CHARACTERS ‘Я’ US
This August 26–29 + September 17–18,
Pictoplasma welcomes all character design pioneers, creatives and enthusiasts
for a very special double-whopper HYBRID edition:
4-day PictoConference in Berlin in August (our first ever summer edition)
+
2-day global Online Fest in September
=
2021’s biggest celebration of the very best in contemporary character design and art!
17th CONFERENCE AND FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY CHARACTER DESIGN AND ART
This August and September 2021, Pictoplasma offers you all the unique chance to learn from, engage with and be awed by an unparalleled line-up of more than 40+ ONSTAGE and REMOTE artists from all corners of the world…
PICTOPLASMA
BERLIN CONFERENCE
AUGUST 26–29, 2021
Artist Lectures & Presentations
Symposium
Animation Screenings
Workshops & Art Happenings
Pictoplasma Berlin takes place at the extensive premises of a former crematorium, the Silent Green, a beautiful, vibrant cultural venue that already hosted several memorable Pictoplasma events. For the first time, Pictoplasma’s premiere summer edition will concentrate all activities at one lively venue, with conference talks, panels, animation screenings, workshops and exhibitions happening both inside and Open Air—ALL TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE GOVERNING RULES OF HYGIENE AND SOCIAL DISTANCE, while delivering tons of infectious character inspiration.
PICTOPLASMA
ONLINE FEST
SEPTEMBER 17+18, 2021
Artist Talks
Panel Discussions
Animation Broadcast
Live Workshops
In 2020, due to the pandemic, Pictoplasma was forced to cancel all IRL events and stream its first ever online edition, in Isolation, available for all and everywhere.
Now there’s no going back: The Pictoplasma Online Fest 2021 awaits you with more than 40 artist talks from all around the world, live hands-on workshops, panel discussions and screenings of animated shorts – broadcasted to your home on two channels over two jam-packed days, full of the very best in contemporary character design and art.
CONFIRMED BERLIN CONFERENCE SPEAKERS:
Alex Jenkins
UK
Andrey Kasay
RUS
Baphoboy
TH (Remote)
Elizabeth Ito
USA (Remote)
Esra Gülmen
TUR
Felix Colgrave
AUS (Remote)
Izzy Wheels
IE
Kissi Ussuki
LTU
Loulou João
BEL
Matt Furie
USA
Okuda San Miguel
SP (Remote)
Raman Djafari
GER
Renee French
USA (Remote)
Ýrúrarí
ISL
YUK FUN
UK
ALL ABOVE BERLIN SPEAKERS WILL ALSO BE PART OF THE ONLINE FEST IN SEPTEMBER
+ PLUS EVEN MORE, SUCH AS:
Amber Vittoria
USA
Cody Mejeur
USA
dina Amin
EGY
Dr. Kate Miltner
USA
Jeron Braxton
USA
Jumping Lomo
PE
Lisa Bogerts
DE
mr clement
HK
Musa Brooker
USA
Taili Wu
TWN
Tomas Ives
CL
Ton Mak
CHN
A limited amount of exclusive tickets are now available for you to join us physically and in person in sunny Berlin this August (strictly following the governing rules).
Alternatively, you can join us in September, via online streaming, from wherever you are!
Or both?
FRIDAY
Character Messengers
Multi-award-winning designer Esra Gülmen is a master of catchy visual communication and how to boil down a complex concept to its essence. More importantly, she uses her voice to propagate a better world beyond divisions of migration, race or gender. In this workshop, she helps you head straight to the core of your message and bring it across as a snappy statement on a bulletin style poster – and guaranteed eye-catcher in the public space.
SATURDAY
Turn a Sweater into a Friend
Join Icelandic artist and textile designer Ýr Jóhannsdóttir in this unique up-cycling session, and turn a sweater into a friend! We have a pile of donated knitwear ready to be characterised with colourful wool and yarn, encouraging you to create your own personal autumn season attire. Ýr will share her secret tricks on how to attack material with needle and felt to layer elements, add a brooch, or – if necessary – fill moth holes. Add a smile to your next outfit and pimp your garment to the max!
SUNDAY
Head on Character
Artist duo Lucy Cheung and Patrick Gildersleeves, known as Yuk Fun, have developed their unique signature style of bold, colourful and minimalist characters. Their trade-mark cat heads have become messengers for their ongoing fight for inclusion and diversity. Join them and prove how your creativity can turn an assortment of predefined shapes and limited colours into a sculptural celebration of individuality and character diversity.
A fresh selection of cutting edge animated shorts and premieres await you on the big screen – or your home entertainment system – during four brand new, thematic programmes full of psychedelic eye candy and ingenious storytelling…
Obviously, given the pandemic, international events on a usual Picto-Festival-scale are not possible at the moment…
As such, the admitted amount of attendees will be considerably more intimate and personal. Our hygiene and safety regulations are (conservatively) based on the measures mandated by the Berlin Senate. Apart from asking every attendee for a proof of vaccination/recovery or a test before entering the Conference and Festival spaces, the admitted audience is limited to 250 in order to make distanced seating possible — while wearing a FFP2 mask indoors is mandatory when not seated.
The event will gather all activities at one very special venue: the vast and friendly premises of a former crematorium, now a beautiful, vibrant cultural venue, offering more than enough space for all conference talks, panels, animation screenings, workshops, exhibitions, delicious food & drinks – both inside and Open Air.
In other words: THIS WILL BE PICTOPLASMA’S FIRST EVER EXCLUSIVE CHARACTER SUMMER-CAMP!
-
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26
16:00 – 23:00 Festival and Exhibition Opening, Open Air Screenings
FRIDAY, AUGUST 2711:00 – 12:30 Screening 1: Hell is other People
13:00 – 15:00 Lectures: Esra Gülmen, Baphoboy (remote), Loulou João
15:00 – 20:00 Workshop with Esra Gülmen: Character Messengers
16:00 – 17:30 Lectures: Andrey Kasay, Luiza Kwiatkowska
18:30 – 20:00 Lectures: Okuda (remote), Matt Furie
21:30 – 23:00 Screening: Feels Good Man, Documentary
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2811:00 – 12:30 Screening 2: Characters ‘R’ Us
13:00 – 15:00 Lectures: Ýrúrarí, Felix Colgrave (remote), Kissi Ussuki
15:00 – 20:00 Workshop with Ýrúrarí: Turn a Sweater into a Friend
16:00 – 17:30 Lectures: Izzy Wheels, Timothy Winchester
18:30 – 20:00 Lectures: Elizabeth Ito (remote), Yuk Fun
21:30 – 23:00 Screening 3: Psychedelic Midnight Mix
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2911:00 – 12:30 Screening 4: Characters Detox
13:00 – 15:00 Lectures: Hermione Mitford, Renee French (remote), Alex Jenkins
15:00 – 20:00 Workshop with Yuk Fun: Head on Character
16:00 – 17:30 Lectures: Raman Djafari, Aurélia Durand
19:00 – 23:00 Closing Ceremony, Performance
21:30 – 23:00 Screening: Best of 2021
Gerichtstr. 31
13347 Berlin
CONFERENCE & FESTIVAL VENUE
FUNDED BY
SUPPORTED BY
PRESENTED BY
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Anastasiia Baidakova, Adrian Gauci, Gloria Ciceri, Chamisa Kellogg, Joline Heyen