CASCADE

OVERVIEW

CASCADE is an immersive VR installation exploring how biomedical knowledge can be translated into an embodied visual experience. Developed at IRB Barcelona as Artist in Residence, it emerged from dialogue with scientists and research into molecular pathways of DNA replication, aging and cancer. Rather than illustrating science, it transforms scientific data, microscopy imagery and molecular structures into an experiential environment. The digital artwork drops the audience into a surreal interpretation of our inner systems, merging sculptural interpretations of specific research endeavours at IRB with navigation dynamics that emphasize the tempos and hardships of scientific research. CASCADE was premiered at Sónar+D 2025 (Barcelona). Led by Toni Aranda Ramos.

YEAR

2025

ROLE

Research

Creative direction

Production

Artist in Residence

SERVICES

Art

3D

VR

Immersive experience

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Precise biological forms coexist with metaphorical 3D constructions, creating hybrid landscapes where scientific accuracy and speculation remain in tension, engaging the users. The VR world is a field of exploration where perception, effort and discovery become central. Users move through distorted scales, materiality and colour shifts, revealing a journey across inner biological structures rather than external landscapes. The experience oscillates between molecular, cellular and organ scales, forming a sculptural logic of the body as an inhabited world.

Cascade engaged audiences across ages and backgrounds. It showed how immersive encounters with biological concepts through VR, sculptural metaphors and 3D models can generate curiosity, emotional resonance and attention beyond disciplines. Merging scientific research with immersive media, Cascade positions VR as a space for inquiry, wonder and shared perception of the hidden mechanisms of life.

Direction, design and production: Toni Aranda Ramos

Special thanks to Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (IRB), their Artist in Residence Programme and the Comms department.

PRESS AND OTHER RESOURCES

Cascade, by Toni Aranda at Sónar+D 24 (IRB, 2025/06/12)

Toni Aranda, Artist in Residence 2024 at Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (IRB, 2024/04/01)

CASCADE

OVERVIEW

CASCADE is an immersive VR installation exploring how biomedical knowledge can be translated into an embodied visual experience. Developed at IRB Barcelona as Artist in Residence, it emerged from dialogue with scientists and research into molecular pathways of DNA replication, aging and cancer. Rather than illustrating science, it transforms scientific data, microscopy imagery and molecular structures into an experiential environment. The digital artwork drops the audience into a surreal interpretation of our inner systems, merging sculptural interpretations of specific research endeavours at IRB with navigation dynamics that emphasize the tempos and hardships of scientific research. CASCADE was premiered at Sónar+D 2025 (Barcelona). Led by Toni Aranda Ramos.

YEAR

2025

ROLE

Research

Creative direction

Production

Artist in Residence

SERVICES

Art

3D

VR

Immersive experience

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Precise biological forms coexist with metaphorical 3D constructions, creating hybrid landscapes where scientific accuracy and speculation remain in tension, engaging the users. The VR world is a field of exploration where perception, effort and discovery become central. Users move through distorted scales, materiality and colour shifts, revealing a journey across inner biological structures rather than external landscapes. The experience oscillates between molecular, cellular and organ scales, forming a sculptural logic of the body as an inhabited world.

Cascade engaged audiences across ages and backgrounds. It showed how immersive encounters with biological concepts through VR, sculptural metaphors and 3D models can generate curiosity, emotional resonance and attention beyond disciplines. Merging scientific research with immersive media, Cascade positions VR as a space for inquiry, wonder and shared perception of the hidden mechanisms of life.

Direction, design and production: Toni Aranda Ramos

Special thanks to Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (IRB), their Artist in Residence Programme and the Comms department.

PRESS AND OTHER RESOURCES

Cascade, by Toni Aranda at Sónar+D 24 (IRB, 2025/06/12)

Toni Aranda, Artist in Residence 2024 at Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (IRB, 2024/04/01)

CASCADE

OVERVIEW

CASCADE is an immersive VR installation exploring how biomedical knowledge can be translated into an embodied visual experience. Developed at IRB Barcelona as Artist in Residence, it emerged from dialogue with scientists and research into molecular pathways of DNA replication, aging and cancer. Rather than illustrating science, it transforms scientific data, microscopy imagery and molecular structures into an experiential environment. The digital artwork drops the audience into a surreal interpretation of our inner systems, merging sculptural interpretations of specific research endeavours at IRB with navigation dynamics that emphasize the tempos and hardships of scientific research. CASCADE was premiered at Sónar+D 2025 (Barcelona). Led by Toni Aranda Ramos.

YEAR

2025

ROLE

Research

Creative direction

Production

Artist in Residence

SERVICES

Art

3D

VR

Immersive experience

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Precise biological forms coexist with metaphorical 3D constructions, creating hybrid landscapes where scientific accuracy and speculation remain in tension, engaging the users. The VR world is a field of exploration where perception, effort and discovery become central. Users move through distorted scales, materiality and colour shifts, revealing a journey across inner biological structures rather than external landscapes. The experience oscillates between molecular, cellular and organ scales, forming a sculptural logic of the body as an inhabited world.

Cascade engaged audiences across ages and backgrounds. It showed how immersive encounters with biological concepts through VR, sculptural metaphors and 3D models can generate curiosity, emotional resonance and attention beyond disciplines. Merging scientific research with immersive media, Cascade positions VR as a space for inquiry, wonder and shared perception of the hidden mechanisms of life.

Direction, design and production: Toni Aranda Ramos

Special thanks to Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (IRB), their Artist in Residence Programme and the Comms department.