The Resonate Festival has been held every year in Belgrade, Serbia for about the past… well, I am not sure how long it has been happening, but long enough to establish itself as a prominent European Festival for New Media. The city of Belgrade is one of the oldest in Europe. However, the type of culture the Resonate Festival promotes is not the typical (though lovely) architecture of old Europe, but more like something from the drafting table of Zaha Hadid.
“…to relate practical application of technology with a sound theoretical base and thus complete a full picture about technological processes and creative strategies which shape the potentials of the multimedial artistic expression.”
As the name might suggest, the festival was first conceived as a venue for music and technology. Smartly enough, the organizers (must have) allowed the presentation of more diverse media type. Thus, the wider concept of art and technology took hold. Resonate is certainly not the first of its type, given the history of such notable companion festivals such as, Ars Electronica and the STRP Festival in the Netherlands. However, the one outstanding distinction Resonate has over many other festivals is its focus on students. For one, the cost of a festival is very affordable, including all performances, workshops, and lectures. (Particularly, for internationals) Aside from the cost, the workshops are led by people who are of top ranks in their respective fields. Meaning, when you leave at the end of the day, it is likely you will have some very meaningful insight into the hardware, software, project, object…. something operable, for the thing you created. Workshops range from cutout stop-motion animation to iPhone games with OpenFrameworks. Have a look at the workshop list for yourself.
Raffles Multimedia and Graphic Design students are encouraged to stretch their perspective, entertain their imagination, and step into a community that designs with technology. If you meet this criteria and want to join Raffles in Belgrade, speak to someone from Multimedia Design.
by Casey Reas, artist and programmer (known most notably for his work on PROCESSING.)
