L.E.V. Festival will celebrate its 19th year from May 1st to 4th in Gijón, consolidating as an international benchmark for audiovisual and electronic creativity.
The festival will feature four days of programming across various venues in the city, with concerts, audiovisual performances, immersive experiences, and expanded realities.
In collaboration with the Arenas Movedizas project, the program includes two virtual reality experiences: Oto’s Planet and Impulse: Playing with Reality, and an augmented reality show: Blocksmog.
Jaime Tellado (Jailed Jaime aka Skygaze) will lead the workshop for young people Ritmo y Rima, a session that will address the creative process of a rap song, from the initial idea to its live performance.
Teatro de la Laboral will host shows by Ryoji Ikeda; Katarina Gryvul & Alex Guevara; Pinch & Lorem; Amelie Duchow; Yessi Perse; Ash Fure.
Some of the most long-awaited premieres will take place at Nave de La Laboral: shows by Scanner & Freeka Tet; BABii; Iglooghost; Mun Sing; Cortical.
Muséu del Pueblu d’Asturies will host open-air performances by Lila Tirando a Violeta, Kabeaushé, Jailed Jaime.
The festival closes this year at the Atlantic Botanical Garden with performances by Dylan Henner and Mizu, adding proposals that fuse music, technology, and sound research.
The line-up of audiovisual installations will be composed by Immersion by Robbie Cooper and the interactive installation Echoes of the Land by Ivan Liu.
Day tickets and full festival tickets available for sale at www.levfestival.com
From May 1st to 4th, Gijón will become the epicenter of digital creation with the 19th year of L.E.V. Festival (Laboratorio de Electrónica Visual). With the support of Gijón Town Council and the Principality of Asturias, the festival will bring together national and international artists in several venues across the city, with a line-up focused on concerts, audiovisual performances, immersive installations, and unparalleled sound experiences.
Besides live shows, L.E.V. Festival once again focuses on the experience of digital art and extended realities. This year, Centro de Cultura Antiguo Instituto will host the audiovisual installation Immersion by British artist Robbie Cooper, who examines our reactions to video games in a video installation that engages the audience. At Colegiata Revillagigedo, artist Ivan Liu will showcase Echoes of the Land, an interactive work about the links among technology, land and memory.
Virtual reality experiences
Oto’s Planet by Gwenael François | Impulse: Playing With Reality by May Abdalla & Barry Gene Murphy
One of them is Oto’s Planet, a virtual reality experience by producer Gwenael François. An interactive work that transports the viewer to an immersive universe. The narrative places the interacting person in the role of an omniscient observer while witnessing and participating in the story of Oto, a creature whose peaceful existence is altered by the arrival of Exo, a restless cosmonaut. As the story evolves, the player has an active role in resolving conflicts and the evolution of the characters. This installation has been awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Biennale, where it was recognized for its ability to immerse the audience in an interactive narrative that advocates for conflict resolution.
The other act is the interactive mixed reality experience Impulse: Playing With Reality, directed by May Abdalla & Barry Gene Murphy. This forty-minute project, narrated in English by Tilda Swinton, offers a profound perspective on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Through the stories of four characters, the audience delves into the challenges and creativity of those who live with this form of cognition, contributing to greater awareness and understanding of their daily lives. Impulse was another award-winning project at the last Venice Biennale, receiving the Achievement Prize, and L.E.V. presents its Spanish version for the first time.
Augmented reality experiences
Blocksmog by Guillaumit
In the realm of augmented reality, Arenas Movedizas presents Blocksmog, an experience created by Guillaumit, which will be located in Plaza del Parchís in Gijón. Guillaumit’s colorful and geometric universe is a combination of illustration, 2D and 3D animation, and video games meant to address contemporary themes in a playful way. This experience is a sample of his imaginary world, a transmedia and participatory work centered around air pollution, which combines graphic arts with augmented reality. Using an interactive graphic triptych, BlockSmog presents a digital experience that includes an application with augmented reality mini-games, each one related to the visual elements of the installation.
These experiences strengthen the festival as a space for experimentation at the intersection of art and technology in the city of Gijón.
