Pixxelpoint Festival in Nova Gorica Explores Tech-Optimist Futures

The Pixxelpoint multimedia festival, founded in December 2000 in Nova Gorica, has become a staple for contemporary art and new technology enthusiasts. Held in the border town of Nova Gorica, Slovenia, the festival reflects the avant-garde interests of artists from Central Europe and the Balkans, such as net.art pioneer Vuk Ćosić. Originally named Computer art festival, it has evolved through labels like International Digital Art Festival and New Media Art Festival, now settling on Contemporary art festival. The festival is currently directed by artist and University of Nova Gorica New Media professor Peter Purg, who succeeded Igor Štromajer (2014–2015) and the BridA collective (2011, 2013, 2018). Purg's tech-optimist concept selects works addressing social phenomena, including Špela Petrič's installation 'Institute for Inconspicuous Languages: Reading Lips' on interactions with plants, Januš Aleš Luznar's audio/video performance 'Ictus Cordis' reimagining the body as an energy device for art-music production, and Sašo Sedlaček's performance 'Om for coin' where meditation creates a cryptocurrency via AI and the Oblomo blockchain platform (referencing Ivan Goncharov's 1859 novel 'Oblomov'). The festival also features concerts, roundtables, workshops, and film screenings across Nova Gorica.