Festival X: What Happens When Art Meets Technology

Serving as a novel platform, Festival X is set to launch in Dubai next month and represents the intersection of Arts, Science, and Technology with a central goal of developing the media art community. From biotech to robotics, artificial intelligence, space trash, satellite data, and much more, Festival X will take place in Alserkal Avenue from October 7th to 9th, 2022.

Co-founded and directed by Amin Davaei, Festival X is powered by the award-winning and UAE-based events company, LINKVIVA and its presenting partner Al Serkal Avenue. Festival X is intended to be an educative space that illustrates, discusses, and advances the potential of hybridisation between different artistic and scientific disciplines, that hold important opportunities to shape the future.

As a new concept, the Festival X team is adamant about starting this journey on the right foot. They have accordingly benchmarked and collaborated with pioneers of this movement by bringing onboard Martin Honzik, Managing Director of Ars Electronica Festival, and Christl Baur, Head of Ars Electronica Festival as festival advisors, along with David Brüll, Founder and Director of NODE Forum for Digital Arts and the NODE Institute, as Co-curator and festival consultant.

With the sure support of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, LINKVIVA was able to bring Festival X to life; and the key partnerships with local and international establishments such as Alserkal, Creative Robotics, the University of Arts and Design, Linz as education providers, and Beckhoff as tech providers, Festival X can further position the progressive city of Dubai as the epicenter of creative tech in the region.

Niousha Ehsan, Chief Energy Officer of LINKVIVA stated: “We’re delighted to bring together some of the best leaders and researchers in creative coding and art, and we hope it plays a part in driving Dubai’s continual vision for innovation and collaboration”

The pilot edition of this revolutionary initiative fosters its multidisciplinary approach across Alserkal Avenue through the following four formats:

1. Exhibition – A curated exhibition of international and regional pieces of excellence, displaying the diversity of media arts to all who visit. Featured artists include Quadrature from Germany, Emanuel Gollob from Austria, Noor Stenfert Kroese from Holland, Rafael Ski from Brazil, and, Natan Sinigaglia and Pepper’s Ghost from Italy.
2. .Shows – Three nights of performances by international and regional artists, featuring Abhinay Khoparzi, the cofounder of Algorave India, to create an immersive and unconventional audio-visual experience.
3. Workshops – Two 3-day workshops instructed by featured artist and researcher, Sebastian Neitsch on accessing and using satellite data, and, Amir Bastan, Ph.D. candidate and researcher from Creative Robotics on exploring human and robot interaction, with honorary robot guest, Spot from Boston Dynamics, with an inclusive outline welcoming all enthusiasts.
4. Talks – Inspiring talks and open-panel discussions with incredibly high-achieving speakers including all featured artists and educators.

In addition to providing a platform that engages and cultivates the creative community in the region, the vision for Festival X is to become an annual event, with a different theme each year, to address a relevant global issue and form a community that can implement its influence through its creations to serve as potential solutions.