in situ, she develops works that emerge from specific environments and lived experiences. Her projects have been presented nationally and internationally. She is co-founder of the non-profit association Riba Rocks.
Sunday, June 28, 2026 · Lecture · Pati de l'Hospici · Olot · 12:00 a.m.
ARCHITECTURE · Talking About My Projects · Junya Ishigami · junya.ishigami+associates
Introduced by Júlia Breiz Pellicer, Secretary of the Girona Chapter (2026–2030) of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia (COAC)
This lecture is supported by Cercle Gespromat
At the speaker’s request, no recording is available for this lecture.
Junya Ishigami presents a selection of his works and shares his vision of architecture. His work explores new relationships between architecture, landscape and nature, proposing spaces of great sensitivity and lightness.
Junya Ishigami (Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, 1974) founded his own practice, junya.ishigami+associates, in 2004, after completing his master’s degree in the Department of Architecture at Tokyo University of the Arts and working at Kazuyo Sejima & Associates. His work combines a rigorous conceptual approach with a poetic and experimental sensibility, exploring the relationship between space, nature and human perception.
His best-known projects include KAIT Workshop / KAIT Plaza at the Kanagawa Institute of Technology, the Visitor Center at Park Groot Vijversburg, MIZUNIWA, the Serpentine Pavilion 2019 and House & Restaurant at the Zaishui Art Museum—works that demonstrate his ability to dissolve the boundaries between architecture and the natural environment.
Throughout his career, Ishigami has received numerous prestigious international awards, including the Golden Lion for Best Project at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale (2010), the Mainichi Design Award (2010), the Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2019), the OBEL Award and the Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts (2019), as well as the Architectural Institute of Japan Prize (2025). In 2025, he was also named an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
His work challenges disciplinary conventions and redefines the way we perceive and inhabit space, establishing him as one of the most original and influential voices in contemporary architecture.
junya.ishigami+associates · Web
Sunday, June 28, 2026 · Lecture · RCR La Vila · La Vall de Bianya · 3:30 p.m.
ARCHITECTURE · RCR Universe: Form, transform · PechaKucha of 20 young studios
Presented by Joan Arnau, Culture Board Member of the Girona Branch (2026–2030) of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia (COAC)
These lectures are supported by Fundación hna / CONECTA by hna.
This gathering celebrates creative paths that evolve and enter into dialogue through a shared experience: an immersion in RCR’s distinctive understanding of space, material, and light. Through a series of brief, varied interventions, we examine how each participant has internalised this shared-space experience, extending it into new practices and architectural landscapes.
- Silence in Architecture · Guillermo Pomar Blanco · David Chipperfield Architects · Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- David Chipperfield Architects comprises five independent offices—London, Berlin, Milan, Shanghai, and Santiago de Compostela—each deeply rooted in its local context while connected globally through a shared vision and architectural ambition.
- David Chipperfield Architects · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2018-2021 Guillermo Pomar Blanco
- Atheleia Arquitectura · Borja Fernández & Salvador Tarradas · Atheleia Arquitectura · Peralada – Olot – Barcelona, Spain
- A creative workshop in architecture, urban planning, and design, dedicated to new-build and renovation projects that are thoughtfully integrated into the landscape, contemporary in approach, and sustainable.
- Atheleia Arquitectura · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2007-2015 Salvador Tarradas Fossoul · 2012-2021 Borja Fernández Rodríguez
- Experiences with Light in Architecture and Landscape in Japan · Shuichiro Yoshida · shushi architects · Tokyo, Japan
- Shushi, a Japanese term meaning seed, theme, and intention, guides our process: from this seed, we identify the theme, clarify our intentions, and embark on the architectural journey.
- shushi architects · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2005-2008 Shuichiro Yoshida
- Ephemeral Architectures: Traces of Light and Time that Redefine the City · Francisco Spratley Pinto de Silva Gonçalves · francisco spratley studio · Lisboa, Portugal
- A creative lab that develops and curates projects across art, architecture, and design, exploring innovative approaches and experimental ideas.
