Workshop intervention Ombres Blanches: Making the Invisible Visible

The Fundació Mies van der Rohe and the LINA European architecture platform present Ombres Blanches by Nicolas Guichard and Béatrice Lartigue (Lab212) in the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, in the context of the Barcelona Setmanes d’Arquitectura and the EUmies Awards Talks: Architecture and the Media 2025.

How can we experience the hidden digital world that surrounds us? Ombres Blanches, an interactive installation by Lab212, transforms the invisible signals of our connected lives—like Wi-Fi, mobile networks, and smart devices—into a poetic, sensory experience.

In today’s hyper-connected world, digital technologies give us the power to work, connect, and share instantly. Our digital habits, from streaming to scrolling, rely on vast infrastructures that use significant amounts of energy and water—resources we rarely think about.

Ombres Blanches responds to this reality. Using water and atmospheric effects, the installation reveals the invisible electromagnetic waves that fill our everyday spaces. As smartphones, printers, and other devices communicate wirelessly, their signals leave visual traces—ghostly patterns that appear and disappear like a digital weather system.

Through this immersive, real-time experience, Ombres Blanches invites us to slow down and reflect. It offers a glimpse into the hidden life of data, raising awareness about the physical impact of our digital existence—and opening up new ways of imagining our relationship with technology.

The installation can be visited on Sunday, 25 May, from 10:00 to 20:00. On Monday, it is accessible from 10:00 to 14:00; from 14:00 onwards, and throughout Wednesday, it can be viewed only from the plaza in front of the Pavilion.

Nicolas Guichard and Béatrice Lartigue will deliver a workshop on Tuesday 27 from 10:00 to 12:00, followed by a conversation with Atelier Remoto and Jacopo Biffi (AlteSfere), also LINA European architecture platform participants.