[BIP] The Living/Performing Image. Generative practices between code, sound and performance
A Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) is an Erasmus+ format that combines online collaboration with a short-term international mobility experience. The Living Image explores how images can move beyond static formats and become dynamic systems capable of changing, reacting and evolving in real time.
From static images to living images
For centuries, artists have created fixed images through drawing, painting, photography or printing processes.
Digital technologies introduce a new possibility: images that are generated through systems, transformed through time and activated through interaction.
Participants will work at the intersection between visual arts, animation, design and creative technologies to create generative audiovisual artworks.
- Format: 4 online sessions + 1 intensive week in Tarragona.
- Participants: 15 students from 3 European institutions (5 students per institution).
- ECTS: 3 ECTS.
- Final outcome: A live audiovisual performance or installation.
In this programme, students will explore the image as a living process:
| Field | Exploration |
|---|---|
| Painting | Colour, texture, composition and generative visual systems. |
| Animation | Movement, time, transformation and non-linear narratives. |
| Graphic Design | Dynamic typography, visual systems and generative identities. |
| Interactive Design | Creative coding, interaction and real-time experiences. |
New Art Foundation collaboration
The programme aims to collaborate with New Art Foundation, connecting students with one of the main challenges of contemporary digital creation: how to exhibit, activate and preserve artworks based on technology.
Unlike traditional artworks, digital pieces are often not fixed objects. They may depend on software, hardware, interaction, data or specific technological environments.
Students will explore questions that are central to contemporary digital art:
- What exactly is the artwork: the code, the visual result, the performance or the documentation?
- How can we preserve an artwork that changes every time it is executed?
- How can artists document and prepare their digital works for future activation?
Hydra: coding live images
The main creative environment of the programme will be Hydra, a browser-based live coding tool designed for creating real-time visuals.
Hydra allows artists and designers to generate animated images, patterns, textures, visual effects and interactive systems using short pieces of code.
Its immediacy makes it especially suitable for students without a technical background, allowing them to focus on visual experimentation rather than complex programming structures.
| Concept | Practice |
|---|---|
| Generative image | Creating visuals through rules, algorithms and variation. |
| Feedback | Working with loops, glitches and unpredictable transformations. |
| Sound interaction | Creating visuals that react to rhythm, sound and external inputs. |
| Live performance | Using code as an instrument for real-time audiovisual creation. |
Virtual Component
February – March 2027 · 4 online sessions
Before arriving in Tarragona, participants will acquire a common creative and technical foundation. This online phase allows international teams to start working together before the physical mobility.
| Session | Topic | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Generative Thinking | Creating visual systems using rules, repetition, randomness and variation. |
| 02 | Introduction to Hydra | Creating shapes, patterns, textures, movement and visual compositions through live coding. |
| 03 | Image + Sound | Audio-reactive visuals, interaction and relationships between different media. |
| 04 | Final Project | Creation of international teams and definition of the final audiovisual proposal. |
Physical Mobility Week · Tarragona
May 2027 · One intensive creative laboratory
During one week, students from the three participating institutions will work together to create a generative audiovisual artwork.
| Day | Focus | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Visual Systems | Welcome session. Exploration of generative processes, visual references and creation of international teams. |
| Tuesday | Live Coding Laboratory | Advanced experimentation with Hydra: image manipulation, feedback, interaction and audiovisual composition. |
| Wednesday | Production Day | Development of the final projects: visual identity, interaction, sound relationships and performance structure. |
| Thursday | Archive & Activation | Visit to New Art Foundation. Reflection on digital artworks, technological preservation and preparation of the final setup. |
| Friday | Live Presentation | Public presentation where students activate their generative audiovisual pieces in real time. |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this Blended Intensive Programme, participants will be able to create and present generative audiovisual projects combining artistic research and digital experimentation.
| Competence | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Generative Creation | Design visual systems based on rules, algorithms and real-time processes. |
| Creative Coding | Use Hydra and digital tools to create interactive audiovisual experiences. |
| Collaboration | Develop projects within international and multidisciplinary teams. |
| Digital Art Context | Understand creation, exhibition and preservation challenges of technological artworks. |