Check Out Fernando “Bichopalo” Domínguez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fernando “Bichopalo” Domínguez.

Hi Fernando “Bichopalo”, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been interested in both music and visual arts. For many years, I worked mainly in art direction, but at some point I decided to prioritize a more personal project where I could bring together different things I had always been passionate about: visual arts, sculpture, engineering and music — an area I particularly wanted to explore more deeply.

I started by sharing small experiments on Instagram. I used the platform almost as a gallery, but also as a kind of catalog of my own creative process. I would look at what I had already made and use it to imagine what could come next. Little by little, those experiments evolved to a point where sculpture and music began to merge into one.

As I kept learning and developing this language, more and more people became interested in the music behind the pieces and started asking me to release more of it. That eventually encouraged me to take on something much bigger: composing my first album, ATMA, a process that took me around four years.

Today, I’m still learning and experimenting. I continue to make music and create sound sculptures, always looking for new ways to connect sound, movement and physical matter.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In a way, everything starts with a very simple initial idea — a first vision. At the beginning, things happened very naturally. I was almost playing, without expectations, and there was a certain excitement that came from discovering something new. But the deeper I went, the more I realized how much I still had to learn.

One of the biggest challenges was maintaining the motivation and excitement of that initial moment, when you first have an idea and think it is incredible. There is nothing quite like the test of time. If several years pass and you still find the project interesting, then perhaps it isn’t connected to a temporary trend or a passing fascination. For me, that’s usually a sign that the idea deserves to be pursued. But getting there requires a lot of effort and faith. You know when you start, but you never really know when you’re going to finish.

Another interesting thing was that the further I went, the more paths appeared that I wanted to explore. Each one required learning something new — ceramics, robotics, programming, music production… Sometimes the original idea becomes almost an excuse to enter completely unfamiliar territories.

Something strange happened when I finally finished the album. So much time had passed that I didn’t feel quite the same euphoria I had imagined I would feel when I started it. But I realized that, during a long creative process, the work isn’t the only thing that changes — you change as a person too. I find that fascinating about long-term creative projects.

So no, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. There have been moments of excitement and moments of frustration. But I think most things that are truly valuable require something from you in return. Looking back, I’m very happy that I followed the project all the way through.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think, in a way, I’ve specialized in not specializing. I don’t define myself so much by a particular discipline, but by the ideas I want to bring to life. Depending on what an idea needs, I might end up working with music, sculpture, animation, electronics, programming or engineering. Very often, that means entering a territory I know very little about and learning the tools I need along the way.

For many years, I’ve worked as an art director and title designer on audiovisual projects, which has given me the opportunity to explore many different visual languages. But through my personal work, I found a space where I could bring all of those interests together with another fundamental part of my life: music.

Interestingly, the music emerged almost by accident. While developing sculptures and sound experiments, I gradually accumulated small musical ideas that I never completely finished. At some point, I began to wonder whether those fragments might belong to something larger and could eventually take the form of a record. That process became ATMA, my first album, which took me around four years to complete and is something I’m very proud of.

I’m equally proud of my sound sculptures, and particularly of the work I’ve been developing over the last couple of years with sonic structures and generative music sculptures. I’m interested in creating objects that aren’t simply sculptures or musical instruments, but systems capable of producing sound, movement and compositions that can evolve on their own.

Maybe that’s what best defines my work. I’m not particularly interested in deciding beforehand whether something should become a sculpture, a song, a machine or an audiovisual piece. I prefer to start with an idea and let the idea itself determine what form it needs to take.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My father was the drummer in a band, and one day he took me to a rehearsal. I had never seen him play before, and it was also the first time I had ever seen a drum kit.

I remember standing next to him while he was playing. I was very young, and from my point of view the drums seemed enormous, almost like a castle, and my father looked like a giant behind them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bichopalo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_bichopalo_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bichopalomusic/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernando-dom%C3%ADnguez-c%C3%B3zar-512015141/
• Twitter: https://x.com/_bichopalo_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@_bichopalo_
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/artist/3X1XeoZyff4jp7tVq7AOCk?si=dEVESt2BSlSXz26ZfAgSuw

Image Credits
Photos by: Laura Pérez Granel