Bucharest City Hall, through creart – Center for Creation, Art and Tradition of Bucharest, organized on Saturday, 22^nd of September 2018, in Constituției Square, the 5^th edition of iMapp Bucharest – one of the biggest 3D videomapping shows in the world, an international competition which brings design, contemporary art and performance together on the 23,000 square meter façade of the Palace of the Parliament. Along the 5 editions, iMapp enjoyed the participation of more than 300,000 people.

For the first time in the history of the festival, 10 international teams have been chosen to participate at iMapp Bucharest 2018: Sila Sveta from Russia, Go2 Productions from Canada, LosRomeras and OTUCINEMA from Spain, NullPixel from Mexico, SKG Media from China, United Motion Labs from Austria, Mindscape Studio from Romania, OCUBO from Portugal, ArtZebs from Ukraine, and Vision Impossible from Netherlands.

The 10 artworks of the participants were analyzed by a specialized jury, made up of distinguished experts and major representatives of the international visual culture, from the fields of visual arts, communication, mass-media or film: Xavi Bové – artist, curator, professor and the 2016 FIMG Art Director – The International Mapping Festival of Girona, Kate Harvey – associate producer with Artichoke Creative Company from the UK, Ronald Ramakers – independent director working in the Netherlands and Germany for 10 years, founder of Phanta Vision Audiovisual Company and Director of the GLOW Eindhoven International Light Art Festival, Craig Harvey – Experienced Chief Engineer & Technology Strategist at Factory Light Festival from Norway and Yann Nguema – ambassador artist for the Festival of Lights in Lyon (France).

Jury Award – VISSION IMPOSSIBLE team from NETHERLANDS

At the end of the evening, the jury decided the Jury Award winner: VISION IMPOSSIBLE from the Netherlands, who presented the work “NATIVE”, a triptych about the fundamental values ​​of the Romanian people and what connects them. The colours of the Romanian flag have not only a geographical significance, but also a symbolic one: blue (liberty), yellow (welfare), red (family). The story “NATIVE” is said in terms of three iconic animals that have a symbolic and intrinsic value to the Romanian people: the bear, the wolf and the golden eagle. Animals are a metaphor for the symbolic value the flag holds. The scenes in each story are visually stylized to emphasize their symbolic value.

BLUE – Stylistic: The eagle tells a story about the release from a cage, either mentally or physically. GALBEN – Stylistic: The bear symbolizes our continued search to improve not only our lives but also those of our closest ones. RED – Stylistic: The power of the wolf pack symbolizes our desire for a sense of belonging. “NATIVE” is a story that bears the spectator through these three adventures, a story that ends with bringing together the three colors on a cloth, in one composition, to form the flag of Romania.

“We have chosen to use animals and nature to show the beauty and diversity of Romania, and to emphasize that it is in the nature of the Romanian people to keep strong on freedom, belonging and well-being. Our desire with NATIVE was to create a connection between the people of Romania, regardless of age, sex or origin.”

Vision Impossible is a reference studio in Amsterdam’s audiovisual industry, major festivals and concerts across Europe being in their portfolio. They focus on concepts and ideas that become spectacular from a visual point of view.

Audience Award – MINDSCAPE STUDIO from ROMANIA

iMapp Bucharest consists of an essential interactive component that enable the public to select their preferred competitor via text messages sent through a dedicated regular-priced line made available by the organizers on the night of the event. The team that gathered the most votes through SMS and was named the winner of the Audience Award was MINDSCAPE STUDIO from ROMANIA, which presented at the fifth edition of iMapp Bucharest the work “Today – The Child of Time”, a visual narrative illustrating the search of a young hero as he travels through three colorful fantasy worlds: a blue one, a yellow one and a red one.

The Joy of a Journey: “Can You See the Magic?” – this is how the first chapter of the favourite audience story of the iMapp 2018 opened. A boy named TODAY wanders in a beautiful century-old forest with stone columns and old twisted trees. All trees seem to be normal, except one in the center, which has something special, ALWAYS called. The magic tree tells him that in order to get into his world he has to unravel the secrets of time, the one with many faces.

RED – The Kingdom of Flames: the world of the dragon – The boy starts his journey into the fantastic world and climbs up on a bright bridge. Everything is red: fire, brilliant shapes, molten metal streams, and huge vertical walls. He is not afraid, on the contrary – pays attention to every detail. Boldly, vigilantly, he goes with courage to face the dragon.

BLUE – The Blue Kingdom: A meeting with YESTERDAY and TOMORROW, when the boy, TODAY, gives them what they lack, THE PRESENT, and binds what it was with what it will be. The boy swims through this serenity of an universal blue.

YELLOW – The Golden Paradise: The land where time stands still – the boy has the challenge of making time to run again, to fly like an arrow, to give him life so that the heart of time can beat again. Having managed to get through the three adventures well, the hero returns to the magical forest, over 100 years old, being YESTERDAY, TOMORROW, NEVER and finally ALWAYS.

“TODAY – THE CHILD OF TIME – The joy of a journey. Kingdom of Flames. The Blue Kingdom. The Golden Paradise. Return to the Enchanted Forest. This is for us iMapp Bucharest 2018, a presentation of the path of a new hero, TODAY, prepared for all sorts of adventures, in three magical realms: one blue, one yellow and one red. A beautiful story that wants to highlight the acceptance of the passage of time and the evolution that each of us has in life from a young age. ”

Mindscape Studio is a multimedia studio and creative technology, founded in 2007, in Bucharest. They specialize in bringing people closer to state-of-the-art technologies through projections and video mapping shows or interactive installations. The winners of the iMapp Bucharest Audience Award in 2015, Mindscape Studio, came back this year, “in the name of love for image, color and vibration, but especially for new technologies.”

CONCERTS

Prior to the 3D video, the stage in Constituției Square hosted the performance of HURTS, the famous British synth-pop duo formed in Manchester in 2009, consisting of singer Theo Hutchcraft and multi-instrumentalist Adam Anderson. HURTS enjoys international fame and hundreds of thousands of fans attending their concerts. Across the 4 albums the band have released they have sold millions of copies around the world.

The Romanian alternative rock band The Mono Jacks performed in the opening of HURTS, offering an effervescent live experience in an unique atmosphere. Before the long-awaited concerts, DJ CS84 animated the atmosphere for an unforgettable evening at the fifth edition of iMapp Bucharest.

The entry was free.