Audiovisual Transformation
The VJ FEST ISTANBUL, which took place the last time in june 2012 is a media performance festival about live-visuals.
Last years´s goal was to bring some light and color to public spaces. The Festival purpose is to share knowledge and demonstrate VJ-ing as a social act: open and free for everybody. Its aim is to reinforce media art culture and vj networks.
During workshops the participants asked themselves: What is the future of VJing? What is the future of live cinema? How can we interact with the audience? What is the social role of VJ? Does video jockeying need to be digital? What is new media? Are we doing art when we mix commercialized music videos?
The VJ Fest Istanbul 2012 which was organided by Burcu Gündüz, wanted to focus on the gentrifictation and the urban change of Istanbul. By doing visuals projected on houses of Istanbul´s district Tarlabasi, they wanted to spotlight the planed changes and the transformation of the city.
VJing is a art form which is often produced for nightclubs and the subculture scene. VJ stands for Video/ Visual Jockey and describes a videoartist who does a realtime visual performance in synchronization to music for an audience. This results in a live multimedia performance that can include music, actors and dancers. VJs are mixing during their realtime performances content from storage media as well as live camera input or from a computer generated visuals- that´s what makes visuals so interesting. It is a mix of existing and new created material.
Also interesting is the mix and union of auditiv and visual media, which leads to a totally new perseption for the audience. This audiovisual performative practices makes the spectator feel like being sucked up in the music as well as in the visuals. The idea of vjing leads to a more complex idea of identity and persona (individual and collective), the moment as art and the question of authorship and collaboration.
Other VJ-Festivals or also called Mapping Festivals are Mapping Festival in Geneva , VJ Festival in Nürnberg, Sound Frame in Wien or Lunch Meat in Prag.