A digital and educational reinterpretation of Don Quixote through augmented reality, XR, multimedia storytelling, and cultural heritage.

• Houda Bakkali
• Don Quixote Immersive Art Project
• 2023–2024

Don Quixote Immersive Art Project is a multidisciplinary artistic proposal by Houda Bakkali that merges digital art, immersive technologies, augmented reality, XR, and multimedia experiences.

Presented in Madrid in 2023 and 2024, the project combines physical artworks, animation, interactive content, virtual environments, and masterclasses to create an immersive experience that expands the boundaries of the traditional exhibition space while connecting cultural heritage with contemporary digital culture.

With the female figure as a central protagonist, the project offers a contemporary perspective, exploring the intersection between art, literature, innovation, education, and technology. Through vibrant visual narratives and immersive formats, the project transforms a literary classic into a contemporary artistic experience designed to foster participation, cultural dialogue, accessibility, and new forms of audience engagement beyond spatial, temporal, and generational barriers.

A pioneering project inspired by Don Quixote, conceived as an integrated extended reality (XR) transmedia framework that synthesizes physical artistic production, augmented XR layers, immersive spatial environments, audiovisual and multimedia narratives, and pedagogical mediation through workshops and masterclasses, with Dulcinea operating as the female project’s central narrative and conceptual axis.

The project was officially presented on International Book Day in 2023 and 2024 at the Casa de Castilla-La Mancha in Madrid, positioning classical literature within a contemporary digital and educational framework.

Through this project, Houda Bakkali reimagines a literary icon through the lens of digital culture, bridging heritage, education, and emerging technologies to create a living, global narrative for the 21st century.

In this project, extended reality functions as a methodological framework that interweaves physical artistic production, immersive spatial design, digital multimedia and interactive components, and pedagogical engagement through creativity and learning programs.

Digital Art and New Technologies during World Book Day in Madrid

The work is signed by artist Houda Bakkali and will be presented at the Casa de Castilla–La Mancha in Madrid on April 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

A pioneering, project inspired by Don Quixote, conceived as an integrated extended reality (XR) transmedia framework that synthesizes physical artistic production, augmented XR layers, immersive spatial environments, audiovisual and multimedia narratives, and pedagogical mediation through workshops and masterclasses, with female figure operating as the project’s central narrative and conceptual axis.

Throughout the day, visitors will be able to read Don Quixote through augmented reality. The public will also be able to take part in immersive and virtual toursfeaturing the most iconic female figure from Don Quixote as the protagonist.

The Casa Regional de Castilla–La Mancha in Madrid will present “La ensoñación de Dulcinea”, a digital art exhibition that reinterprets Don Quixote through its female figure.

Augmented reality, immersive journeys, and audiovisual content come together in an innovative XR proposal that places women at its core. The work is authored by Houda Bakkali and forms part of her project “Dulcinea and Don Quixote in the Digital Age”, based on extended reality. It articulates an integrated XR transmedia framework that connects physical artistic production, immersive environments, and pedagogical mediation around Don Quixote.

Dulcinea will be one of the central figures of the day. Through Bakkali’s canvas and its augmented reality version, visitors will be able to read Don Quixote, explore new interpretations, and discover new platforms and tools to share and enjoy its evolving digital narratives offering a new way to experience the world’s most universal literary masterpiece, without geographic limits.

Creativity and Technology Redefine Don Quixote in an Immersive Journey From Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid to the world

If in 2023 Bakkali’s work transported audiences along a Route of Don Quixote through Castilla-La Mancha, this year the route will unfold across Madrid, illustrating the intersections that creativity and new technologies make possible, breaking spatial, temporal, and generational boundaries, and bringing Don Quixote closer through an immersive, interactive, and educational approach.

Immersive Journeys and New Routes of Don Quixote

While in 2023 Houda’s work brought the Route of Don Quixote to life through augmented reality and immersive experiences set in Castilla–La Mancha, this year the most iconic female figure in Cervantes’ universe travels through Castilla–La Mancha and Madrid.

The project offers the public not only the artistic work itself, but also its creative process and multiple versions. At the same time, it highlights some of the most well-known passages of Don Quixote, provides relevant links about the work and its inspirations, and invites audiences to discover Quixote related routes and landmarks, as well as events at the Casa Regional and other featured content. All of this will be accessible and interactive through free applications and digital tools, allowing visitors to experience the immersive version and read Don Quixote through Bakkali’s canvas using augmented reality.

This initiative offers a playful, educational, and innovative way to share Don Quixote free from spatial and temporal limitations connecting with new audiences and new generations through creativity and the full potential of emerging technologies.

Art and New Technologies

“It is wonderful to be able to present this project, which once again exemplifies the potential of digital art to entertain, inform, connect generations, and expand audiences. Art, literature, and technology merge in the world’s most universal literary work, looking to the future while honoring tradition and legacy. New technologies allow art to go beyond aesthetics and emotion, taking on new dimensions capable of capturing the public’s attention in a playful and engaging way, sparking curiosity and dynamism.

In my work ‘La Ensoñación de Dulcinea’, two perspectives are set in contrast, representing euphoria and serenity a tribute to beauty and optimism. A balance between reality and fantasy. It embodies a romantic yet transgressive ideal that reflects the kind of art I create art that exists and does not exist at the same time,” says Houda Bakkali.

