Interview with Marc Gomariz Díaz, Co-Director of MIRA Festival
MIRA was built on a simple but powerful idea: music and digital art in perfect balance. Born in Barcelona, a city that has quietly but unmistakably become one of the world’s hotspots for immersive creativity, MIRA lives on a rare equilibrium: 50% music, 50% digital art (and 100% an invitation to lose yourself in the in-between!). With around 9,000 visitors per day, the 2025 edition marked the festival’s largest turnout to date.
As someone who has experienced MIRA from the audience for years, I decided to take a closer look behind the scenes. I sat down with Director Marc Gomariz Díaz to talk about the magic of controlled chaos, his obsession with innovation, and why emerging artists are essential to the festival’s DNA. Marc describes himself as “a lot of things.” And it’s true: he is a pioneer, a curator of digital culture, and the mind behind the digital arts agency Landscapes. Yet above all, he is someone who understands how to build worlds.
MIRA has become one of Europe’s most influential festivals for digital art and audiovisual experiences. What core philosophy has guided the festival since the early days?
Back in 2011, when we started, “digital art” wasn’t even a term yet. Artists struggled to define themselves. Today, we finally have a shared language. MIRA’s foundation has always been the same: 50% contemporary music and 50% digital art. Concerts, AV shows, DJ sets on one side — immersive installations, VR, and experimental digital works on the other. Fifteen years later, we’re still one of the only festivals worldwide keeping this 50/50 model alive.
If you could describe this year’s edition in three words?
Huge, technically challenging, and extremely rewarding.
Was there a moment this year when you thought: This is why we do this?
There was a moment at 8 p.m. on Friday: six things happening at once across three stages and installation spaces. A kind of controlled chaos: lights, lasers, sound everywhere, people naturally choosing their own journey. Everyone sees something different. And since 90% of our shows are premieres or new adaptations, visitors always encounter something unique. Unique moments like this are what drive us as programmers and promoters.
Digital tools evolve extremely quickly. How do you stay ahead while maintaining a strong artistic direction?
Everything eventually ends in a very large Excel sheet. We track global trends — lights, lasers, VR, sculpture, interactivity, immersion — and try to cover the full spectrum. This year was our most ambitious yet: 18 installations, 12 performances, VR, immersive screenings… A true showcase of artistic tools and formats. We don’t run an open call because we receive 3–5 proposals a day. By July, around 250 submissions arrived from renowned artists and emerging talents from Thailand to L.A., Chile to Japan. Watching this global wave of creativity grow is incredibly rewarding.
How big is the share of new or emerging artists in your program?
Around 25–30% of our programming comes from newcomers. We also work closely with universities in Barcelona — this year we featured five acts from three institutions. And of course, we still have big names like Nicolás Jaar, Floating Points, Marie Davidson, or Flying Lotus. But emerging artists bring the freshness. We like to think of ourselves as catalysts: helping new waves enter the global scene.
How do you design experiences that appeal both to experts and to visitors who are completely new to immersive culture?
Good communication before the festival is key. During the festival, we don’t want it to feel like a museum. It’s more of a chaotic gallery. Visitors choose their own journey, take notes, take photos — and then contact us afterward asking about techniques or tools. We connect them directly with the artists.
One thing we’re rebuilding after COVID is a professional area for masterclasses, keynotes, panels, and networking. Our goal for next year is to host industry gatherings on Thursday and Friday morning. Once the festival starts, the chaos takes over. So these moments for reflection are essential for the creative industries in Spain, Europe, and beyond.
Which communication channels have proven most effective for MIRA?
Definitely Instagram and our newsletter. Surprisingly, We all thought that Facebook was dead, but surprisingly it worked very well this year — some posts reached around 300 likes. With an audience averaging 38–45 years old, it makes sense. For the first time, we also worked with local influencers, which was hugely successful.
What’s one behind-the-scenes challenge most visitors would never think about?
The installations. Stages are easy: you rent them, you set up, you soundcheck.
But installations… each is handmade, using a mix of software, objects, structures. Some need only sound; others need light, structure, custom tech. Our technical production team, around 92 people, works from April to November preparing around 45–50 artistic pieces. Even two weeks before the festival, some elements are still missing. It’s wild. But it’s in our DNA — and the installations are the most photographed part of MIRA. We’ll never abandon them.
Barcelona has become a major hub for digital and immersive arts. How has the local ecosystem influenced MIRA?
Enormously. When we started, only a few studios and collectives worked in digital art. In the last three years, it has exploded. Now we have established names, mid-career artists, and people who started six months ago. And they’re all equally important to us. Barcelona’s creativity is booming, and we’re proud to help amplify it.
If time, space, and budget were no limitation: what would you create for a future edition of MIRA?
A huge installation by Boris Acket or Shohei Fujimoto paired with a monumental work by the contemporary artist Antoni Miralda from Barcelona, who is 83 and still creating incredible art. An expanded pro area lasting three days, inviting creators from around the world. A music lineup with Aphex Twin, Jon Hopkins, Caterina Barbieri, and so on… And our inflatable “Dome“ open for an entire week with free tickets for kids, families, and elderly visitors. Basically: as many artists as possible, and a seven-day festival open to the public.
