In recent months, digital art seems to have been eclipsed by computers and machines that, using artificial intelligence, are capable of generating millions of images in a few seconds and even imitating the style of prestigious artists for free. However, with the aim of reclaiming the value of professional creators, the OFFF Festival will turn Barcelona, from May 8 to 10, into the nerve center of the latest trends in the field of art and design, bringing together more than 70 speakers from the creative industry, from sector leaders to emerging artists, to share their trajectory and projects, in addition to a program of installations, workshops and creative sessions.
This year, the pioneering festival celebrates its 25th anniversary, since in 2001, long before the widespread use of the Internet and social networks, it burst into the Catalan capital as a meeting and dissemination space for the most avant-garde and revolutionary art, bringing together professionals from graphic design, visual music, typography or branding. To blow out the candles, the festival will offer a wide program of activities precisely in one of the neuralgic points of digital art, in the Glòries area, which stands out with a renovated green space.
The Disseny Hub will be the space for professionals and leaders of the creative industry, from illustrators or filmmakers to designers who work with artificial intelligence, to meet and share their projects. In total, for three days the festival will offer presentations by 70 creatives such as Samar Maakaroun and Marina Willler, partners of the prestigious design company Pentagram London; filmmaker Anna Ginsburg, known for her hand-drawn 2D illustrations; typographer Mat Voyce, or animators Brosmind.
To address how to fit artificial intelligence into digital art, the festival will also feature creators who incorporate this technology into their projects, without forgetting to develop their own style, such as the Barcelona brothers Boldtron ---artistic pseudonym of brothers Xavier and Daniel Cardona, specialized in 3D design and virtual reality---, French artist Ines Alpha, focused on digital beauty and the application of 3D techniques, or film director and multimedia artist Paul Trillo.
In addition to the presentations, tickets for the festival ---which cost around 150 euros for a one-day pass, or 370 for full access to all three days--- also include workshops and creative sessions to learn about different digital design techniques, such as creating album covers for music, as well as to improve skills in using programs like Adobe Photoshop.
For the first time, the event promotes greater integration with the city of Barcelona with its OFFF ciudad program, to open up and connect with the Catalan capital and its inhabitants, following the model of other festivals held in the city such as Primavera Sound, offering a set of free activities open to all audiences, with new areas of free access.
The festival, in the style of other events such as Llum BCN, will once again explore the possibilities of the Disseny Hub facade as the ideal space to sit and enjoy different mappings, through the project The Screen. From nine to eleven at night, during the three days of programming, surprising projections created by emerging artists and industry leaders will be shown, in addition to a selection of design pieces by the participating OFFF speakers, chosen by filmmaker Nathalie Van Sasse Van Ysselt. Each projection will conclude with a public night event, with the intention of creating an immersive afterparty atmosphere and becoming a meeting point for professionals and art enthusiasts.
The program will be complemented by an outdoor design street market, which will be open from ten in the morning until nine at night, featuring products from local and international design stores, and artisanal pieces and cutting-edge contemporary designs. A space designed for art enthusiasts who want to connect with local designers and emerging talents, as well as acquire unique pieces.
Additionally, following the precedent of the last edition, the festival will repeat the NXT program, a platform dedicated to showcasing emerging talents from Barcelona's main design schools. In this edition, the program presents a selection of 12 projects by students from local educational institutions, such as BAU, CTIM - UPC, Elisava, ESDI, FX Barcelona, Harbour Space, IDEP, IED, La Salle, LABASAD or LCI. The dozen selected candidates will be able to present their projects to a global audience to begin their journey in the professional world of design.
Throughout its 25-year history, the OFFF festival has grown even outside the Catalan capital, landing with activities also in Seville ---where it will arrive from November 27 to 29---, Mexico, Montreal and Tel-Aviv.