We worked with IBM and its cognitive platform, Watson, to create a large-scale installation for the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Unlike our typical use of computation as a production tool, this collaboration brought data analysis directly into the conceptual design process. Watson aggregated and analyzed thousands of images and articles related to Barcelona and the architecture of Antoni Gaudí, informing early decisions around form, color, and temperament.

These inputs led to a form-found installation composed of an aluminum structural surface clad in petal-like panels and 3M dichroic film. The geometry and material expression draw from Gaudí’s organic detailing and the iridescent qualities of his mosaic tile work. As light moves across the surface, color and depth shift with viewpoint and movement.

Suspended chain models introduce motion into the space, each driven by real-time social media sentiment analyzed by Watson around Barcelona, technology, and the Mobile World Congress. As sentiment changes, the chains rise and fall, translating collective mood into physical movement.

A live digital interface presents the installation upside down, referencing Gaudí’s gravity-driven hanging models. While the physical installation communicates data atmospherically, the interface provides clarity by mapping metrics and content directly onto the three-dimensional form. Together, the physical and digital systems transform real-time information into an immersive spatial experience, positioning computation as an active collaborator in architecture that responds to cultural conditions as they unfold.

Find out more about the process:
Photos of the installation