- francisco spratley studio · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2001-2005 Francisco Spratley Pinto de Silva Gonçalves
- Slow-Cooked Projects · Francisco Garrido Roca · martinez-fons garrido arquitectos · Seville, Spain
- An approach to architecture that embraces both public and private works, attuned to shifting atmospheres where light, time, and material engage in a subtle dialogue with human perception.
- martinez-fons garrido arquitectos · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2020-2022 Francisco Garrido Roca
- Paths Taken · Marta Milà Pascual · 1000Arq · Sant Pere de Ribes, Barcelona, Spain
- A collaborative and networked approach to design, rooted in listening, observing, and researching, aiming to respond thoughtfully to each person, place, and context, enriched through dialogue with diverse disciplines.
- 1000Arq · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2012-2013 Marta Milà Pascual
- Second Chance. Architecture as Evidential Practice · Sarah Becchio · Errante Architetture · Savigliano, Italy
- Errante Architetture explores the narrative aspect of each project, employing simple construction techniques, raw materials, and essential details to convey meaning and intention.
- Errante Architetture · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2007-2015 Sarah Becchio
- Matters of the Limit: New Paradigms of Housing · Javier Gavin Balda · Javier Gavin · Huesca and Barcelona, Spain
- Projects spanning new construction and renovation at all scales, seamlessly integrating tradition and context to create contemporary architecture that honours its surroundings and heritage, while responding to the evolving paradigms of the 21st century.
- Javier Gavin · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2016 Javier Gavin Balda
- The Mausoleum of Shadows · Lelio di Loreto · salpepe studio · Rome, Italy
- Architectural projects that balance modernity with a deep sensitivity to site, thoughtfully shaping light and materials to create harmonious and evocative spaces.
- salpepe studio · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2018 Lelio di Loreto
- Genius Loci of RCR La Vila · Marc Valero · Estudi Krea · Barcelona, Spain
- Cultural Management that moves the spirit, shaping spaces that inspire and resonate.
- Estudi Krea · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2017-2023 Marc Valero
- Still Learning from Olot · Margarida Quintã · Estúdio Ursa · Porto, Portugal
- Approach to architecture as a form of knowledge, seeing their practice as the identification, exploration, and resolution of challenges that shape the human experience.
- Estúdio Ursa · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2006 Margarida Quintã
- Between Lava And Horizon · Rafael Martínez Sarrión · Nō Architects · Valencia, Spain
- Studio founded by Pedro Terrades and Rafael Martínez that develops architecture, landscape and design projects with a reflective, honest and poetic approach, based on austerity and architectural essence.
- Nō Architects · Web · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2016-2025 Rafael Martínez Sarrión
- Give It Soul · Ivone Gonçalves · Forstudio Arquitetos · Lisbon, Portugal
- Collective of architects, founded by Fábio Neves, Ivone Gonçalves, Luís Ricardo and Ricardo Paulino, recognised for outstanding projects and an innovative approach to contemporary architecture.
- Forstudio Arquitetos · Facebook
- RCR Arquitectes: 2009 Ivone Gonçalves
- Peripherals · Aleix Salazar Aloy · estudi pera · Lleida, Spain
- Estudi Pera is a creative studio that works from a contemporary and sensitive perspective, exploring design and architecture through materiality, detail and an honest aesthetic.
- estudi pera · Instagram
- RCR Arquitectes: 2020-2021 Aleix Salazar Aloy
- On the Margins · Constanza Torio · FAPyD Rosario · Rosario, Argentina
- Project design lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design of Rosario and collaborator at the Dr Julio Marc Provincial Historical Museum, linking academia and cultural heritage.
- FAPyD Rosario · Web
- RCR Arquitectes: 2006-2007 Constanza Torio
- Reactivation of a Historic Building. Relationships Between Public, Semi-Public and Private Spaces · Stefan Cancola · JUUST Architektur · Wolfsberg, Austria
- An architectural practice that combines tradition and contemporaneity through architecture rooted in place, honest in its use of materials and meticulous in its attention to detail.
