Open Program 2025
Theme 2025 ATMOSPHERES
Atmospheres are one of a space’s most subjective and emotional dimensions. They arise from the complex interaction between physical elements, such as light, materials, colours, and shapes, and immaterial factors, such as emotions, memories, and senses. Although they cannot be quantified or delimited, the intangible has a transformative impact: It defines the essence of things beyond their physical appearance. It connects people with something deep and meaningful.
Creating atmospheres can become a conscious act, using tangible elements to influence the intangible. It is a game between the material and the immaterial, almost like an alchemical process, where the transmutations of matter have the power to transcend the conscious and reach the dimensions of the unconscious.
Light and shadow, materiality and texture, proportions, deepness, sound and acoustics, and colour and smell make up the palette that defines an atmosphere and determines the emotional intensity of a space. Understanding the intangible involves observing, feeling, and interpreting that which is not explicit; it is where subjectivity and transcendence dwell. When designing, referring to “feeling the place” means understanding beyond words and perceiving beyond thought. It is a call to create works that are spiritually and emotionally connected to the unique character of each place, offering design solutions with a soul. That intangible thing we call atmosphere.
Lecture Series RCR TALKS
The three-conference series will be led by filmmakers and visual artists Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine, whose work lies at the intersection of visual arts, non-fiction cinema, and architecture; by Catalan architect Xevi Bayona, artistic director of the Lluèrnia Festival of Fire and Light in Olot, and founder of Bayona Studio—a space dedicated to experimentation and interdisciplinary research in architecture, urbanism, art, landscape, and ephemeral and light installations; and by Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima, winner of more than fifteen awards and recognitions, including the 2010 Pritzker Prize, which she shared with her partner at SANAA, architect Ryue Nishizawa.
FOREST MATTER VII
Forest Matter is a program of the RCR Bunka Foundation curated by Isabel Ferreira and made in collaboration with LABEA, the Laboratory of Art, Science, and Nature.
It features a collection of short video dances, video performances, and video artworks that, like in previous editions, open the Open Program conferences and celebrate the poetic power of trees.
Isabel Ferreira is a curator and cultural manager. She is currently the artistic director of LABEA and Arbola, the festival that celebrates the culture of trees. She has a degree in Art History and a master’s degree in Visual Culture and is a university expert in Culture and Territory.
Video-creation Series FOREST MATTER VII
As we celebrate the seventh edition of Forest Matter in 2025, we present a program featuring three video creations that complement the three conferences—all united under the common theme of Atmospheres.
This year, we are excited to announce a short film competition on the theme of Atmospheres. We invite audiovisual creators to capture the essence of a space, a moment, or an emotion in a film of up to five minutes, harnessing the power of image and sound.
Tuesday, July 8, 2024 · Forest Matter VII · Pati de l'Hospici · Olot · 19h
FOREST MATTER VII · Title (2024) · Artist, Country · 00:00 min
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Tuesday, July 8, 2024 · Lecture · Pati de l'Hospici · Olot · 19h
CINEMA · Title · Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine · Bêka & Lemoine
Summary.
Ila Bêka (Latisana, Italy, 1967) graduated as an architect from the Università Iuav di Venezia and the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville, where notable figures like Aldo Rossi, Manfredo Tafuri, Vittorio Gregotti, Massimo Cacciari, Bernardo Secchi, Gino Valle, Ugo La Pietra, Henri Ciriani, and Jacques Lucan influenced him.
Louise Lemoine (Bordeaux, France, 1981) studied cinema and visual arts at Sorbonne University, developing a unique storytelling style that blends documentary and narrative techniques.
As artists, filmmakers, and researchers, they work at the intersection of visual arts, non-fiction cinema, and architecture. For the past twenty years, they have been experimenting with new narrative and cinematic forms to explore how people experience, perceive, and relate to space from emotional, social, and cultural perspectives.
