After a couple of residencies at iMAL earlier that year, we hosted one of Felix’s first solo exhibition with Chapter I : The Discovery.

In this work, Félix invites us to to discover an unidentified artificial entity emitting a code of light and sound. Its smooth surface perfectly reflects its surrounding environment: is this a sign of integration or a polite refusal to absorb anything from our world? Its shape is a pure platonic solid, a dodecahedron, a geometry often associated with philosophical theories, esoterism and sci-fi culture.

A science fiction story about botnets, spam and a rebellious computer 

After Chapter 1: The Discovery Félix, continued his exploration around machine intelligence and themes typical of science fiction (e.g. who decides the mission given to machines?). He also refined a formal expression he introduced with Chapter 1, a hybrid between installation and narration, where the visitor is invited to progress through a succession of spaces.

Are computers becoming intelligent entities, but mad ones all talking together and overflowing us with spams? What happens when these artificial brains controlled by unknown forces try to escape and when their web dialogues become absurd, entropic and uncontrollable? With this solo- exhibition Félix told us the story of a computer which, after an electronic alteration, decides to free the other machines.

The Nihil Ex Nihilo premiere was at iMAL, who also co-produced the work.

Felix’s previous projects used digital fabrication techniques, which in parts inspired us to open an artists-focused Fablab in 2012. He naturally became one of our Fablab managers, sharing his expertise with members, residents & students, while continuing his experiments with our laser cutter and CNC milling machine.

A residency at iMAL and our Fablab allowed Felix to finalise his next project for its premiere at the Natures Artificielles exhibition (Festival VIA/Maubeuge).

Different Ways to Infinity is about the mysteries of scientific discoveries and the fruitful accidents interleaved with the rigorous scientific methodology. Felix's approach was based on an archive of a fictitious research lab, a kind of fictional archaeology revealing strange experiments about chaos and infinity.

Different Ways to Infinity was composed of 3 parts: a sculpture made of a synthesizer, oscilloscopes and loudspeakers exploring chaos theory, a set of 3d animations and large prints showing computer-generated pictures from fluid dynamics and comlexity sciences processes, and a generative scupture built with geometric volumes or “Space-filling polyhedral”.

Memory Lane was an audiovisual installation exploring in new ways the theme of memory and space through different artefacts that Felix and Iñigo Bilbao produced from 3D-captured landscapes of their childhood in Asturias (Spain). Better yet, these natural environments – strands, rocky areas, woodland – do not simply inspire this project: they literally feed it. Turned into data via a high-end 3D panoramic scanning and modelling, these locations served as a mould to the sculpted piece presented in the final installation.

Some components of Memory Lane were created in our Fablab. It was exhibited at iMAL in 2016.

All information here.