With Web 2.0 everybody can create their own space and personality, and build a personal network of like-minded people.
But what exactly are the quality properties of these new structures and how do they relate to existing social contexts? Are Hyves and MySpace about social networking or are they merely platforms for vain self-exposure? Is a blog a public diary or a valuable contribution to the social debate? And what is the meaning of a festival now that makers can reach their audience through YouTube in an increasingly simple manner?
The Impakt Festival 2008 will address all of these issues. YourSpace will also shed a light on various subcultures and draw parallels between our current media society, Society 2.0, and important trends from the past. The program will comprise event evenings during which music, film, fashion and new media merge and meet. Moreover, international artists will discuss and present their work, next to festival features such as debates and special program items.
Think:
Rainbow Bites:
Extreme audio dislocation, hacked video games, eccentric visuals and indie fashion.
Multiplicity of Desire:
The Internet as platform for free sexual expression, and exchange between people with specific preferences. Transgender, BDSM, Queer or Furry.
NekroKult:
Fascination for death, evil and the occult in music, film and visual arts.
Self-confession vs. Exploitation:
Privacy issues, confrontational self-portraits, camera scrutiny and the internet as public diary.
PetSpace:
A special Sunday School about the animal as a social being. Taking stock of the most recent trends in the animal world. How do animals manage their image? How do they present themselves on the Internet? And what is there to learn from swarms and flocks when it comes to forming
communities?
The Future of Festivals:
What is the position of festivals in the changing media landscape? What are their unique and distinguishing qualities? (in collaboration with the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen)