Offf Festival 2009: Digital Art and Music in Oeiras

The Offf festival, held from May 7 to 9, 2009, at Fundiçao de Oeiras near Lisbon, gathered the global digital art scene. Since 2001, the event has showcased post-production, software art, and interactive technologies. This edition featured digital graphics pioneers Aaron Koblin and Joshua Davis, interactive technology explorers James Paterson and Amit Pitaru, designers Stefan Sagmeister, Laura Sher, and Neville Brody, and musicians Alva Noto and Byetone. The theme was "Fail gracefully," interpreted as "After the crisis, creative revolution." Over three days, 27 creators and collectives presented avant-garde visual works, and 14 musicians from the German label Raster-Noton performed experimental electronic music. The audience of over 3,500 included professionals and enthusiasts. Joshua Davis exhibited "Offf Oeiras Beziers Grid," co-created with Float 4, using infrared cameras and lights to capture the audience's silhouettes, which animated a projected grid of hundreds of multicolored squares. The piece was driven by an algorithm creating "accidental beauty." Co-directors Hector Ayuso and Oriol Rossel emphasized that artists are evolving tools beyond art. Upcoming digital culture events include Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria (September 3-8, 2009) and Share Festival in Turin (November 4-8, 2009).