Singapore GIF Fest 2017 will see flashing lights, ambient sounds, and disorienting visuals. We find out more from the curator, Steve Lawler.
“It is designed to be accessible,” said multimedia artist and Kult co-founder Steve Lawler (aka Mojoko) in an email interview with Straatosphere. “It will showcase a wide range of artists who vary greatly in style. There will literally be something for everyone of any taste.”
The GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) turns 30 this year and has become a part of Internet users’ daily digital consumption. It’s especially popular on social media platforms like Tumblr and Facebook.
From stunning cinemagraphs to entertaining memes, this versatile medium is rarely exhibited as an art form because of its intangible nature.
“The disadvantage is the difficulty to sell the work, that is why it is never really seen often in art fairs and gallery shows. People don’t tend to buy GIFs, so it’s hard to make a living as a GIF artist,” Lawler told Straatosphere.
The GIFs will be presented in an immersive multi-media exhibition, and according to Lawler, it’ll be akin to visiting a “night club or space museum” than a traditional art gallery or space.
There’s currently an open call for submissions of original GIFs to be exhibited at the festival. The theme is “illusions” and the GIFs can be made in any media or photo program, as long as the final result is a looping sequence that can be projected or shown on a screen. Interested artists can submit their work on Instagram by adding the hashtag #giffestsg to their entry or email their work to info@giffest.com by September 1.
To help get you excited about the exhibition, we asked Lawler to prepare a compilation of his 10 favorite GIFs. According to him, these were chosen for their range, technique, and watchability. Enjoy!
For more information about the festival, visit the website here.
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