We asked a few questions to Elwira Wojtunik and Popesz Csaba Láng, respectively director and program manager of the audiovisual event based in Krakow.

The organizers pulled off an interesting hybrid edition, fully leveraging the latest generation digital tools. And here goes our interview to Patchlab Festival!

1. PATCHLAB FESTIVAL HAS BEEN FOUNDED BACK IN 2012. IT IS NOW A REFERENCE IN THE INTERNATIONAL GENERATIVE ARTS PANORAMA. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE CONCEPTS AND GOALS THAT DROVE YOU TO THE INCEPTION OF THE FESTIVAL?

E.W.: Indeed, Patchlab Festival has happened annually since 2012, after 2 years of organising Share:Krakow – a local unit of a global organisation dedicated to supporting collaboration and knowledge exchange in new media communities.

Those were crazy times full of passion! Organising space for experimenting with digital tools, gathering with people experimenting with digital instruments, plugging in and playing.

Then we organised the 1st and 2nd edition of the festival that happened under the name of Patch: audio_visual_lab with a great support of our partners from the AVnode network.

Back then, new technologies and digital art were quite underground issues in Poland, compared to now, so it wasn’t easy to convince institutions and partners to support such a unique, niche event.

But we made it happen! During these 9 years we managed to build an internationally recognised platform. We showcase and research on one of the most rapidly developing areas of contemporary art: digital art based on the latest technologies and creative coding.

Patchlab festival is a space for meetings and discussions with the creators, experts and public. We have focused on the roles and impact that digital technology has on our everyday lives.

We explored its future developments, its multi-dimensionality, its interrelations with the artistic processes. They change rapidly and bring new possibilities and challenges, as the technology evolves.

2. THIS YEAR YOU DECIDED TO PROPOSE A HYBRID EDITION AS A RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT PANDEMIC CRISIS. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE CHALLENGES AND THE OPPORTUNITIES OF UTILIZING DIGITAL TOOLS TO ALLOW THE AUDIENCE TO VIRTUALLY PARTICIPATE?

E.W.: Due to the pandemic we had to find an alternative format compared to the past festival years. Most of the cultural events moved to the internet. But after some time people got tired of the meetings and events provided online. Mostly via Zoom.

Moreover this form of social connection became so overwhelming in every aspect of our life. Therefore attracting the attention of the public online became quite a challenge.

We have decided to experiment and diversify the program to provide the festival content in hybrid form. The digital world of the internet is a natural environment for digital art. Hence it was obvious for us that it was an opportunity to use alternative ways to reach the public internationally.

We had the chance to bring art to the users at the time they chose. We incorporated the program in a different digital format. Anyone was able to participate live online simply by entering the webpage, but also in Augmented and Virtual Reality. Via mobile phones or VR goggles at any chosen time and space.

The festival webpage was specially designed for this purpose – the exhibition of over 28 artworks was (and still is until the end of 2020!) presented online in 5 virtual rooms.

Among them, the Salon AR hosted audiovisual artworks created by e.g. Ryoichi Kurokawa or Monocolor that could be experienced in Augmented Reality.

In the Salon Virtual Ambient you could experience interactive online installations, 360° animations and immerse in surreal VR video collages.

arc/sec Lab exhibition room, built in Mozilla Hub, allows you to choose your own avatar to explore four kinetic light installations in 1:1 scale created at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

We allocated two studios for the multimedia artworks created by students from the Multimedia Studio of the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw and the Intermedia Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.

This edition aimed at connecting with artists in different places around the globe. That is why we presented a 2 hours live set from Berlin by German duo INSTANT, and a round-table discussion about the roles of the new technologies during the pandemic, and its impact on our everyday lives.

The audience participated also in a virtual narrative performance: Operation Jane Walk, a dystopian video game space, carried out live straight from Vienna.

Performers from the Total Refusal collective hijacked the digital wargame environment, exploring the possibilities (and impossibilities) of new media technologies, while walking around a digital representation of New York.

We also developed something out of the box to create art projects as mobile applications: the app SOL.AR.IS, inspired by the great sci-fi novel written by Stanislaw Lem and Krakow ARtour.

SOL.AR.IS is an extraordinary project that offers an interaction in real time through AR technology with ephemeral animated 3D objects. Those are inspired by the fantastic phenomena described in the book: creations of the cytoplasmic, intelligent ocean that covers the planet Solaris – mimoids, symmetries or asymmetries.

The project was created in cooperation with CGI artists from Japan, Hungary, New Zealand, Germany and Iran. It’s still accessible for everyone, despite the place and time – downloadable for free from the App Store and Google Play.

During the pandemic, walking has become the most popular physical activity. Thus we designed the mobile application Krakow ARtour for people in Krakow, using Augmented Reality technology.

The application turns a regular walk into a multi-layered journey following the trail of the 20th century architecture of the Krakow Old Town. It allows you to discover unknown stories set in the context of a sustainable future.

P.C.L. For these two applications we used the SDK – newest set of tools offered by Google and Apple – AR Core and AR Kit accordingly, which are compatible with the latest smartphones.

There are still more than 300 types of phones available, but hopefully sooner or later these technological gaps will disappear and these new solutions will be achievable for all spectators without limits.

AR is still a relatively new technology. Surprisingly, most of the artists we invited have never had any experience with it. Therefore they were all very satisfied to get acquainted with a new possibility of presenting their artworks.

In order to showcase AR artworks at the Salon AR we designed the third application – PatchlabAR, available for all phones and tablets. We wanted to create it as simple as possible, so everybody could present their artworks at the Salon AR and augment their reality.

E.W.: The pandemic showed the great potential of digital tools. The internet and technology pushed the digital revolution further.

The new situation also showed that Patchlab program might be available for a much wider audience around the world. And not only during the time of the festival, but for much longer.

That’s why we decided to give access to the online content until the end of 2020. This is one of the aspects that wouldn’t be possible to accomplish while organising it in a regular form, physically in Krakow.

3. NOWADAYS DATA HAS OVERWHELMINGLY PERMEATED EVERY ASPECTS OF OUR DAILY LIFE. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS THE ROLE OF CREATIVE CODING AND GENERATIVE AUDIOVISUAL ARTS IN THIS HYPER-DIGITALIZED SOCIETY WE LIVE IN?

E.W.: Creative coding translates the world of computers and code into everyday experience. It is one of the most comprehensive and dynamically developing disciplines of contemporary art.

Thus it results in a wide spectrum of artistic activities. The community of artists using code as their medium is constantly growing, expanding our sense of what is possible with digital tools.

