Sila Sveta’s Post

Three highlights from our review of Us by Night, a creative 'night market' of innovation, inspiration, and community. 1. Festival experience and atmosphere Us by Night (UBN5) offers a vibrant, immersive experience, transforming Antwerp's Waagnatie venue into a creative 'festival night market' with stages, pop-up shops and energetic spaces such as the central dance area. The setting on the banks of the River Scheldt, combined with the artistic atmosphere inside, created a unique atmosphere, although not all the installations were equally impressive. 2. Diverse and powerful content The festival featured a wide range of creative professionals, from seasoned artists like Helmut Smits to emerging talents like photographer Stig de Block and technologist Vera van de Seyp. While the talks were varied and mostly engaging, the standard keynote format sometimes lacked depth. However, some presentations, such as From Form's, managed to provide an inspiring behind-the-scenes journey that resonated with the audience. 3. Community and creative growth Beyond its impressive content, UBN5 fostered a strong sense of community. The festival is not only a platform for creative work, but also a place where personal and professional connections flourish. The success of the new app also shows that UBN is evolving and staying relevant in its mission to bring the creative world together. Read the full review at https://lnkd.in/ekRqJRAE Chapeau, Rizon Parein!

Why do we need "thousand-person simultaneous screen"? In the past two years, a variety of virtual scenes have emerged, including exhibition halls, concerts, scenic spots, and historical sites. However, these scenes often only have a few people moving through them, with NPCs standing in the corners, which inevitably gives a sense of "single-player game" to the experience. The thousand-person simultaneous screen technology can break this perception and is one of the cornerstone features that bring a sense of presence to the virtual world! Our team has always been committed to creating a world that is both vibrant with the warmth of daily life and boundless in imagination, where reality and virtuality coexist! True thousand-person simultaneous screen, as an important cornerstone of the vitality of the virtual world, will not stop here. Our technical team will continue to optimize it. Of course, to realize the team's vision, it is necessary to continuously challenge the many peaks in this field, including technology, design, and experience. Although it is difficult, for us, you can expect more!

Community in action Yesterday I was supporting the Little Arts Festival 2024 in my role as committee member and Visual Arts lead at a drop in session and contributors event to share how plans are developing for the festival. My takeaways are :- 1. The amazing arts talent community within a 10 mile radius from published authors, to actors, to singers to renowned artists all coming together to share their passion for the arts. 2. Having a theme to tie the festival together of Past | Present | Future really enables discussions what ever genre and to bring all the threads together. 3. The volunteers and helpers that help put events on offer venues all wanting to play their part in bringing the community together, leaving a legacy. 4. As a society we still have a lot of work to do to engage the artist and audiences of the future to contribute and participate. We had plans but due to item 5 we currently cannot support one of the events on an immersive art experience. 5. Funding is very difficult to support events such as this and you have to think very differently all previous sources of funding have changed their criteria. If your a corporate looking for social value opportunities please reach out to your arts community they will be very grateful and you will be adding a lasting legacy to your local area. Our first event will be the Summer Exhibition on the 8th and 09th June 2024. If you would like to know more about the festival plans and how you could get involved. https://lnkd.in/evtMSJc4 PS in the words of one of the event locations “ nothing stands still its ever changing” and if you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know Change is the only Constant.

I just attended an Eagles concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and I walked out amazed—not just by the music, but by the venue itself. This isn’t just an entertainment space; it’s a #TechnologicalMarvel designed to redefine what’s possible in live experiences. At over $2 billion to build, the Sphere is a prime example of #Innovation and #DesignExcellence—a space created to be unforgettable. Consider the scale: the Sphere’s LED screen wraps around with a jaw-dropping 580,000 square feet and over 1.2 million LED “pucks,” each capable of displaying 256 million colors at a stunning 16K resolution. Then there’s the audio—more than 160,000 speakers are strategically placed to deliver perfect sound to every seat. This isn’t just #EventTech; it’s immersive storytelling. Why would something like this exist? Simple: people are willing to invest in #ExperiencesThatMatter. In a world where time and attention are precious, people seek the rare, the extraordinary. They want stories they can share, moments that lift them out of the ordinary. The people bridge linking the Sphere to nearby hotels? It’s more than a walkway. It’s a metaphor for the extra mile people are willing to go for memories they’ll carry for a lifetime. This is a lesson for all of us in #CustomerExperience and #BrandBuilding: don’t just meet expectations—exceed them. The Eagles’ music resonates because it’s timeless, filled with emotions people can return to, much like the Sphere. This is the “Hotel California” of experiences, a place you don’t want to leave. People work harder, stay later, and pay more for #Quality and #Convenience. So if you’re in the business of creating anything—products, services, or experiences—build things people are willing to pay for, to work for, and to remember forever. That’s #Leadership, and that’s how you create #TimelessExperiences.