Their films have gained international recognition and are showcased at major film festivals and art museums. In 2016, MoMA in New York acquired their complete body of work for its permanent collection. Their works are also in other significant public and private art collections, such as MAXXI—The National Museum of 21st Century Arts (Rome, Italy), CNAP—Centre National des Arts Plastiques (Paris, France), and Fondazione Prada (Milan, Italy).
They have produced over thirty films, including Koolhaas Houselife (2008), Barbicania (2014), The Infinite Happiness (2015), Moriyama San (2017), Tokyo Ride (2020), and the city-matographic odyssey in 12 films, Homo Urbanus (2017–2023).
They are regularly invited to lecture and teach at universities such as the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) in New York, the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio (Switzerland), and the Architectural Association School in London (UK).
In 2023, they published The Emotional Power of Space (B&P ed.), which examines space’s emotional, social, and cultural aspects.
Thursday, July 10, 2024 · Forest Matter VII · Pati de l'Hospici · Olot · 19h
FOREST MATTER VII · Title (2024) · Artist, Country · 00:00 min
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Thursday, July 10, 2024 · Lecture · Pati de l'Hospici · Olot · 19h
ARCHITECTURE · Title · Xevi Bayona · Bayona Studio
Summary.
The hna FOUNDATION supports this conference and is a beneficiary of the CONECTA by hna program.
Xevi Bayona (Olot, Spain, 1982) is an architect from the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB-UPC), where he also obtained a postgraduate degree in Landscape Architecture and a master’s degree in theory and practice of architectural projects. Since 2008, he has been a lecturer at the Polytechnic University of Girona, and since 2018, he has been a lecturer on the international master’s degree in ephemeral architecture at Elisava.
Bayona Studio is a workshop and studio focused on experimentation and research, combining different disciplines that complement each other: architecture, urban planning, art, landscape, and light. His works include the rehabilitation of the Tortosa State Bridge over the Ebro River, the rehabilitation of the sports area of Sant Jaume de Llierca and the Olot Trade Fair, among others.
Since 2017, he has been collaborating with Àlex Posada of MID Studio and has been the artistic director of the Lluèrnia Festival in Olot since its beginnings. He has received numerous national and international awards, including three FAD awards, and has given lectures, workshops, and projects in various European cities.
Tuesday, July 15, 2024 · Forest Matter VII · Pati de l'Hospici · Olot · 19h
FOREST MATTER VII · Title (2024) · Artist, Country · 00:00 min
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Tuesday, July 15, 2024 · Lecture · Pati de l'Hospici · Olot · 19h
ARCHITECTURE · Title · Kazuyo Sejima · Kazuyo Sejima & Associates / SANAA
This conference is supported by Cercle Gespromat.
Summary.
Kazuyo Sejima (Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, 1956) earned a degree in architecture from Japan Women’s University. In 1981, she joined Toyo Ito’s architectural office. In 1987, she established her practice in Tokyo, Kazuyo Sejima & Associates, and in 1992, she was named the Japan Institute of Architects’ Young Architect of the Year. In 1995, Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa co-founded SANAA (Sejima + Nishizawa & Associates), a firm internationally recognised for innovative and influential designs. Their notable projects include the Rolex Learning Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland; the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio; the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York; the Serpentine Pavilion in London; the Christian Dior Building in Omotesando, Tokyo; and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, which was awarded the Golden Lion in 2004 for the most significant work at the 9th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. Their work has been widely exhibited across the United States and Europe.
Throughout their careers, Sejima and Nishizawa have received numerous accolades, including the Arnold Brunner Memorial Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2002), the Architectural Institute of Japan’s Design Prize (2006), the Kunstpreis Berlin from the Berlin Academy of Arts (2007), and the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize (2010). In 2025, Sejima was honoured with the Charlotte Perriand Award in France.
Beyond her architectural practice, Sejima has taught at leading institutions such as Princeton University, the Polytechnique de Lausanne, the Polytechnic University of Milan, Tama Art University, Yokohama National University, and Keio University. Since 2022, she has been the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum director.