That’s why creative coding has an amazing role in creativity that cannot be underestimate. It opens extraordinary possibilities of artistic expression.

Open source philosophy plays a very important role. The open source platforms encourage growth and experimentation. They support a rich community of creators that share their strategies and work with unprecedented openness.

That demonstrates how artists use technology in new ways, originating innovations and new experiences that actually influence the future, changing many aspects of our world. That fosters a greater awareness of the fast changing world that we live in, also regarding the means and directions of these changes.

P.C.L.: Nowadays big corporations continuously push their products to the global market. These hardware quite often have pre-installed software and firmware but usually producers do not have time to create something ad-hoc for them.

And here come the digital artists. They hack and crack these tools using their own codes to achieve something meaningful and eye glowing, out of the mass production.

Comparing the early 2000s, today these products are accessible almost to everyone. The only limit is often just our imagination. Two perfect examples are Raspberry Pi and Arduino.

Hardware are getting stronger and faster, while the price is getting lower. Both use open source systems as codes are shared online. I dare to say that’s the best way to start your experience with expressing yourself by code.

4. THE 9TH EDITION FEATURES THE THEME “CONNECTED”. CONNECTED BY THE INTERNET AND BY THE PANDEMIC. CAN YOU GIVE US SOME INSIGHTS ON THE DECISIONAL PROCESS YOU UNDERTOOK TO SELECT THIS PARTICULAR THEME?

E.W.: The theme CONNECTED refers mainly to two global aspects. The replacement of social contacts through the internet and the impulse to think about the common public spaces, cultural events and everyday life with and after the virus.

Due to the pandemic the world is undergoing an accelerated digital revolution. it is happening in front of our eyes. The Internet has become our primary channels of communication as never before.

Imagine the pandemic hit us 20 years ago. There wouldn’t have been such global access to the Internet or even no Internet at all! That situation would have been much more difficult for everybody. The pandemic appeared as a an external impulse. It made us develop pre-existing solutions and raise the digital competences, within the contemporary society.

There is also another aspect of this topic. The reliable connection we have with our partners, who we share common values with.

We joined forces with Athens Digital Art Festival, arc/sec Lab of the Auckland University in New Zealand or Digital Cultures among others, to create an intensive program, supporting each other in these difficult times for art and culture.

P.C.L.: A nice and positive example of how pandemic connected people is the Folding movement, which resulted in the creation of the most powerful supercomputer on the planet.

After installing the software you can share the free capacity of your computer’s processors to speed up the mapping process of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 DNA, causing COVID-19 illness.

Hundreds of thousands people around the world gave access to their computer processors. They connected and raised computing capacity, letting the researchers work faster towards the common goal, through this super globally connected power.

5. IN 2018 THE THEME WAS “ARTBOTS”, WHERE YOU REFLECTED ABOUT CREATIVITY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. IN 2019 YOU CHOSE “REALITIES” AND YOU REFLECTED UPON THE DIGITAL WORLDS PARALLELY GROWING TO OUR ENDANGERED PLANET.


WHAT IS THE CONCEPTUAL LINK THAT CONNECTS THE LAST THREE YEARS EDITIONS? HOW DID THE SOCIETY AND ARTS SCENE EVOLVED ACCORDINGLY?

E.W.: Each edition focused on a certain topic of the wide spectrum of the artistic activities that explore the creative potential of machines, algorithms, programming. Therefore each edition of Patchlab festival incorporated key phenomena in contemporary culture and art, including VR, AR, AI, hacking and digital identities.

Artificial intelligence algorithms, reality and simulations, AR, VR, interaction and collaboration between human and machine, the technologies that have a strong impact on our lives and the world we live in now and in the near future. These have always been urging topics for us, since the beginning of the festival.

The world is changing very fast in front of our eyes. Every year there are new improvements, new fascinating technologies that are instantly taken over by creatives and artists.

New technologies play also important roles in enhancing productivity and raising sustainability, such as the efforts to use AI and carbon removal technologies to fight climate change.

Raising awareness of urgent climate issues and acting for significant prompt change should be highly important to every human being. Hence it’s natural for us to implement these topics into the program. We show that digital art as well can make us think about the complexity of the ecology and how to act in alternative ways.

6. THE AUDIOVISUAL EVENT REACHED ITS 9TH EDITION THIS YEAR. TO WRAP UP OUR INTERVIEW TO PATCHLAB FESTIVAL WE WOULD LIKE TO ASK:

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE 10TH EDITION NEXT YEAR? AND WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEAREST TECHNOLOGICAL FUTURE?

P.C.L. So many aspects can change the future, that we can easily fantasize about the future of digital technologies. The forthcoming 5G and Elan Musk’s StarLink will change the internet in the next few years. In the same ways as it has evolved from the 70s until today.

The Internet of Things will create a better global network, expanding the playground for the digital artists. Big Data, Bioart, AI will become more common. Art as well will become more accessible to the audience.

We are going to leave our beloved friends, the smart phones, forever. We will be using HoloLens or similar Mixed Reality devices, where all the calculations will be made in cloud systems, on a supercomputer. The rest will be just displays and terminals to access the network.

E.W. The pandemic year showed enormous growth in the video games industry among others. In the previous editions we already considered some aspects of the valuable creations developed in this significant discipline of digital culture.

Next year we prepare for the 10th edition and we plan to dedicate part of the festival program to creative video games and the interventions in the virtual space. In 2021 Poland will celebrate the 100th birthday of the great sci-fi writer, Stanislaw Lem.

We would like to grace this year by continuing the development of the SOL.AR.IS art mobile app with new content inspired by the creatures of the intelligent ocean described in the Solaris novel. Additionally for this great occasion, we are preparing an interactive AR city game that will be designed together with invited artists.

In the hope that next year the restrictions will be lifted, we are also planning an on-line strategy. It worked great this year as it allowed us to reach a wide audience and to give access to the program for a much longer time.

I would like to emphasize that the Patchlab Festival remains CONNECTED until the end of the year. There is still time to dive into digital art programs online for those who missed it!

We hoped you enjoyed our interview to Patchlab Festival. We are definitely looking forward to the next year edition. As always, Stay Tuned!

Stay connected with Digital Arts Festival

Learn more about the 9th edition of the Patchlab Digital Art Festival

Read our interview to Athens Digital Arts Festival

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Flightgraf have been showcasing beautifully crafted projection mapping works, all around the globe since 2013. Their approach hinges upon the creative use of the core elements of audio-visualization.

