PIXEL: Reprogramming Reality - Festival Multidisciplinare sull’Immagine Digitale

From November 15 to 22, 2024, Bolzano will host the first edition of PIXEL, a festival created to explore the concept of imagery in a society increasingly shaped and influenced by the overload of digital data.

The event aims to investigate how images—from snapshots to video conferences, from screenshots to reels—have become witnesses of the present and custodians of collective and individual memory.

Through a selection of international films, artistic workshops, and theoretical discussions, PIXEL offers a critical reflection on cinema and visual production as tools for archiving and preserving memory.

The festival also includes the Movie Border Review project by the Cineclub Association, the Passaggi di Memoria project by Spazio5 and OfficineVispa, positioning itself as a multidisciplinary event that encourages dialogue among artists, scholars, and citizens, creating a bridge between past and future, between image and reality.

The full program includes performances, workshops, film screenings, roundtables, and meetings with international experts, providing a platform to delve into the role of images in contemporary society.

PIXEL, curated by Manuel Canelles in collaboration with Emma Baruffaldi, is co-produced by Spazio5 contemporary cluster and the Cineclub Association, in collaboration with OfficineVispa, with support from the Italian Culture Department of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.

FESTIVAL VENUES

Trevi Lab – Centro Trevi | Via dei Cappuccini 28 Bolzano
Cinema Capitol. FilmClub | Via Streiter 8/D Bolzano
Sala Videodrome – Cineclub / Cineforum | Via Roen, 6 Bolzano
OfficineVispa – SottoCasanova Location - Bolzano
Studio Elisa Grezzani | Via Rencio, 38 Bolzano
Spazio Macello | Via Macello, 18 Bolzano
Organizational headquarters: Spazio5 contemporary cluster | Piazza Gries 18 Bolzano

EVENT PROGRAM

Friday, November 15: Festival opening at Spazio Macello in Bolzano with a musical opening by lä ma followed by a sound performance by artist Stefano Bernardi, Mirror to Mirror, and presentation of the festival events.

Saturday, November 16 and Sunday, November 17: Creative workshop on reusing images. #photodump workshop. This workshop, conducted in collaboration with Cineclub, draws from the concept of visual recovery and offers participants the opportunity to work on pre-existing videos, exploring how manipulation and editing of images can generate new narratives. The goal is to reflect on the use of already produced digital content, creating a connection between past and present, and stimulating creativity in rethinking visual material.

Monday, November 18: Screening of the documentary Hidden Photos at the ZeLIG documentary school, with director Davide Grotta present for a Q&A session after the screening.

Tuesday, November 19: Presentation of the Passaggi di Memoria project at the new OfficineVispa location, an initiative that collected the personal archives of residents from the Ortles/Casanova neighborhood, documenting 50 years of history of a territory without official narratives. The evening includes a conversation with Cooltour and screenings of visual projects related to the neighborhood's memory, followed by a DJ set with Berlin-based DJ Barbara Bo.

Wednesday, November 20: Evening screening at 8:30 PM of the documentary Cameraperson at Cinema Capitol. The film will be introduced by the curators of the series.

Thursday, November 21: The Trevi Center will host a workshop on the word, directed by Prof. Ledo Prato, Secretary General of Mecenate 90 and expert in cultural policies. In the evening at 8:30 PM at the Videodrome room on Via Roen 6, in collaboration with CineForum and Cineclub, the screening of the documentary Black Code will be introduced by the series curators.

Friday, November 22: Festival closing at the studio of artist Elisa Grezzani, with a screening of the experimental film Verifica Incerta by A. Grifi / G. Baruchello, a pivotal moment for Italian underground cinema. Following will be a roundtable discussion featuring Elisa Grezzani (Visual Artist), Steve Bisson (Chair of Photography at the Paris College of Art), Claudia Corrent (photographer and lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice), Michele Fucich (art historian and independent curator), Lisa Andreani (curator and representative of the Grifi Association), who will discuss the impact of digital images on historical memory and perception of reality. Representatives from the Baruchello Foundation are invited.

INFO

PIXEL: Reprogramming Reality
Multidisciplinary Festival on Digital Imagery
November 15 - 22, 2024 | Bolzano - various locations

Created by Manuel Canelles
Curated by Manuel Canelles and Emma Baruffaldi
Production by Spazio5 contemporary cluster
Co-production by Cineclub Association
Collaborations: Anita Bianchi, Andrea Oradini, Cristina Nicchiotti, OfficineVispa
With the support of: Autonomous Province of Bolzano - Italian Culture Office

Information
Spazio5 contemporary cluster
[website URL]
[website URL]/pixel
studio.openspace@gmail.com
Web: www.spazio5.net/pixel