The shadow as an urban issue
The Department of Umbrology starts from a simple question:what role can shade play in cities increasingly exposed to heat waves? The project proposes to analyse it as an element that influences the habitability, well-being and daily use of public space.
The initiative arises in a context marked by rising temperatures and the intensification of episodes of extreme heat. From this perspective, shade is no longer understood only as a consequence of architecture or urban vegetation to become an object of research that connects environmental, social and cultural issues.
A project between art, science and citizenship
The project was selected in the VI edition of Composing Knowledge to Imagine and Build Sustainable Futures, a biennial call of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation. The objective is to promote collaborations between artistic creation, scientific research and citizen participation to address contemporary ecosocial challenges.
The Department of Umbrology brings together the CareNet and DARTS research groups, from the Open University of Catalonia (UOC-TRÀNSIC); the Arquitectura de Contact collective, Nusos Coop and the Laboratorio de Pensamiento Lúdico.+. The collaboration between these entities makes it possible to address the shadow from complementary perspectives that include social sciences, architecture, environmental dissemination and experimental artistic practices.
Activities to investigate cities from the shadows
Between December 2025 and November 2027, the project will develop workshops, seminars, experimentation laboratories and public activities in Barcelona. These actions will combine research, creation and participation to analyse how shadows are distributed in urban space and what implications they have for everyday life.
The program will culminate with a Festival of Shadows planned for 2027, conceived as a meeting space to share research, experiences and learning generated during the project.