RHYTHM AND LINE strikes immediately for its intrinsic aesthetic quality and the perfect synchronization between sounds and images.

The architectonical elements of the façade are constantly revealed and concealed again by the delicate luminous lines shooting across the space, during this mesmerizing audiovisual hide and seek.

The Altenburg building is the home of the Liszt School of Music Weimar. Like the symphonic poetry advocated by Franz Liszt in the 19th Century, the primary means of audiovisual expression are utilized to communicate extra-audiovisual content.

Not a pure formal exercise: a story is unravelling before our senses, through each sound element and its own visual doppelganger.

A story that is subjective to each one of us, in this virtuous expressive circle created among the architecture, the audiovisual language and the viewer.

As part of our series about the Genius Loci Weimar 2020 winners, our young journalist Marta Minguell asked Flightgraf about their creative process and how they approached the audiovisual event open call.

This artwork brings us back to the origins of experimental animation thanks to the conscious use of the root elements of visual creation.

1. Can you share with us your particular methodology to develop abstract content from a conceptual starting point?

Instead of unraveling Liszt as that famous super-elaborate musician, we started reading about his social and historical background.

Moreover we read up on the important influence he exerted on the next generation and society.  So we focused on on his qualities as an educator and researcher.

We became particularly interested about his passion for breaking out of fixed forms and given routines. 

Thus we tackled our artwork as one of his students. We attempted to convey the complexity of the chords, compositions and constructions he wanted to express in reverse and simplicity.

2. What kind of emotions and thoughts does this projection aim to evoke and which tools have you used?

We want the audience to experience the sound and pictures without following a pre-established harmony. 

We mainly used Cinema4D and After Effect for the production. We also used Cakewalk for music production.

When creating sound effects we use a lot of natural sounds and very often we actually record in various fields. We recorded and used a variety of natural sound effects from our last appearance in Genius Loci Weimar in 2017.

3. Can you share with us your creative approach when submitting an artwork to an open call?

There is no right answer, but we think that a competition is very similar to working for a client. You have to think about what the organizer wants above everything else.

This means that it’s not what you do, but what you don’t do that matters. GLW is a very special competition. It’s very artistic, very creative.

The jury is looking at all of us. We concentrated on showing our work as it is, without lying. In the end, we believe that the Genius Loci Weimar competition asks us questions about who we truly are.

Genius Loci Weimar Winners 2020 – Marstall Building

Genius Loci Weimar Winners 2020 – Goethe & Schiller Archiv

Genius Loci Weimar Winners 2019

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Animation artists Soheil Seraji and Nadira Madreimova have approached a building façade for the first time. The result? A uniquely intriguing piece of projection mapping!

The audiovisual narrative is complex and it requires more than one take to be truly understood.

Nevertheless the stunning aesthetic and elegant storytelling have an immediate impact on the spectator.

The conversation between east and west is explored by leveraging the cultural differences in the sound and visual expressions. A powerful immersive narrative takes us by hand on this wonderful oneiric journey.

I believe sometimes projection mappers can get a bit sidetracked by the spectacle and the technical realization. That is why is so inspiring to have a fresh take from “outsiders”. Something that Genius Loci Weimar knows really well.

As part of our series about the Genius Loci Weimar 2020 winners, our young journalist Marta Minguell asked the creators about their creative process and how they approached the audiovisual event open call.

1. Can you give us insights about your creative process to build the visual narrative, and how the sound is conceptually connected to the images?

Goethe had a special relationship with the east, in particular with the most prominent Persian poet, Hafiz. We are from the east, so we decided to work on the Goethe Und Schiller Archiv building.

We started to read Goethe’s poems thoroughly and…. wow! He speaks about something we live everyday! So the journey began for us. We found out that there is a close relationship between his thoughts and our culture, our background.

We understood that we could easily make our visual world based on his poems. Therefore we decided to use the concept of “journey to east” for the artwork, which was explicited in Goethe’s poems. As you can gauge from the first verses of West-östlicher Divan.

We are eastern artists so we know the way that east has been represented to the west world. Mainly from a biased and unrealistic point of view.

So, we understood that the journey should represent east as it is and how we live it, not as it has been represented.

Goethe had a realistic view of the east and paid tribute to it, in spite of being from the west.

Hence we felt Goethe could be the point of unity between east and west. We had to build a perspective that depicted a realistic east and, at the same time, as it is expressed by a western man.

We paid our tribute to Goethe and his most important book and started the “west-east conversation”. We decided to portray a journey to the conceptual east, somehow a dreamy journey.

Therefore we avoided overused cliché and we tried to show the eastern soul through a video lead by a western poet.

Then we struck up a conversation between west and east. We depicted the calmness, softness, elegance and pleasance of east through movements and connections between forms.

As you can see, there is no cut between the scenes and shots, everything is part of a continuous flow. Everything is in a calm and pleasant state.

At the same time we didn’t represent any form or scenario unfamiliar to our western audience.

He/she hears Goethe’s poem in an eastern environment simultaneously watching some familiar objects and forms like the train, the lighthouse and the car. In the overview, she/ he encounters the flowing concept and spirit of the east.

In addition, we thought about the different tasks we had to carry out for this project, being our first mapping projection.

We asked ourselves: what if we consider the building as a screen that is different from all the screens we had till now? So we decided to activate the volume of the building and started to consider the different architectural features as a tool for creativity.

We followed the conversation in music too. For a deeper perception of the visual image, we used the sound represented by voice, music and noises of natural objects. 

Projection mapping usually only uses music and noise.  We found a more original solution: we made the image more visible with the help of a voice that recites Goethe’s verses. 

Inspired by Goethe’s and eastern poetry, someone dreams of visiting the East where life is simple and wise. 

Music and visual images are not tied to specific frames.  We didn’t try to show the eastern lands, but the true concept of the east. 

Our task is to evoke emotional, figurative and spatial sensations of the concept of the East through the music of Sepehr Seraji. Inspired by western classical composers, we knew that would be familiar to our audience.

2. Can you tell us about the challenges and creative opportunities of working with projection mapping, coming from an animation background?

[Soheil Seraji] That’s a really good question! I have worked with this painting-like animation style over the last few years.

What I find interesting about this particular style is the depiction of figurative, realistic pictures and concepts in a generalized and abstract point of view.

For example, you can recognize the touches of brush but simultaneously you can see the sea wave illustrated by the brush.

Projection mapping allows us to show our point of view very explicitly because of the size of the building façade.

The coexistence between figurative and abstract of this animation style can be expressed and emphasized through the projection mapping.

