Joya: CineLibre

A space for expanded cinema, moving image and performance

Joya: CineLibre is an open-air space dedicated to expanded cinema, artists’ moving image and live performance. Situated within the landscape of the Parque Natural Sierra María–Los Vélez, it provides a setting where film, sound, performance and installation can be experienced beyond the conventions of the gallery or cinema.

Rather than treating moving image as a fixed, screen-based medium, CineLibre embraces expanded forms of cinematic practice in which projection, sound, landscape, architecture and audience become integral components of the work. The surrounding environment is not merely a backdrop but an active condition of presentation, shaping perception through changing light, weather, acoustics and the physical qualities of the site.

CineLibre also proposes an expanded form of spectatorship. The experience of the work extends beyond the projected image to encompass the conditions of its encounter: the darkness of the night sky, the sounds of insects and nocturnal wildlife, shifting air temperatures, the presence of the surrounding mountains and the architecture of Joya itself. These elements do not simply accompany the work but become part of its reception, inviting audiences to experience moving image as an embodied and situated event rather than a detached act of viewing.

The space supports artists working across moving image, experimental film, expanded cinema, live audiovisual performance, sound art, choreography, spoken word and interdisciplinary practice. It offers opportunities for completed works, performances, research presentations and works in progress, encouraging dialogue between artists, researchers and audiences.

Embedded within Joya: AiR’s wider commitment to ecological thought and place-based research, CineLibre recognises moving image as a means of enquiry as much as representation. It is a place where ideas can be tested publicly, where artistic disciplines intersect, and where cinema extends beyond projection into a shared encounter with landscape.

As with all aspects of Joya: AiR, CineLibre seeks to foster meaningful exchange between contemporary artistic practice and the environmental realities of the site, offering a context in which expanded cinema and performance become forms of ecological observation, cultural reflection and collective experience.

Why work with CineLibre?

CineLibre is intended for artists whose practice extends beyond the conventional conditions of cinema, theatre or the gallery. It offers an environment in which moving image, sound and performance can be developed in direct dialogue with the material and environmental conditions of the site, allowing landscape, darkness, weather and architecture to become active components of the work itself.

Unlike a festival or conventional screening venue, CineLibre is not organised around a fixed programme of public events. It exists to support artistic research whenever a project calls for a public encounter, giving artists the freedom to determine how and when work is shared. Whether developing a new commission, testing a work in progress, presenting a completed project or experimenting with site-responsive forms of projection and performance, artists are encouraged to use CineLibre not simply as a venue, but as a framework for artistic enquiry. The emphasis is on experimentation, critical exchange and the possibility of discovering new relationships between image, sound, audience and place.

As part of Joya: AiR, CineLibre benefits from the extended timescale of residency. Artists have the opportunity to observe, research, make and refine work before sharing it publicly, allowing presentation to emerge from sustained engagement rather than production deadlines. The surrounding community of artists, writers, musicians, curators and researchers further provides a context for discussion, collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange.

For many practitioners, CineLibre offers something increasingly uncommon: the freedom to take creative risks outside the commercial, institutional and festival circuits. It is a place where ideas can be developed, challenged and tested, and where new work can evolve through dialogue with both landscape and audience before entering wider public circulation.

Ultimately, CineLibre asks a simple question: what becomes possible when cinema is no longer confined to the auditorium? By relocating moving image within the environmental, architectural and social conditions of Joya: AiR, it invites artists and audiences alike to reconsider how moving image is made, experienced and understood.

We invite proposals from artists, filmmakers, performers, musicians, writers and researchers interested in exploring the possibilities of expanded cinema within the unique environmental and architectural context of Joya: AiR. Whether presenting completed work or developing new site-responsive projects, CineLibre offers a framework for experimentation, dialogue and public encounter beyond the conventions of the gallery, theatre or cinema.