VJ Festival starts at ctity’s various venues

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The festival aims to share knowledge between video artists from around the world and demonstrate VJ-ing as a social act. Participants will also learn the art of VJ-ing.

The fifth International VJ FEST, a live visual art festival, will take place between June 12 and 16 at various venues in Istanbul’s Beyoglu district, hosting more than 40 international artists working in visual and auditory media. The festival aims to share knowledge between video artists (VJs) from around the world and demonstrate VJ-ing as a social act.

VJ FEST was created to be a platform to merge old and new technological methods in live visual performances to music and sound. It promotes collaborations and contacts for VJs on an international level by bringing together top VJ artists from countries across the globe to share knowledge about their art and techniques.

Talks and workshops by artists

During VJ FEST artists will give talks and host workshops interested participants. Opportunities to learn about the art of VJ-ing will be available along with opportunities for VJs to improve their techniques with the help of veteran VJ artists. Live audio-visual performances will be held throughout the festival with VJ-DJ acts hosted at clubs and theaters as well as other open public spaces.

The festival will not only draw VJs an DJs, but visual designers, musicians, architects, programmers, software designers, technicians, light designers, sociologists and electronic music lovers as well. VJ FEST Istanbul premiered in 2008 as the first VJ art festival in Turkey with the aim of reinforcing media art culture and VJ networks in Turkey and strengthening Turkey’s VJ community ties to the international VJ scene.

Over the last four year VJ FEST Istanbul became one of the most inspiring visual art festivals for VJs in Europe. The festival has motivated discussions on the art of VJ-ing and the pairing of visual art with music in the electronic music scene. Although initially intended only for DJs looking to add visual art to their music performances, turning themselves into VJs, festival organizers now host activities intended to combine VJ-ing with other media forms, such as painting, literature, and architecture. VJ FEST hopes to create new forms of audiovisual performance and continues to grow by adding more social and interactive activities that use new media tools.

The festival has developed independently with the help of consulates and culture institutes, but relies mainly on the voluntary participation of artists and organizers.

Since its creation more than 100 artists from 20 countries have been a part of the festival. The festival has drawn artists from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States. Venues in Istanbul have included Mute Club, Dogzstar, Ghetto, Studio Live Technik and the French Culture Institute.