As we explained above, another creative opportunity in this project in relation to my animation background was to consider the building as a screen.

I thought what can I do with this new and different type of screen? I can consider the building as a sketching notebook in front of me. Hence I started to freely sketching on it.

Finally I realized that I can activate different aspects and volumes of the building. I have set the shots and forms according to these aspects of the building, like the windows and columns.

Of course, there are challenges and limits, like the special aspect ratio for the video, the huge number of frames and layers to manage for an appropriate representation.

It is clear that these problems are not important at all in this project, since we have a limitless creative environment in front of us!  

3. Can you share with us your creative approach when submitting an artwork to an open call?

Yes, of course! It is not as simple as taking a fixed approach to every festival and event.

We prepare different projects for different types of events and our approach changes according to the type of event.

For example, lots of film and animation festivals accept diverse films in style, length and subject. The works we submit to these events are based on a personal idea that don’t pay attention to the uniqueness of the festival and its subject.

Another kind of festivals are the video and art festivals. When submitting to the events if our works are not matching the open call we start working on a new project.

Each project is based on our previously brainstormed ideas (and of course, we have an “ideas bank”!). We then grow the idea in a way that fits the open call’s guidelines.

What we have done for Genius loci Weimar is a totally different approach. As we haven’t done anything like this before!

We started our project from scratch, in order to create a truly original artwork from the first concept, with no preconceptions based on previous ideas.

Eventually, the approach depends on the conditions of the festival and the time we have to prepare our work to meet the deadline.

In this case the COVID outbreak helped us a lot! The day we found out about the event it was literally the deadline day! Fortunately, Genius Loci Weimar extended the deadline due to the pandemic.

Genius Loci Weimar Winners 2020 – Marstall Building

Genius Loci Weimar Winners 2019

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The audiovisual duo cleverly uses light and darkness to engender a majestic and ominous atmosphere. The audiovisual contrasts are a mirror of the antithetical historic times the building has been through.

From its renaissance foundations, through the misery of Socialist Germany and the rise of the National-Socialism, until becoming an important German cultural centre.

Through powerful content and excellent technical implementation, Emanuele Musca and Vincenzo Gagliardi managed to give a voice to the building itself.

INSIDE profound storytelling speaks directly to our collective memory, showing us the importance of remembrance for building a brighter future.

As part of our series about the Genius Loci Weimar 2020 winners, our young journalist Marta Minguell asked the creators about their creative process and how they approached the audiovisual event open call.

We are very interested to know more about how you achieved the mysterious atmosphere that pervades the mapping projection.

1. Can you describe how you leveraged the contrast between light and darkness in your artwork to create such a unique atmosphere?

The contrast is at the core of this project. The combination of elements of light and darkness represents the troubled existence of the Marstall, victim of the political changes during the history.

Fascinated by the baroque still life paintings and the interplay of the shadows in the architecture, we focused on recreating that atmosphere in 3D, which emerged in an aseptic but very detailed result in terms of realism and textures.

The robust facade extrusions stretch out the structural elements to grasp the last rays of light when the dying sun leaves the space to the cold night (“endarkment” of reason), to be reborn, after the darkness, in a rejuvenated light (positivity for the future).

We want to highlight that the Marstall reminds us how hate and rage can twist something as harmless as a riding stable into something as brutal as a prison.

2. Could you explain to us the concept behind the sound design, especially mentioning the incorporation of voices?

The goal of our sound design will be to drag the audience away into a spiral of memories, fears and smashed dreams. We want the listener to feel the realities that the building experienced from his foundation.

Sound has always had a key role in our life. We create music. At the same time we are both involved in the Berlin electronic music scene organizing events and working with the labels: Modern Bön and Vu-Mantra Records.

We are particularly fond of experimental electronics and living in Berlin is obviously a constant source of inspiration.

Music can also be a mirror of the times, which is why we are planning to mix small samples of meaningful music, heavily treated and broken with effects and granular synthesis, with sounds produced through hardware samplers and modular synthesizers.

The vocal sound in the submission is a sample from the 1936 Olympics Opening Anthem by Richard Strauss which fades in some notes of the No. 3: Nocturne in A-Flat Major by Franz Liszt.

Both sounds have the incredible power to instantly grab the attention and trigger strong emotional memories.

The first one recalling the illusion of greatness of the rising National-Socialism and the other one, reminding the beauty that the wounded city of Weimar holds in its spirit.

3. Can you share with us your creative approach when submitting an artwork to an open call?

That was our very first submission to this kind of contest. We are very good friends but also collaborate together for different projects.

We work together, share opinions, learn from each other, so that our artistic chemistry has already consolidated.

When we decided to apply for this contest, it was a usual after work dinner.

We started brainstorming and preparing the material, one more focused on the 3d animations and the other on the sound design, but still working in parallel and sharing the results of the job.

It took a couple of additional nights to finally find the right direction but as soon as we did it, it was really exciting and we started immediately to work on it. We went through difficult moments, also stressful ones but it was worth it.

Genius Loci Weimar Winners 2020 – Goethe & Schiller Archiv

Genius Loci Weimar Winners 2019

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The organizers decided to go virtual this year as a bold response to the Covid crisis.

The festival took place online, entirely free for everyone over a time span of two months. It featured an impressive array of 700 artists from over 100 countries.

1. The Athens Digital Arts Festival was founded back in 2005. It is the main reference for digital arts and audiovisual culture in Greece. Can you tell us about the concepts and goals that drove you to the inception of the festival?

I was once myself a Video Art creator. I was sending my artwork in several Festivals in Greece, but I was getting no response. Soon I started applying in International Festivals, and they actually admired my work. Due to this situation, I started thinking why there’s not a Video Art scene in Greece.

So I decided to create the Athens Video Art Festival of Greece in 2005 in order to introduce Video Art to the Greek audience and give the opportunity to Video Artists to show their work!

As the years went by and the technology was getting more and more inside our everyday lives and in the art field, the ADAF team decided to open up to new categories and become more “Digital”.

This is how the festival’s name changed in “Athens Digital Arts Festival”.

2. Every year ADAF runs an international open call gathering more than 5000 proposals. The range of projects is incredibly wide.

Can you please share with us the creative process behind the selection of the artworks and the relative categories within the new media arts?

Well the festival has started as a video art platform and over the years evolved in adding more categories with VR and Games the most recent additions.

At the moment we are hosting 11 categories that range from Video Art Animation, Installations, Webart, Digital Image, Games, Kids, Virtual Reality, Workshops, Talks, AV Performances. The process is very difficult and requires a lot of time and effort on our behalf.

