URTICAE

Pau Jiménez (Ávila, 1994), known as Urticae, is a digital artist and architect trained at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, whose practice investigates the relationship between humans and technology from a non-anthropocentric perspective. Her work is developed through media such as 3D animation, augmented and virtual reality, as well as the creation of interactive pieces using 3D printing, with the aim of exploring intimate links between the human and the technological. In addition to her artistic work, she teaches at IED Madrid and is co-founder of the digital production studio Lustre, together with Lola Zoido, as well as the Servicios Generales collective, a workspace for artists in Carabanchel, Madrid.

The piece “Ládano” is built around fire, an interest derived from the massive forest fires of recent years. Far from conceiving of fire solely as destruction, the work proposes an ambivalent reading: between the end and the possibility of a new beginning. This tension enters into dialogue with the Christian imagery of eternal fire, which burns without consuming, to contrast it with a secular, material, and contingent version of fire as a force that reorganizes ecosystems, territories, and ways of life.

Through an observational and speculative approach, the video examines the interaction of various agents (natural and urban, human and non-human) in the face of fire, recording their reactions, adaptations, and resistance. These interactions become formal and narrative resources that allow future scenarios to be projected onto seemingly everyday scenes. Thus, the piece prompts reflection on the temporality of disaster, the resilience of the environment, and the latent potential of combustion processes, not only as destruction, but also as catalysts for new vital configurations.

Through an observational and speculative approach, the video examines the interaction of various agents (natural and urban, human and non-human) in the face of fire, recording their reactions, adaptations, and resistance. These interactions become formal and narrative resources that allow future scenarios to be projected onto seemingly everyday scenes. Thus, the piece prompts reflection on the temporality of disaster, the resilience of the environment, and the latent potential of combustion processes, not only as destruction, but also as catalysts for new vital configurations.

"Ládano"

2025