THE ARTWORK WILL BE ON DISPLAY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DON QUIXOTE READING DAY ON APRIL 21, 2024, FROM 10:00 A.M. TO 10:00 P.M., WITH THE OFFICIAL PRESENTATION TAKING PLACE FROM 8:00 P.M. TO 9:00 P.M.

VENUE: CASA REGIONAL DE CASTILLA–LA MANCHA | 4 CALLE DE LA PAZ, MADRID

In this project, extended reality functions as a methodological framework that interweaves physical artistic production, immersive spatial design, digital multimedia and interactive components, and pedagogical engagement through creativity and learning programs.

Media Coverage | 2024

Houda Bakkali Unveils Dulcinea and Don Quixote in the Digital Age on World Book Day 2023

On the occasion of World Book Day 2023, the Casa de Castilla-La Mancha in Madrid hosts the presentation “Dulcinea and Don Quixote in the Digital Age”, a forward-looking proposal focused on the application of new technologies to cultural creation, developed under the artistic direction of Houda Bakkali.

Augmented reality, the metaverse, Web3, and artificial intelligenceform the foundation of this multidisciplinary and educational project, which will be unveiled on April 22 at 12:00 PM in the institution’s main auditorium. Attendees will also experience the project through an immersive format and multiple augmented reality activations, expanding the narrative beyond the physical presentation.

At the heart of the event stands Dulcinea, positioned as a central figure in a contemporary re-reading of Don Quijote de la Mancha. Through her, the project seeks to reclaim the female figure and to place her at the center of a new digital and cultural discourse.

Dulcinea and Don Quixote in the Digital Age

Within the framework of the World Book Day 2023 tribute, “Dulcinea and Don Quixote in the Digital Age” is presentedan artistic and educational project created by Houda Bakkali that brings together a range of multimedia, audiovisual, immersive, and educational proposals designed to connect with new audiences, conveying the universal values of Don Quijote de la Mancha through new technological tools.

In the words of José Fernando Sánchez Ruiz, President of the Casa de Castilla-La Mancha in Madrid: “With this project, we approach digitalization as a constructive tool, confident that our commitment to preserving the heritage of Castilla-La Mancha will grow among new audiences and generations through the use of new tools that allow us to break space-time barriers. The union of tradition and modernity not only serves to extend each one, but also to bring together different perspectives for the future. On this occasion, the core point of connection is one of the most widely disseminated global icons: Don Quixote. We are Don Quixote. We rely on the novel and its characters because they are ours—our form of expression for more than four centuries.

“Dulcinea and Don Quixote in the Digital Age” is a global and multidisciplinary project in which Houda Bakkali, focuses on continuing the universalization of Don Quixote through avant-garde tools, collaborative concepts, and artistic expressions that seek a balance between the analog and the digital, connecting with new audiences beyond the lands of La Mancha.”

La Mancha and Don Quixote Seen Through Extended Reality

In this project, extended reality functions as a methodological framework that interweaves physical artistic production, immersive spatial design, digital multimedia and interactive components, and pedagogical engagement through creativity and learning programs.

Augmented Reality, Metaverse, Web3, and Artificial Intelligence

“Dulcinea and Don Quixote in the Digital Age” proposes a multidisciplinary digital vision, based not only on artistic creation through digital platforms, but also on the development of new platforms designed to amplify cultural messages and content.

In the words of Houda Bakkali: “This project seeks to convey a dynamic vision of art, open to the world and capable of constant reinvention, both in a productive and playful sense, over time and without spatial limitations. The educational component represents an essential pillar. It is about sharing tools with the public, explaining creative processes, and also discussing and evaluating the usefulness of new concepts and paradigms in art.”

In this spirit, “Dulcinea and Don Quixote in the Digital Age” will feature a series of theoretical and practical workshops, open to the public and led by Houda Bakkali, focusing on the tools, advantages, and challenges of concepts such as augmented reality, the metaverse, Web3, and artificial intelligence, among others.

“Dulcinea and Don Quixote in the Digital Age”: A Tribute to La Mancha Through Augmented Reality

The use of new technologies also serves as a tribute to La Mancha and the Route of Don Quixote, offering an optimistic and vibrant perspectivethat imagines a hopeful future. Through the augmented reality developed by Houda Bakkali, the project invites audiences to discover emblematic locations such as Campo de Criptana, El Toboso, the Escuela de Arte y Superior de Diseño Antonio López in Tomelloso, the iconic railway station of Alcázar de San Juan, and characteristic Manchegan scenes from Argamasilla de Alba. According to Bakkali, “with augmented reality we can create a perfect fusion between the most beautiful corners of La Mancha and the texts, artworks, and characters of Don Quijote de la Mancha, recreating them as many times and in as many ways as imagination allows. Moreover, being able to share it with the world without spatial or temporal barriers allows us to continue the legacy of universalizing the work now also across all digital platforms and formats.”

Virtual Masterclasses on AI, Augmented Reality & Web3

Media Coverage | 2023

More information

Bakkali’s tribute to Don Quixote has received international recognition, earning an Honorable Mention from the New York–based publisher Graphisand inclusion in the prestigious ILLO21 directory. The work has also appeared on the cover of Art Reveal Magazine (Germany), further amplifying its global visibility. Exhibited across major European cultural venues, the project has been showcased at the Salon International d’Art Contemporain in Monaco; the Art Exhibition at Casino Barrière Biarritz; solo exhibitions at the Parador de Lorca and the Parador de Córdoba; and an extended exhibition at the Regional House of Castilla-La Mancha in Madrid.