We announce every year the theme with an open call and we collect applications for a period of approx 2-3 months.

We have a very active team of curators who review each category very carefully and work together cross disciplinary in order to choose the best pieces that fit the theme while maintain exhibition coherency and after a while we have our first shortlists.

Then a period af artist communications begins where we need to find out about feasibility of projects, because except from ready projects we also receive and welcome ideas about project to be created.

Many of the pre existing artworks need to adapt to our spatial specifications so there is another cycle of exploration there for installations and performance and in many cases digital image or webart.

Each category really has it own management to be made in order to conclude to the perfect program for every year. Thank our skilled curatorial team and their very strong chemistry that they work alongside for the very neat outcome we achieve every year.

3. This year theme “Technotribalism” reflects upon our primitive status as human beings in front of the Almighty data-flux. At the dawn of the hyper-informational era we are witnessing.


In your opinion, what is the role of new media art and art events in this pre-dystopic scenario?

I do not think that this year edition is posing the future scenario as dystopic hence I do not agree with the pre dystopian term.

In my opinion, although the Covid situation emerged and tinted as dystopian our manifest, Technotribalism is more about utopia rather than dystopia.

Going event further is about the way we can collaborate with each other, and use our prior knowledge on system building to escape a possible dystopia.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m aware of the possible hazards in the future outcome. After all our previous edition was about Singularity that supported a lot of ambiguity on the subject.

Nevertheless our initial interpretation here is that we are the raw material in this civilization phase shift.

If we realise that, then we can all together set the right foundation for a bright future where data, or the data flux, is a valuable variable working as a tool rather than an oppressor.

New media art in this circumstance is essential. Is one of the mediums through which we can see the shift. It is a pioneering art form that reflects a big part of our current culture as humankind, the technological evolution.

By interpreting it, giving new use or essence is the best medium to use as a wakeup call for humans that are absorbed in their everyday cycle.

The out of the box way of use of technology, the marvels created by the collaboration between artists and scientists and the vulgarization (in a good way) of technological and scientific achievements.

All of this brings cutting edge evolution closer to the everyday person who can think and debunk theories on technology without the necessary scientific background.

That does not only help the average person to familiarize with technology and science. It also broadens their horizon and perception about the new cosmos technology science and data open to humanity.

4. As other audiovisual events, ADAF took the decision to go online in response to the Covid19 crisis. In your festival statement you announce that “… ADAF, always seeking physical contact with the public, has found the way to connect with safety the physical and the digital space, with the aid of cutting edge technology.”


Can you give some insights about the “phygital” experience your are offering in this year edition?

Due to the Covid19 circumstances we decided to make ADAF ONLINE, in order to give the opportunity to the audience to experience ADAF 2020, from the safety of their space.

We tried to make the ONLINE edition as interactive as possible, by hosting Workshops, Talks, Games in which the audience was participating.

Soon, we will host many physical events in the city of Athens, in the context of ADAF 2020, always considering the circumstances of our era.

Thankfully, the new technologies help us implement these ideas. Unfortunately I cannot give you yet more information about this project as it is still under process.

5. This year the festival reaches its 16 th edition. How do you see ADAF in the next 10 years?

It has been a very interesting and exciting journey all these years. ADAF has the tendency to adjust in the circumstances of the era, always following the new technologies.

At the same time, ADAF doesn’t forget it’s history and all the people who helped the festival grow!

In ten years, as I understand the evolution of technology, we will do our best to promote art through technology, and make it even more interactive. VR has already made a revolution in the artistic field.

Soon new technologies will be introduced and we’re willing to get more and more creative with them and help artists explore their possibilities through art!

Αt the same time we want to maintain the classic line of the festival and continue to promote artists who still follow simple, tangible artistic methods.

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The studio creates immersive multidisciplinary AV shows, especially focusing on the fusion between projection mapping and dance performance.

We asked Paco a few questions about his background and creative career and also about the new projects he has been cooking up during the quarantine period.

1. When did you start working on the interaction between audiovisual and dance performance, and how did you get involved? What are the aspects that are more appealing to you about working in this interdisciplinary field?

It all begun in 2009. After quitting my job as an engineer I moved to Madrid to study a Master in Motion Graphics while making my first experiences in the world of video art. 

In 2010 I started up several collaborations with art organizations in Madrid and they proposed to me to shoot a dance performance by the choreographer Iratche Ansa.

The performance was going to be held at the Matadero in Madrid. From that recording I put together my first video dance “Comunicación Interpretación Automática” which had a very good reception.

I had discovered the potential of dance from an audiovisual perspective and the inner revelation of what I wanted to do in the next few years.

A few months later I made my first dance pieces with live visuals with choreographer Barbara Fritsche.

Thanks to those projects I was able to work on the musical “Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar” in 2013. In 2014 I directed my first proper theatre show: “Girasomnis”.

2. You are the creator of “Girasomnis”, an itinerant project that has been traveling around the world. Can you tell us about the creative process behind the inception of this innovative project?

I try to “connect” the visuals with the dancers. Sometimes I encourage the dancers to “connect” or follow my visuals.

In this project I also composed the music. This is very useful as I have better control of the creative process. With this project I tried to evoke feelings in the audience without words: just images, dance and instrumental music.

3. Paco Gramaje Studio recently launched the “Dance Mapping Virtual Tour 2020” which it’s fundraising on Gumroad. This is in preparation for a new cutting-edge AV dance project in 2021 involving a 360 immersive environment . Can you give us some insights about the whole project?

This quarantine caused an abrupt stop in my job, but also gave me time to start imagining something new.

The idea was born during the first week of confinement. At the start, It was simple: I just wanted to publish some of our best projects and make them public. But I also felt a need for a change.

The last 3 years I was quite disconnected from my artistic side due to working mostly on commercial projects. 

I was just focusing on making money to pay my bills and trying to have a stable team for audiovisual production. The outbreak of the Covid-19  has been an absolute shift in our work. We started questioning the possibility of doing our shows as we did before.

Therefore I needed to devise another type of format for the new normal awaiting us: a fully immersive virtual Dance Mapping Show.

As my previous theatre production, without the pressure of a client and using the Girasomnis music.

So, in April I started to visualize and write a synopsis of this new project. I then decided to publish “Dance Mapping Virtual Tour 2020” as a memorandum of all these years of physical shows. 

Now it’s time to go further. I want to gather all the knowledge I gained during the last 10 years and apply it to a virtual reality show, where I can break the limits and make an immersive 360º visual performance with dancers.