It's been a week since VIVID ended. Probably many people will agree with me that it was not the best VIVID. Therefore, during my walk, I thought about the main difficulties in organizing such an event. **Diverse Programming**: Vivid features a broad range of activities including light installations, music performances, and talks. Each type of event has its own unique requirements in terms of setup, logistics, and management. **Technical Complexity**: The light installations often involve cutting-edge technology, requiring precise execution and troubleshooting. Coordinating the technical aspects, from lighting to sound systems, demands a high level of expertise and attention to detail. **Stakeholder Coordination**: The festival involves collaboration with a variety of stakeholders, including artists, performers, sponsors, government bodies, and local businesses. Ensuring that all parties are aligned and their needs are met adds another layer of complexity. **Crowd Management**: Vivid attracts large crowds, which necessitates effective crowd control measures to ensure safety and a positive experience for all attendees. This involves planning for security, emergency response, and traffic management. **Permits and Regulations**: Organizing an event of this magnitude requires obtaining numerous permits and complying with various regulations, which can be a time-consuming and intricate process. **Weather Dependency**: As an outdoor event, Vivid is susceptible to weather conditions. **Budget Management**: Managing the budget for such a large event involves balancing the costs of installations, performances, marketing, logistics, and staffing, while ensuring financial sustainability and securing sufficient funding. **Marketing and Promotion**: Effectively promoting the festival to attract attendees from near and far is crucial. This requires a comprehensive marketing strategy that leverages multiple channels and engages diverse audiences. **Sustainability Considerations**: There is increasing pressure to ensure that events like Vivid are environmentally sustainable. This involves implementing eco-friendly practices and minimizing the environmental impact of the festival. Despite these challenges, the successful execution of Vivid brings immense rewards, showcasing creativity and innovation while drawing global attention to the city.

While belonging is a subjective feeling and experience, it is a fundamental human need—an ever-relevant need. In what way can design, especially of our built environment, contribute to fostering a sense of belonging? This Friday at What Design Can Do Live in Amsterdam, I will facilitate a hands-on breakout session about belonging. Excited to host the wonderful architect Lyongo Juliana as a guest speaker. Regardless of culture or circumstance, most people feel the need to be a part of something—to belong to a social group or a place they can call home. However, this common aspiration becomes urgent when major global, national and local movements disrupt the fabric of our societies. Taking on a personal approach based on lived experiences, we will explore the design of belonging in relation to public spaces and urban and cultural habits that surround us. https://lnkd.in/ePWFde9G

Who can predict the future? Perhaps only those who have been able to travel forwards and backwards in time. Something that seems rather improbable. With the social, cultural and emotional panorama of human beings today, it is difficult to unify the questions that art in any of its manifestations raises, presents and tries to answer. From the particular to the general in a globalised society according to the level of evolution of infrastructures makes us wonder if we will have to retrace our steps from the general to the particular. We live with immersive sensorial experiences where technology recreates experiences that only live in our imagination and are sometimes projected in the public space in search of different answers or emotions. As many as there are levels of assimilation and evolution. Not long ago in a meeting with secondary school teachers, we were told that there were up to 4 levels of maturity in a group. Is something mature what is integrated in its environment, what assimilates and responds according to an expected response or what transcends the environment and stands out, not following the trend? Next edition 2024 may... to be continued #digitalurbanart

My latest Substack post reports from the wild and immersive world of Sonic Acts festival.

Vanguardia's Olly Creedy featured in leading International live entertainment trade publication Pollstar for the Co-op Live Special ahead of Oak View Group's new Manchester venue opening. The Vanguardia director Olly Creedy explains how his team carried out detailed computer modeling to accurately determine the acoustics of the space and the interface with the sound system. “Careful attention ensures a good tonal balance across the frequency range and to ensure any late reflections are masked within the reverberation tails,” he said. “The balance of this is critical as minimizing the reverberation time improves the clarity of the sound, but it can lead to discrete reflections being audible that can be more disturbing than longer reverberation times.” He adds, “We have explored using more diffusive and angled profiles than are typically used on other arenas, including concertina-style side walls and angled walls to the rear. This ensures sound is redirected to exactly where we want it. Early input into the design ensured we had the space provision to pursue the larger profile depths which would usually be knocked back by architects.” Creedy notes that the architects’ design didn’t just create visual intimacy, but acoustic intimacy, as well: “The length of the arena is relatively short in comparison to other arenas, which minimizes the physical volume, improves direct sound coverage and reduces the time arrival from late reflections.” Read the full Pollstar article here https://lnkd.in/gXU-vhk2

The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed a profound transformation in artistic collaboration, compelling artists to adapt to new realities and explore innovative approaches. The shift to digital platforms has been pivotal, with tools like Zoom and Twitch enabling remote rehearsals and performances. Virtual concerts in gaming environments such as Minecraft have emerged as significant new venues for artistic engagement. These changes have facilitated novel collaborative methods, including distributed music-making projects that transcend geographical boundaries, and have enhanced skills essential for musical improvisation. Nonetheless, these digital adaptations are not without challenges. Issues like network latency and the isolation inherent in remote collaboration underscore the need for improved technological infrastructure. In this context, Everette Taylor, CEO of Kickstarter, offers a strategic vision for revitalizing the arts sector in the post-pandemic era. He advocates for democratizing arts funding by diversifying grant types and simplifying application processes, thereby supporting a wider array of projects and fostering innovation. Strengthening community among artists is another critical focus, with an emphasis on creating networks and encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration to bridge the gap between art creation and consumption. Furthermore, expanding the definition of art to embrace nontraditional forms, such as digital art and board games, is essential for reflecting the evolving landscape of creative expression. These recommendations highlight a path toward a more inclusive and dynamic arts ecosystem. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the arts, maintaining a focus on genuine human connection and creativity is crucial. This approach not only addresses current challenges but also positions the arts sector to thrive in an increasingly complex cultural environment. https://lnkd.in/eMRkcWWg