- JUUST Architektur · Web
- RCR arquitectes: 2014-2017 Stefan Cancola
- Poetry of the Unexpected · Roman Joliy & Alice Cecchini · Atelier Poem · Sant’Angelo in Vado, Italy
- Atelier Poem is an architecture studio founded by Alice Cecchini and Roman Joliy that explores a poetic approach to design, integrating landscape, culture, and narrative into contemporary architectural projects.
- Atelier Poem · Instagram
- RCR arquitectes: 2017-2019 Roman Joliy · 2018-2019 Alice Cecchini
- Nature. The Nest in the Garden · Jairo Pinedo · PINEDO Architectes · Bordeaux, France
- PINEDO Architectes combines aesthetic sensitivity and spatial poetry with technical and financial rigour, prioritising the relationship between people, their surroundings and nature.
- PINEDO Architectes · Web · Instagram
- RCR Artotec: 2013-2024 Jairo Pinedo
- Operative Ambiguity · Alessandro Caccioppo · Atelier Optif · Turin, Italy
- A dynamic and emerging practice operating at the intersection of architecture, design, and research, engaging with projects across multiple scales—from landscape to object.
- Atelier Optif · Web
- RCR Arquitectes: 2019-2020 Alessandro Caccioppo
- Between Order and Architecture · Pauline Bourgade & Salvador Figueras · FAB Architectes · Lyon, France
- FAB advocates a measured, rigorous and sensitive approach to architecture, based on coherence, balanced proportions and precision in design and construction.
- FAB Architectes · Web · Instagram
- RCR arquitectes: 2005-2015 Salvador Figueras · 2008-2009 Pauline Bourgade
Sunday, June 28, 2026 · Music · RCR La Vila · La Vall de Bianya · 8:30 p.m.
MUSIC · Thoughts Out Loud in Nature · Victòria Vilalta with Ramon Prats
The inauguration of the RCR La Vila “Clariana” music space, featuring Victòria Vilalta (voice) and Ramon Prats (drums), presents a form of primordial music set within the natural surroundings of the woodland landscape at RCR La Vila.
Victòria Vilalta Pigem (Olot, Girona, Spain, 2000) is a Catalan singer-songwriter and music producer. Blending indie, folk and experimental sounds, her music creates an intimate and emotional universe in which every note speaks of feelings and lived experiences. Alongside her musical career, she holds a university degree in psychology and maintains a deep interest in the study of emotions, an invisible thread that runs through and enriches her artistic work. She currently lives in London, where she crafts sounds that connect mind and heart, extending her sensitivity beyond the stage.
Victòria Vilalta ·Web · Instagram
Ramon Prats (Banyoles, Girona, Spain) is a Catalan drummer, jazz musician and music producer. Trained at the Isaac Albéniz Conservatory in Girona, the Banyoles Music Workshop, the Taller de Músics in Barcelona and ESMUC, where he obtained his degree in Jazz Drums in 2007, his music combines technical rigour with expressive sensitivity, exploring rhythms and textures that connect with listeners in an intimate and vibrant way. He has collaborated with international artists including Lee Konitz, Maceo Parker, Seamus Blake, Dave Kikoski, Esperanza Spalding and Bob Mintzer, and leads his own projects such as Ramon Prats Quartet, Duot and M.A.P., through which he has received recognition from the AMJM as Musician of the Year, Album of the Year and Group of the Year. His career has taken him to stages across Europe, Africa and the Americas. Alongside his performance work, he is deeply engaged in music education, teaching drums and advanced rhythm studies at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu and the Isaac Albéniz Conservatory in Girona, establishing himself as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Catalan jazz.
Partners 2026
Partners 2026
RCR Open Program, organised by RCR BUNKA, was created to help disseminate architecture and landscape and, through them, the arts and culture throughout society. This initiative is made possible thanks to the financial and logistical support of the institutions and companies involved, whose commitment is essential to making it a reality. RCR BUNKA sincerely thanks them all for their involvement and contribution.
Organised by
Main Partners
Partner Institutions and Companies
Media Partners