This new production is planned to be released in VR and physical 360 projection format in late 2021.

4. When working on a project how do you pick your collaborators? What are the main roles you look for in your team? 

When I have the budget I can work with some powerful audiovisual freelancers from my network of collaborators. Failing that I work alone.

I also work with very talented dancers/choreographers from Barcelona. During the years they started to understand my ideas and transform them in beautiful choreographies. 

5. Can you describe your general creative approach when starting on a new project?

I have mostly 2 ways of work. I compose a music draft and then I work on the visuals and choreography or vice versa: I make a draft of visual content with a draft choreography and I try to match the sounds and music.

Sometimes I give leeway to the dancer, so they can create their own choreography and then I create the visual content following their movements.

In the last few years I also worked with some talented musicians for a faster audiovisual production.

6. In 2015, Paco Gramaje Studio won an award at the International Mapping Festival in Girona for the Micro-mapping category. Could you share with us your thoughts about the concept of “Micro-mapping”? 

This was a concept from Roman Torre. In 2015 I shared a space with him and we collaborated together on a video mapping of a rotating stone. It was a nice project called Liquid Series.

In the video mapping area I also tried to develop innovative concepts, differing from the typical big projection on a building facade. 2 Years ago I started to develop the concept of “Holomapping”. I am planning to finish it next year as well.

7. We are aware you regularly teach courses and masterclasses of video mapping applied to performing arts, in Spain and Latin America.


What specific training would you recommend for digital artists who have just started their career and why? Which are the countries with more opportunities for audiovisual arts, in your opinion?

Nowadays, it is possible to learn a lot following digital online courses, but it is always better if somebody guides you. As with everything in life the best way to learn is practice, making mistakes and improving. 

Spain is not the best country for arts, I would say. As far as I know French artists or from other European countries have more grants and support from their governments, but everything is possible if you are passionate about your work.

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We have never hidden the fact we particularly love the playfulness and delicacy of their AV style. Their street art itinerant approach open the door to a myriad of creative opportunities.

Throughout the years (while keeping fit cycling their AV bikes) they have been engaging with audience of all ages and backgrounds. Here our interview to VJ Suave: enjoy it!

0. How did you meet and decide to work together on this beautiful project?

We met in 2009 in Buenos Aires, and we’ve decided to work together. Cecilia comes from animation and Ygor from painting and drawing. We mixed our best and created VJ Suave.

1. How have your techniques advanced since the beginning of your career? What specific technological tools have enabled you to express yourself in a different way because of this?

In the beginning, we took a class on how to use Modul8 and it blew our minds. Cecilia came up with the idea to animate Ygor’s drawings and. Using a small projector, we’ve projected the animations from the window on the street outside.

At that time, we used Adobe Flash, After Effects and Photoshop for animation. Later on we met Maki, and he introduced us to Tagtool, a tool to draw and animate in real time.

The first version of Tagtool was a DIY thing, you needed to have a wacom, arduino, knobs and sliders, ps2 controller, all connected to a computer and a controller box.

You needed to build it yourself, it was a bit complicated. Later on Maki and his crew started to develop Tagtool for iPads and we fell in love with it.

Most of our animations are made frame by frame, using Flash, and this takes time and people to work. Tagtool is easier. It’s a tool that allows us to create drawings and animation by ourselves in a short amount of time.

We also started to investigate virtual reality. In 2017 we’ve created Floresta Encantada / “Enchanted Forest”, an interactive VR experience.

The VR is a very immersive solo experience. You actually believe you are inside a different reality. In Floresta Encantada, together with our crew, we’ve created an experience where participants are teleported to a magical forest where they can interact with both characters and the scenery.

They can play instruments near a bonfire and even drink medicine from a shaman. Each experience is unique as the map is very big. Some people say that they saw a spaceship, others say they had a trip on mushrooms, experiences which are rare in the map. At thee end of the journey all travelers come back to reality with a big smile.

2. Your work with the Suaveciclo is possibly the one thing that you are most well known for in Europe. What was the original thought behind the idea and did you realise how successful the concept would be when it first occurred to you?

In 2011 we created 2 short movies, Run and Homeless. They were very experimental because it was our first time trying to move the projections. The videos have been showcased by MTV and received a great response.

We were happy and we wanted to keep doing moving projections. Instead of keeping on creating videos we wanted to try the performance format, so people on the streets could see it live. 

Instead of a car, we thought of a way that could be affordable to us, first a bicycle, and then finally the tricycle as our moving base to project from.

Suaveciclo was created to be able to move our animations throughout the city, bringing joy to everyone who happens to be around. As we don’t use background in the projection the characters look more alive, with a digital graffiti style.

The idea was to take the characters out of the TV screen and make this colorful universe that was inside our heads to merge it with the real world.

When we started VJ Suave back in 2009, we did a lot of research into the VJ world and, at that time, it seemed to us there was no character animation in the VJing scene.

It felt like a perfect gap for us to fit in. From then till now, we keep on doing what we love, what is true for us and we believe anything made like that will always be successful.

3. What technical issues did you encounter when you first came up with the suaveciclo setup? How do you feel about other artists using this idea in their performances?

There have been a lot of adaptations till we got to the actual version of Suaveciclo. First version was very heavy, had small sound speakers and an overall flimsy structure for the projector.

We also had issues as we bought the wrong batteries (now we only use deep cycle batteries). We now have 2 tricycles in São Paulo, one for Ygor and one for Cecilia. What we use now is actually the 5th version.

A few months ago we finally installed an electric battery to help us doing the cycling. It’s also equipped with great sound speakers and a tripod head adapted for the projector.

We like the idea of more visual artists working with images in movement throughout the city. We encourage and help people around the world to build an audiovisual tricycle to express themselves. 

4. Do you remember what first drew you to the audiovisual world? What do you think you would be doing now if you hadn’t discovered the art of video projection?

Ygor: VJ Suave was the starting point for me. Thanks to that I developed my career in animation, creative technology, virtual reality and music. If it wasn’t for it I would still be doing graffiti on the city walls, or maybe working in the forest.

Ceci: I would be applying technology to some other area, maybe holistic health.

5. How is the world of video art in Brazil? Is there a big scene, or is it something quite unusual? Is there anything about your artistic context that you feel influences your work?

Nowadays it is blooming. During the isolation, many audiovisual artists from all over Brazil started to project videos on building walls outside their windows. They have come together and created a group called Projetemos. Thanks to this group, we can share our animations to be projected in different cities. 

