One of Barcelona’s most anticipated cultural events returns: a spectacular light and music show that attracts thousands of people every year. This year’s Casa Batlló Mapping a monumental artwork titled “Hidden Order”, will be projected onto the façade of Casa Batlló on 31 January and 1 February 2026, from 7.45 pm to 10.45 pm, every 30 minutes.
The event marks the first major highlight of Gaudí Year 2026 and inaugurates Casa Batlló’s new exhibition space dedicated to contemporary art, opening with an exhibition by the same artist. Both initiatives form part of Casa Batlló Contemporary, Casa Batlló’s artistic programme inviting renowned artists to reinterpret Gaudí’s radical legacy through a multidisciplinary and contemporary lens.
Discover how “Hidden Order” was created
In this video, we explain the creation process of a mapping that, for the first time, incorporates dance as a fundamental visual element.
Mapping 2026: A public artwork for the city
Conceived as a large-scale audiovisual performance, “Hidden Order” transforms the façade of Casa Batlló through a spectacle of light, movement and sound. Created by Matt Clark, founder of United Visual Artists (UVA), the work introduces a new visual and conceptual approach, unfolding through cycles of creation, emergence, chaos and transformation, exploring the tension between order and disorder at the core of Clark’s practice.
The title of the mapping connects with “Gaudí, the invisible order”, the official motto of Gaudí Year 2026, highlighting the architect’s ability to combine imagination with scientific rigour through the observation of nature. “Hidden Order” refers to the idea that beneath apparent chaos lies an underlying structure shaped by patterns, geometry and natural laws.
Matt Clark explains:
“Gaudí once said that the straight line belongs to man and the curve to God. He believed nature is governed by deep geometric principles. As an artist, I’ve always been drawn to the hidden systems beneath the surface — those structures that quietly shape the world around us.”
María Bernat, Director of Casa Batlló Contemporary, adds:
“United Visual Artists’ work perfectly embodies the spirit of Casa Batlló Contemporary: openness, risk-taking, research, and the ambition to create experiences that cannot exist anywhere else.”
A performative artwork: movement, sound and architecture
To create “Hidden Order”, Clark collaborated with international dance artist and choreographer Fukiko Takase. Clark recorded her movement using motion capture technology, integrating the dancer’s body as a central visual element on the façade. Using a state-of-the-art infrared camera system, Takase’s choreography is transformed, multiplied and reinterpreted as dynamic visual structures, embedding the corporeal figure directly within the architectural surface. Takase’s movement is shaped through direct contact with the building. Dancing inside Casa Batlló, she responded to its curves, textures and atmosphere, treating the architecture as a partner rather than a backdrop.
Developed in close dialogue with Matt Clark and Fukiko Takase’s movement, composer Daniel J. Thibaut created an original score for “Hidden Order”. Drawing on geometry and natural patterns, the composition guides the work through different phases, from minimal pulses to expansive sequences. The score allows the façade to “find its own voice,” uniting sound, movement and light into a single performative experience.
“Beyond the Façade”: The exhibition beyond the mapping
Opening alongside the mapping on 31 January 2026, Casa Batlló presents “Beyond the Façade”, the inaugural exhibition of its new contemporary art space. Conceived as an extension of “Hidden Order”, the site-specific exhibition proposes a journey from natural light into darkness, tracing cycles of day and night, order and disorder.
Through light studies, motion-based projections and kinetic sculptures, Matt Clark draws on natural geometry, choreography and philosophical reflections on time and systems.
A key reference in this research is Ramon Llull, the 13th-century Majorcan philosopher and mystic, often considered a precursor to algorithmic thinking. His system Ars, based on diagrams and rotating wheels, sought to reveal the hidden order of the world through logic and geometry. Both Llull and Gaudí shared a belief in nature as a structured, intelligible system.
Matt Clark describes it as:
“A slower, more reflective counterpoint to the façade mapping… an opportunity to look more closely at the ideas and processes behind the work.”
María Bernat adds:
“The exhibition seeks to transform visitors from spectators into participants, creating an immersive experience through the use of technology, light and the architectural space of Casa Batlló.”
Gaudí Anniversary: A living legacy
To speak of Antoni Gaudí is to speak of a singular way of understanding the city, art and nature. A century after his death in 1926, his work remains profoundly influential. His radically innovative architecture reshaped Barcelona and established the city as a global reference for Modernisme.
The year 2026 marks an exceptional moment: officially declared Gaudí Year 2026 by both the Government of Catalonia and the Government of Spain as an Event of Exceptional Public Interest, and coinciding with Barcelona’s designation as World Capital of Architecture. In this context, the mapping and exhibition engage with a legacy treated not as a historical tribute, but as a living framework for contemporary creation. See Casa Batllo’s Activities for Gaudí Year.
“Gaudí’s work is already alive. Casa Batlló Contemporary exists to create the conditions for that legacy to continue expanding through contemporary artists,” explains María Bernat.
Practical information
Mapping: “Hidden Order” – United Visual Artists
Dates: 31 January and 1 February, every 30 minutes from 7.45 pm to 10.45 pm
Duration: approx. 11 minutes
Access: Free public access
Exhibition: “Beyond the Façade” – United Visual Artists
Dates: 31 January – 17 May 2026
Access: Included in the cultural experience or via independent ticket
More information & tickets