TMBinnova challenge in Passeig de Gràcia

The connecting corridor between metro lines 3 and 4, measuring 237 meters in length, is the longest in the network and is also one of the areas slated for updates as part of the metro’s ongoing improvement processes. It is one of the best‑known and most frequently used sections by passengers and, at the same time, one of the most controversial due to its construction characteristics.

To mark the Centenary, TMBinnova, together with Bit Habitat and the Barcelona Music Lab Foundation, launched a call for proposals seeking solutions based on all artistic forms of music, with the aim of improving the user experience in the interchange corridor at Passeig de Gràcia station.

The winning project, ARS Gracia, by Artificia, consisted of an interactive installation that transforms a 35‑meter stretch of the corridor into a sound and visual experience, while also offering a live music space to support the work of metro musicians.

The pilot test, which ran from December 2025 to early March 2026, integrated artificial intelligence to generate music and images in real time based on the passage and movements of the passengers.

The innovation of the proposal lied in the interaction of music as both a human and digital form of expression, highlighting the possibilities that artificial intelligence offers to musicians and pedestrians.

ARS Gràcia provided a musical experience that blends the digital and analog worlds. It was primarily based on the ARS system, which combined artificial intelligence and algorithmic composition to create music and video from the passage of users and the interactions they generated along a section of the transfer corridor. As people walked through the installation, they became musical notes that integrated into the changing sound patterns, visuals, and light pulsed that flow through the interior space of the corridor, creating a pleasant and constantly evolving audiovisual environment.

In addition, the proposal included a space for live music performance equipped with an LED screen and a plug‑and‑play amplification system. It was a space where members of the Association of Street and Metro Musicians of Barcelona (AMUC) to perform on the ARS STAGE with excellent sound conditions, and with the opportunity to enhance their performances through the visual technology implemented in the station’s transfer area. The stage also allowed artists to display payment and contact information.

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 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 Gràcia
• Atmospheres in Transit
• The Barcelona Canon