Sound creation workshop
Within the L.E.V. program and in collaboration with the Youth Office of the Gijón Town Council, Jaime Tellado (Jailed Jaime aka Skygaze) will lead the Ritmo y Rima workshop, a free session for young people between 16 and 35 years old dedicated to music composition focused on hip-hop. The workshop is designed to delve into the creative process of a rap song, from the initial idea to its live performance. Rap music, as a direct and powerful form of expression, combines rhythm and word to convey ideas, emotions, and realities. Through practical exercises and digital tools, participants will explore the essential stages of music creation: conception of the idea, beat production, lyric writing, recording, mixing, and live presentation. Drawing inspiration from Spanish-language hip-hop references, each participant will be able to find their own voice, develop their creativity, and put their message into practice.
More activities
CENTRO DE EXPERIENCIAS ARTÍSTICAS POZU SANTA BÁRBARA (PZSB)
On Thursday, April 10th, Mieres’ PZSB opened SPECULUM, an impactful installation by SMACK collective, formed by Ton Meijdan, Thom Snels, and Béla Zsigmond, which reinterprets Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights from a contemporary perspective. This installation, curated by L.E.V. (Laboratorio de Electrónica Visual) in a collaboration with Onkaos and organized by Mieres Town Council, transfers the iconic Flemish triptych to the visual universe of the 21st century, to address themes such as surveillance, consumption, and hyperconnectivity. Through three panels, Eden, Paradise and Hell, and a series of archetypal characters appearing on side screens, the work investigates the excesses and contradictions of the digital age with an aesthetic that is as colorful as it is unsettling. The free-entry exhibition will be open to the public until July 13th.
L.E.V. (Laboratorio de Electrónica Visual) is a platform of production, promotion and experimentation related to electronic sound creations, audiovisual creations and digital art. An open area of research, created by DATATRON collective, which uses the latest technological tools to explore contemporary creation with national and international avant-garde artists and new and trailblazing creators, performing several activities and shows in public spaces, with two main big annual events: L.E.V. Festival in Gijón, and L.E.V. Matadero in Madrid.
L.E.V. Festival 2025
1 – 4 May | Gijón
www.levfestival.com
@levfestival #LEVFestival
An initiative by L.E.V. (Laboratorio de Electrónica Visual)
Supported by Ayuntamiento de Gijón and Principado de Asturias
Partners: Divertia, Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura, Concejalía de Cultura, Juventud y Museos del Ayuntamiento de Gijón, LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial, Fundación Japón Madrid, Ministerio de Cultura de Taiwán, Oficina Económica y Cultural de Taipéi en España, Arenas Movedizas, Conseyu de Mocedá de Xixón, Radio 3, OCIMAG, CLOT Magazine, Metal Magazine.
Spaces: Teatro de la Laboral, LABoral Centro de Arte, Centro de Cultura Antiguo Instituto, Muséu del Pueblu d’Asturies, Escuela de Comercio, Jardín Botánico Atlántico, Colegiata del Palacio Revillagigedo, Plaza del Parchís. Pozu Santa Bárbara de Mieres.
Graphic Design: Pasajero37 / Motion design: Lateralideas
LINE UP_
RYOJI IKEDA Ultratronics AV live _JP
AMNESIA SCANNER & FREEKA TET HOAX _FIN/FR [INT / PAN]
ASH FURE ANIMAL _USA
IGLOOGHOST Exo A/V _UK [LuckyMe]
KATARINA GRYVUL w/ ALEX GUEVARA SPOMYN _UA _DE/PE [Subtext]
COLIN SELF ¡Gasp! _USA [RVNG Intl]
AMELIE DUCHOW LOGOS MATER_DE/IT [Sync]
PINCH & LOREM A Red Rabbit AV live_UK/IT
BABii DD2000 AV _UK [Boxset Recordings]
DYLAN HENNER
MUN SING _UK
KABEAUSHÉ _KE
MIZU _USA [Carousel Productions, LLC]
JAILED JAMIE (aka Skygaze) _ES (World Premiere)
LILA TIRANDO A VIOLETA _UY [Unguarded]
CORTICAL AV live _ES [Plasma Sources]
YESSi PERSE TOP5: Fairytales of Eternal Economic Growth _ES [Neurodungeon] (World Premiere)
AV INSTALLATIONS
ROBBIE COOPER Immersion (extended version) _UK
IVAN LIU Echoes of the Land _TW
Virtual & Augmented Reality
Oto’s Planet Gwenael François _LU
Impulse: Playing with Reality May Abdalla y Barry Gene Murphy _FR/UK
Blocksmog Guillaumit_FR
WORKSHOP
Ritmo y Rima. Metodologías de producción de música hiphop contemporánea.
Jaime Tellado _ES
More activities
SMACK Speculum _NL
