The French Institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina in partnership with Kultura Media is the organizer of the first Digital Street Festival, which opened on Sunday evening in Sarajevo and will last until the end of the calendar year.
Artist Edina Selesković has been using new technologies as a form of communication with the audience for a long time in her spatial installations. That is why she came up with the idea of presenting art from all over the world in Sarajevo, using new technology.
It is about the fact that, by using an augmented reality application, people on the streets of Sarajevo can see art that they would not have the opportunity to see in physical form.
“And that’s how the idea of the digital world of the Festival started. More than 40 artists from 20 countries applied to the international call, which we announced. Sixteen artists were selected, who are presenting themselves for the first time in Sarajevo,” said Selesković.
As she stated, it is about paintings and sculptures, which the public can see. By scanning a QR code, they can download the app, then, through triggers that will be placed all over the city, they can activate that app and see the artwork.
“Tonight we are presenting the application and the way in which the digital festival actually came from idea to realization. The application is open and available for everyone to use for free, and the Festival will last until the end of the year. When you see a QR code on the streets of Sarajevo, scan it, on the other hand something really interesting is waiting for you,” Selesković said.
The application includes, among others, two works by the artist Edina Selesković. These are two installations that are presented in 3D form, you can see how it would look like if they were placed in the physical world.
“One is a light installation, the other is a large installation made of metal. I think it’s interesting to see how it would look in the real world because the application is augmented reality and really convincing to our eyes. So you see through your mobile device what it is, but you also see additional content that takes you to another world,” emphasized Selesković.
Director of the French Institute and advisor for culture and cooperation at the French Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina Loe Lagrange points out the initiative of the artist Selesković for the realization of that festival, which she says is part of the Institute’s project called “Digital November”. The whole month of November has virtual reality activities.
The goal of the Festival is the relationship between culture and virtual reality, but also the point of the entire “Digital November” project.
The project was realized with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton. As part of the “Digital November” project, the French Institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina announced the organization of several sessions of virtual reality with VR glasses.