Great artists have come out of Brazil like VJ Spetto, VJ Vigas, United VJs, and there’s definitely a scene for vjing and videomapping!

6. What has been the most exhilarating experience or biggest achievement for you? What are you most proud of?

We are proud of having been able to show our art in more than 20 countries at different kinds of audiovisual events: film, street art, animation, music, bike, art technology and light festivals.

If VJ Suave had a little bit of each event, we would be defined by this mix which is something new with technology, animation and movement. 

With Suaveciclo we can create magical moments. We gather people to see the city in a different way, more imaginative. We colour the path with light, expressing love. We think this can open people’s hearts, at least for a second. 

7. A lot of your animation work has an infantil theme with bright colours, organic shapes and friendly faces. Would you say that children are your main audience, or at least, that they are who you most have in mind when you come up with the narratives for your work?

We don’t have a specific audience in mind. We create what we are able to express. Sometimes it is naive with simple forms, sometimes it can be more complex. 

Regarding the colours, we have the limitation of the projector. For Suaveciclo performances we carry a 5.500 lumen projector, which is very bright and powerful for a tricycle. However darker colours can be difficult to project. That’s why our colour pallet is always bright, with high contrast and saturation. 

Kids are essential for our performances, because they appreciate magical beings. They want to play with the characters. When they do, adults start to believe in that magical moment too: when kids are yelling and chasing our enchanted characters. 

VJ Suave on Audiovisual City

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ruestungsschmie.de are absolute masters of the video mapping technique while Soundselektor crafts unique soundtracks intertwined with the visual narrative.

The audiovisual duo has a very analytical and technical approach to the audiovisual art. Their aim is to get as close as possible to the architecture and its role within the urban environment.

The result is a mind-blowing explosion of structural elements hitting hard on the viewer’s senses. Every single element is visually enhanced and undergoes numerous levels of abstractions, constantly oscillating between the architectural and the geometrical.

We had the chance to see their artwork NUCLEUS³ live at Signal Festival 2018. An audiovisual thunderstorm infusing every element of the facade with vibrant life: another of their masterpiece!

As part of our series about the Genius Loci Weimar 2019 winners, our young journalist Marta Minguell asked ruestungsschmie.de and Soundselektor about their creative process and how they approached the audiovisual event open call.

1. Can you tell us about how you constructed the abstract story-line for the visual narrative and the relationship with the sound experimentation?

The graphics are buildings on top of each other, they slowly evolve from simple to complex. The journey is the destination. We visualize our work-process as a part of our creation.

Our work is multi-layered. Each layer describes a fragment of a topic. By adding the layers on top of each other we create a multi-topic collage. 

In the first layer, the absolute beginning, we chose the main “topics” to work on graphically. In this case the architecture, the facade composition and the historical and urban context of the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar.

Being architects, we believe that the building plays the part of the protagonist. Our main instruments for the visual narrative creation are building plans, sections, 3D-models, satellite images, 2D and 3D geodata, plans and models of the surroundings and finally the landscape of the city itself.

In the second layer we reflect upon the historical, political and social impact of the Nationaltheater in the past, present and future. With this in mind as well as the current political and social development in Germany and Europe we decided we have to make some kind of statement, in using clear font. Finally, the categorical imperative (Kant) and its analogies found in the different world religions seemed to be the right answer.

The third layer is the sound design. Obviously it is important for composing the atmosphere in the visuals. We try to envision what will happen visually. We start working in 2D and 3D.

As soon as we have a rough cut, we send it to Jarii van Gohl / Soundselektor (our sound magician). Then he works on the sound composition and sends it back to us. Then the ping-pong-game starts, by sending back and forth. This goes on until we achieve the desired result. 

2. The projection mapping features a great variety of textures and patterns. How did you create them and what tools did you use?

We use very different techniques to create our visuals. We create 3D models from architectural drawings and Geo-data. We also use 2D video footage to create 3D objects importing them in 3D programs. A technique we have been constantly working on and refined over the years.

We also use different techniques offered by video editing software like DaVinci Resolve and others. For 3D we mostly use Cinema 4D and some known and unknown Plugins.

3. Can you share with us your creative approach when submitting an artwork to an open call?

It really depends on the task. First of all we analyze the object and its context. Typically, it is a building. We look at the facade, its specific details, patterns and composition and try to find plans and sections of the building.

We then look at the building’s history, the location within the city and the surroundings. Google Earth is our good friend there. When we can, we try to visit the city and see everything live.

Often there are given topics. Thereafter we start the conversation. Talking and sketching are the main instruments here. We shout out ideas and discuss them. This process leads to new ideas, which are also discussed and the wheel begins to turn. Eventually we find a concept which we can all agree on. 

Then the typing starts. We try to formulate our ideas the way an “outside” person would interpret it. Meanwhile the visualization starts. We try to squeeze in as much concept as possible within little pictures.

Finally we work on matching the text and the visuals, which is always a good test for the concept itself. If we cannot connect the written words with the images we created, we know there is a bug and we know what to do. Finally we add some artistic flavors and statements.

Then we win the call, the game begins and a new discussion starts. We love it!

Genius Loci Weimar

Interview to Genius Loci Weimar

ruestungsschmie.de

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Laura Seitz and Daniel Pitts’ audiovisual work stands out for its detailed storytelling and figurative approach.

Rather than opting for simply highlighting the architecture, they have decided to tell us the story behind the construction of the building, through a captivating audiovisual narrative.

As part of our series about the Genius Loci Weimar 2019 winners, our young journalist Marta Minguell asked Laura Seitz and Daniel Pitts about their creative process and how they approached the audiovisual event open call.

1. What are the main references that inspired you to create the “Reverse Imagination” audiovisual narrative?

In order to start the foundations of the building, the people of Weimar had to drain parts of a swamp located in this area. Without that effort the construction of the MON AMI would not have been possible.

We found this tedious task to be a good symbolic starting point for a broader approach to the theme: individuals working together to open up space for their community.

The ground, that otherwise would have been inaccessible or even hostile to life, became fertile. Ideas that couldn’t be previously heard can now be shared and developed.

The whole building can be perceived as a foundation stone for decades of dialogue, cultural and artistic expression, political engagement and countless untold personal stories that otherwise would have not been possible.

We reenacted that progress, but not in a historically accurate way. Instead we opted for a fantastic reinterpretation of the construction of the building. Abstract beings finding themselves back in the former swamp surrounded by ruins and rubble.

They are there to rebuild an alternative MON AMI, revealing more of the
inner nature of the place than the facade might be able to show on its
own.

