TMBinnova challenge in Passeig de Gràcia

TMBinnova, in collaboration with Bit Habitat and the Barcelona Music Lab Foundation, we made a call to find solutions based on all artistic forms of music with the aim of enhancing the user experience in the corridor of the Passeig de Gràcia station interchange.

The connection corridor between metro lines 3 and 4, with a length of 237 meters, is the longest in the network and is also one of the points to be updated within the continuous improvement processes of the metro facilities. It is one of the most well-known and heavily trafficked sections by passengers, and at the same time, one of the most controversial due to its construction characteristics.

Coinciding with the fact that this year Barcelona's metro is celebrating its centenary, we believed this was the perfect moment to carry out this initiative and make this corridor shine as it deserves.

We are opened this process to companies, start-ups, universities, associations, and collectives with legal identity.

The deadline for receiving proposals for phase 2 was Friday, May 9, 2025.

We were looking for innovative proposals that could be approached from different perspectives and levels of interaction with the public, and that can be expressed through diverse and combined artistic forms and languages, incorporating music as the main thread.

The proposed solutions had to include, both in terms of design and budget, the necessary elements to install the prototype at the L3 and L4 interchange of Passeig de Gràcia and ensure its proper functioning.

The prototype had to be designed for permanent use during the pilot phase, which was predetermined in the call, and ephemeral or one-time actions were not allowed.

The three best-rated solutions will each receive a prize of 3,000 euros. The winning solution will receive 50,000 euros for the development of the prototype and the pilot deployment of the idea, along with much more.

The three finalist projects were announced on June 3, 2025:

• Ars Gracia
• Atmospheres in Transit
• The Barcelona Canon

Ars Gràcia offers a musical experience that blends the digital and analog worlds. It is primarily based on the development of an artificial intelligence called Ars, which will create music and video based on users’ presence and the interactions they generate during the eight-minute transfer. Each person will become a musical note integrated into the evolving sound patterns, visuals, and light pulses that travel through the interior space of the corridor, creating a friendly and constantly changing audiovisual atmosphere.

Additionally, the proposal includes the Ars Stage space for live music performances. A place where members of the Association of Street and Metro Musicians of Barcelona (AMUC) will be able to play.

Ars Gràcia is a project powered by Artificia, a Catalan platform for promoting and disseminating the use of artificial intelligence in the arts, with support from the Institute of Artificial Intelligence Research (IIIA-CSIC), Kreomusica, and the Association of Street and Metro Musicians of Barcelona (AMUC).

The pilot test will begin in one section of the corridor during November.