At the time of its creation in 2005, the Mapping Festival revolved around VJing – the creation or manipulation of images, projected in real time, usually during electronic music shows.
The event was founded by Boris Edelstein, creator of Modul8. The VJing computer program has since then become an emblematic software used by thousands of people around the world. As for the festival, it was an immediate success and flourished very quickly.
One of the specific features of digital creation is to stimulate the mix of disciplines whether it be visual arts, music, performing arts, computing, science, design, architecture, etc.
This multidisciplinary approach is at the heart of the Mapping Festival and reveals itself each year through a diversified and eclectic line-up that enables us to present a wide range of artistic proposals.
The Mapping Festival encourages spectators to discover, experiment and feel artworks that can be received in new ways. The audience is not only invited to contemplate the artwork but also to interact with it, to participate in its deployment, to contribute to its operation. With digital arts, the public becomes an actor, a player, an instigator.
More and more artworks possess playful and entertaining features. However, in a context that promotes innovation continuously, it is also important to think critically about those attractive technologies. We have to question the use of these technologies that are omnipresent in our lives. We have to understand the cultural, social and political stakes. Through our program of conferences and round tables, we want the audience to think about these problematics,
A unique platform of diffusion in Switzerland, the Mapping Festival is now considered as a major event in the field of digital art and enjoys an international reputation. Each year, the festival offers a rich variety of events and activities which bring to light the artistic potential of new technologies. The workshops are a good opportunity to push the new technologies’ exploration back.
Each year, the Mapping Festival gathers a wide network of professionals, thus allowing significant meetings and futures collaborations to happen.
Come and celebrate the 15th edition of the Mapping Festival with us, from May 23 to 26, 2019!