ABOUT ME
Mettapana
Mettapana has left its mark on a wide range of festivals. His participation in the opening of MODULAR (HN) Domo Experience and MUTEK ARGENTINA/SPAIN, both electronic music and digital art festivals.
Presentations and exhibitions in ArtLab, one of the most outstanding venues in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has participated as Artist in Residence in interactive visual installations with videomapping techniques in MAB «La Maison André Breton», France.
Surrealist Meeting «Surrealism in Japan» Atsuko Nagaï (University of Tokyo) MAB, France. Exhibition for documentary and promotion of the French Heritage Day with performances and installations.
Also in exhibitions such as Creative Code Festival in New York, USA (LightboxNYC) and BRIFW in Brazil. His presence has been recurrent in festivals, events and artistic residencies both in Europe (France, Poland and Spain) and in America.
Nicolás Salinas
Mettapana
Mettapana is a visual and sound artist who experiments with generative art, programming and musical composition. His work fuses reactive visual landscapes with electronic and organic sounds. Through melodic minimalism and a cinematic aesthetic, he constructs evocative and emotive melodies that invite contemplation.
Through constant rhythms and repetitive pulses, he explores sensations of expansive time, emphasising structure and simplicity. The multidisciplinary artist proposes performances with real-time generative visuals that dialogue intimately with his sound universe. The music moves between downtempo and ambient, incorporating field recordings and ambient sounds that add atmospheric depth.
His time with orchestras is reflected in the development of the themes and in the timbral planes, further enriching his compositions.
The sonic palette ranges from acoustic instruments such as bandoneon, strings and processed pianos to evolving melodies created with electro-acoustic media and granular modular synthesis.
Generative art, programming and sound in constant evolution
Inspired by the macro and micro universes of nature, the experiences invite immersion in diverse landscapes and ecosystems, represented through live visuals of generative and interactive art. Highlighting the beauty of nature and redefining our connection with it.
Mettapana stands out for using technology applied to performing arts. Visual compositions are rendered in real-time, interacting responsively and audio-reactively with the music of Nicolás Salinas (bandoneon, piano, percussion, Andean instruments, modular synthesizers in live set format).
Nicolás is a digital visual artist and musician with more than 15 years of trajectory in the cultural sector. He has been recognized as a cultural activist and has worked on various projects spanning performing arts, musical composition for dance and international collaborations. His work in performances with visual technology reflects his versatility and multidisciplinary approach.
Live music, dance, Analog/Digital Visual Arts, real-time visual compositions that respond to sounds and body gestures, Architectural Projections-Videomapping, Immersive Installations, Sound Art Installations, Controlled Lighting, programming-creative code, Generative Art... are some of the key elements Mettapana employs to create a sensory experience.
Recognized as a cultural activist, with more than 15 years of experience in the cultural sector, he has worked in various areas in prominent spaces in Buenos Aires (AR) / Archibrazo, a space with 15 years of history, declared of National Cultural Interest by Resolution No. 340/09, and in Tegucigalpa (HN) as co-founder of Cultura Guacamaya (since 2017).
METTAPANA is a project that brings together all his experiences. Where sound design, musical arrangements, programming, technology and visual creations coexist in a dreamlike universe. Reactive visuals that respond to instruments in real-time. The instrumentalist interacts with the visuals, and vice-versa. The construction and deconstruction of the sound of the bandoneon—an instrument rarely explored in this type of processing.
This project arises from the artist's journey and his diverse experiences. Coming from a family of designers and musicians, Nicolás has been drawing in 3D using parametric programs for the industry from an early age. Nowadays, he creates and programs his own artistic visuals.
Mettapana made its debut in 2017 as a concert format, expressing himself through guitar, keyboards and bandoneon.
Regarding his musical background, he studied guitar at the Leopoldo Marechal Conservatory (popular music // jazz, tango, folklore and classical // then attending EMBA - Escuela de Música de Buenos Aires). He studied Recording Engineering and Music Production at Inartec (Buenos Aires 2002). He also studied guitar with Ricardo Pellican (Gypsy jazz) and Alejandro Kitay (Tango and Folklore). In December 2009, he discovered the bandoneon and decided to learn it self-taught. Shortly after, he began working on dance-theater productions in Buenos Aires and playing in one of the traditional orchestras of the Orlando Goñi School. His first live experiences were playing with the school orchestra in milongas in San Telmo. His latest projects include MIL ABRAZOS and BICICLETA TRÍO, tango and folklore (resident group at the ARCHIBRAZO milonga, a space declared of cultural interest by the Ministry of Culture of the Nation). With both groups, he toured Europe (2015) France, Switzerland, Spain and South America (2013/14) (Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Uruguay), participating in major tango festivals and fostering musical exchange in various environments.
In 2016, he was part of the dance-theater project "Permiso para pisar un mundo" in Medellín, Colombia, where he was in charge of musical compositions along with renowned artists Juancho Valencia and Eduardo González. The performances took place at the Pablo Tobón Uribe Theater.