2. Can you tell us about the techniques you used and the creative process you followed to create this animation mapping piece?

We wanted to put emphasis on the audiovisual story telling in this work right from the beginning. So we did a fair amount of writing work and concept art, to develop a solid narrative structure, that is engaging and suitable for the site.

Furthermore we had to consider the different spectators experiences, due to the wide range of viewing angles and visual obstacles, like trees in front of the building.

Since our story evolved around the fictitious rebuild of MON AMI, we tried not only to superimpose imagery onto the real world structure.

Instead we referenced it and played with its spatial perception to immerse a viewer even further by forcing perspectives and vanishing points.

While the composition of the different elements, their movements and lighting was done in a digital 3d environment, almost all visible surfaces were hand drawn, scanned and then integrated into the scene.

This mixture of analog and digital technology enabled intriguing animated movement, dynamic lighting and complex scene setup. But it was also providing the necessary detail, texture and imperfection that created a natural and tangible look, even at the scale of such a mapping piece.

3. Can you share with us your creative approach when submitting an artwork to an open call?

Genius Loci Weimar 2019 was the first video mapping project that we did of that kind. Visiting the audiovisual event in recent years, gave us an impression of the unique mood in the streets of Weimar during those nights.

Entire areas of the city seemed to be immersed in a dream-like state. Yet all the locations featured different atmospheres achieved in many different ways.Inspired by that we were eager to create our own approach reflecting our interests and skill sets.

For the submission we wanted to create an artwork that well portrays
our stylistic decisions as well as giving a glimpse of the narrative
structure we planned for the full animation piece.

At the same time, we were trying to figure out whether our ideas could work on a medium that we only knew from a spectator’s point of view back then.

Genius Loci Weimar

Interview to Genius Loci Weimar

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WHAT WERE YOUR EARLY GRAPHIC INFLUENCES/INSPIRATIONS AND WHAT ELEMENTS OR EXPERIENCES HAVE BEEN KEY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR STYLE?

Hi guys! Thank you for your questions and your interest in my work. Let’s get started! Here my main influences:

In the 80s: whilst growing up in France, I was very inspired by the vast amount of Japanese anime on TV, especially the Cobra series (funny that it was just on kids TV back then in France, where it would be rated 12 or 15 here in UK now) and films like Videodrome, Nightmare on Elm Street, Evil Dead 2, 2001, The Thing, Altered States, Blazing Saddles, Monty Python films and such like.

In the later 80’s & 90’s whilst living in different parts of the UK during my student years, I was really into rave graphics and visuals like
Stakker Humanoid and FSOL.

I was massively into MTV’s Aeon Flux series and non verbal films like Baraka, Koyananskatsti, Atlantis and such like. The Day Today  / Brass eye have been quite important as well in terms of absurdity and “OTT-ness”, especially the Brass eye Infographics.

Then in late 90’s & early 00s once I moved to London I was massively into Ryoji Ikeda / Dumb Type / Semi-conductor Films / Ukawa.

In terms of key experiences, I’d say it was seeing Daft Punk live multiple times in the mid 90’s & their Audiovisual show in the 1997 tour. That was definitely the main experiences that pushed me to do what I do into the audiovisual world.

It was like a “smack in the face”. So bold, minimal and sync-ed to the music, it totally blew me away. I remember thinking back then, I wanted to blow people away in the same way someday.

2. IN YOUR WORK WE CAN SEE A BIG VARIETY OF IMAGE PROCESSING RESULTS, DOES THIS EXPERIMENTATION GO HAND IN HAND WITH AN EXPERIMENTATION OF THE TOOLS YOU USE TO CREATE THE VISUALS AS WELL?

Good question, that I’m not sure how to answer as I don’t really think about it in that way. I’d say I very much differentiate my live & studio work. To me, my live visuals are technically made in similar ways to how my friends make music.

I position myself in the same category as lighting/laser designers, in a sense that I’m there merely complementing/enhancing the audio experience.

As in my studio work I very much try to recreate the kinda vibe of an anime intro or 80s music video, which in my opinion were far more entertaining. For me, it’s all about visual impact and entertaining the audience.

3. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE “AUDIOVISUAL ART” AND HOW DO YOU POSITION YOURSELF IN THIS SPECIFIC CULTURE?

This is a tricky question for me, as I find it hard to categorize anything I see on my computer screen or at a party as art. For me it’s more like graphics or entertainment.

Call me old fashioned but for it to be Art is has to be in an art context (whatever that is), and as my work isn’t in galleries or such like (yet) i don’t really consider myself as an artist.

Actually I find the words art/artists are used way too sparingly in this day and age, so I’m not really sure as to where I fit in all this. I’d rather not think about it and just carry on doing my thing & let other people define me as they see fit…

4. YOUR CAREER DEVELOPED ACROSS DIFFERENT FIELDS AND MEDIA SUCH AS ADVERTISING, FASHION, ELECTRONIC MUSIC, VIDEO CLIPS, AND SO ON.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE CONCEPTUAL AND AESTHETIC LINKS CONNECTING ALL YOUR VERY DIVERSE PROJECTS??

I’m very much into specific/custom made/location-based designs. My ideas tend to be finding a way to best fit the “where” and “what”.

My concepts are very driven by discussions (or lack of) with the artist/clients, which is why my work tends to vary in style (or quality, if the client/artist has too little input or dictates too much)

5. YOU HAVE WORKED WITH MANY DIFFERENT MUSICIANS AND SINGERS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.

COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS OF VISUALIZING A SOUNDSCAPE AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKING WITH ABSTRACT CONTENTS LIKE ELECTRONIC MUSIC AND THE MORE EXPLICIT NARRATIVE OF POP AND HIP HOP CULTURE?

Firstly I figure the possibilities and limitations and work within those boundaries, then I discuss with artist/client to figure a rough direction to aim for, it then it generally snowballs from there.

I generally try to deliver what the artist/client & target audience wants, but not necessarily what they expect, so I tend to avoid the obvious options.

I don’t think I approach a project that differently depending on what genre of music it is. I just try and do whatever feels right for that category of music, BUT the workflow is vastly different depending of the type of artists they are.

Some artist are way more approachable than others regardless their music genres and when I can bounce ideas back and forth with them that is when I can go deep into what they truly want and get the best results. I can’t say the same when there’s a sea of management/label/producers between me and the artist.

It’s fair to the results are far more fruitful when I work with artists who don’t take themselves too seriously as I’m not a yes-man nor my specialty is making people like prim & proper.

READ MORE ABOUT THE AUDIOVISUAL ARTIST

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