[Festivals Stories] Athens Digital Arts Festival

Athens Digital Arts Festival (ADAF) responded very fast to the new needs that the COVID has placed on Society and Arts and Culture industry. That means that since the beginning of the pandemic the Athens Digital Arts Festival had many noteworthy achievements, the most important of those were the first digital art online streaming festival in Greece and one of the first in Europe (July 2020), and a festival dedicated to contactless interaction [Covid Free] (October 20).

ADAF was the artistic creator of a 3D mapping projection on the facade of the Greek Parliament, based on the exhibition "Beholding Liberty! At the Hellenic Parliament" (April 21).

ADAF made the technical production of the largest digital projection mapping event ever held in Greece. It was performed simultaneously in 18 different cities across the country under the name "˜Desire For Freedom'. Organised by the "Greece 2021" Committee (June 21)

ADAF was the Invited Festival at the Exhibition "Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis - in the Belt of Change" at the International Art Exhibition "The Tides of the Century" in Hainan Ocean Flower Island, China 2021 in which Greece was the featured country. The project was set up 100% remotely, a world case study (May 21),

ADAF made the 3D Virtual Tour of Athens International Airport 'El. Venizelos', which was used also for educational purposes.

ADAF was established through Guerrilla and experimental activities. We are always trying to find new ways to approach and reach our audience. One of our main goals is to evelop strategies for audience engagement through the festival and all year-long actions. That means we are always looking into the unexplored to create something new. Our next move is the creation of the ADAF Hybrid. A festival that will fully combine the advantages and possibilities of a physical and digital event.

Our festival always launches itself with a call for entries, with more than 6.500 artists responding. Through this process, the festival committee selects the most exciting and emerging works. In addition, through our large artist database, but also through the ADAF Artist's Roster, we communicate and exchange artists and content with international digital festivals globally. From these exchanges, we receive an impressive amount of content to present in the "Festival of the world" category. ADAF is very much in favour of collaboration and synergies with international festivals and organizations, exchanging content and activities with the aim of maximising the mobility of artists.

We believe that in a short time, when the covid storm calms down, things will find their new balance. All these conditions will have changed the audience, the festivals and the way they are approached. The new technologies part will undoubtedly have evolved. We look forward to taking up this challenge and seeing the next editions of ADAF with cutting edge technologies and new experiences for the community.

More information: https://2021.adaf.gr/festival/

(General Editor: Simon Mundy)