Ivar Zeile

Select materials relating to the Fourth Annual Supernova Digital Animation Festival, presented in 2019 in Denver, Colorado with first collaboration outside the state with Toledo, Ohio’s Momentum Festival. A banner year for the festival, one that would lead to the formation of Denver Digerati as a non-profit organization with Supernova as the key annual event.

Supernova Digital Animation Festival 2019 

Feature Programming Saturday September 21st, 2019

With Additional Auxiliary Community Events September 5 - November 23, 2019

From the Press Release:

Denver Digerati presents the 4th annual SUPERNOVA DIGITAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL, the only forum in the world focused exclusively on digital animation and motion-art, brought free to the public through a network of spectacular outdoor LED screens situated in the heart of Denver, Colorado. The festival is hosted annually by Denver Digerati, a non-profit arts organization dedicated to advancing digital media as an exciting form of Public Art through display on outdoor screens and other practical support applications. Supernova is sponsored by Denver’s most respected agencies including the Denver Theatre District, Denver Arts & Venues, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, CU Denver College of Arts & Media, Colorado Office of Film Television & Media and numerous other culture leaders. Supernova promotes artistic innovation through a singular public experience and community network. A full schedule of activities and programming can be reviewed online at supernovadenver.com

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SUPERNOVA realizes its full potential in 2019

Digerati greatly expands the scope and scale of Supernova in 2019, combining the exciting possibilities of today’s technology with societal transformations leveraged to elevate Digerati’s global artist network to new heights. The festival will employ more public LED displays at once than ever before, with three sound-supported screens and four silent “Satellite” screens located in Denver’s downtown core, all presenting animations for 10 continuous hours on September 21st. Additional screenings take place indoors for the first time at three of Denver’s most popular hubs, with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and Denver Central Market all featuring distinct programming in association with the festival. A wide range of Supernova content will be presented to a new audience in Toledo, Ohio, through the first-ever collaboration with Momentum, a three-day community art celebration taking place the same weekend as Supernova’s festivities in Denver. All of this coincides with the launch of supernova.video, the festival’s new streaming channel/app, a revolutionary development that will allow anyone in the world to participate in viewing the vast range of dynamic animations that have defined Supernova since 2016. Taking shape since the start of the year, the app is designed to facilitate Supernova’s new $500 audience vote prize, and provide an ongoing source for the public to enjoy the best digital animation from around the world anytime. Supernova’s engagement with digital media is further elevated through a mind-expanding, month-long solo artist exhibition at Understudy developed by artist Ryan Wurst, and the immersive DigiLounge hosted at The Next Stage NOW Gallery at the Denver Performing Arts Complex from early September through November 23rd, supported by CU Denver’s College of Arts & Media. The Denver Film Festival will once again host two post Supernova screenings at the Film Annex located inside McNichols Civic Center Building in support of the intersection of technology and motion-art.

Supernova goes viral in the most expansive fashion in 2019, providing an ever-widening experience that endeavors to strengthen the worlds’ embrace of digital motion-art and the pioneering artists behind the movement. Digerati remains committed to breaking barriers and redefining what’s possible through a long-term approach centered exclusively in Denver since 2011.

SUPERNOVA programming highlights and artist attributes for 2019

Supernova is a cultural initiative that supports community, diversity and innovation in the arts, embracing a wide ranging local-to-global artist network. Two of the most welcome attributes within this year’s festival are noticeable increases in representation by regional as well as female artists across all programming, both factors generally beyond control. Each year the forum sees many new artists joining the forum, alongside those returning with recent works. Supernova’s prestigious annual Competition now moves into a trajectory that rewards artists exhibiting strong development in their work, with 2019 entrants Eli Ayres, Cassie Shao, Peter Whittenberger, Snow Yunxue Fu and Tizzy Cannuci returning as highlights. They are joined by a host of new artists like João Pedro Oliveira, Gabriela Ilijeska and Esstro9 who all promote exciting approaches in their work. The 2019 Competition carries a cash prize award of $1,500, to be determined by Visiting Guest Artist and Supernova 2018 Grand Prize Winner Jeron Braxton, one of the most exciting artists to burst forward in recent years. Braxton promotes a fierce, fresh aesthetic with socially compelling material that’s been elevated through other prestigious forums such as the Sundance Film Festival. Supernova will feature a spectrum of Braxton’s animations for this year’s solo artists spotlight. He will also pair with Supernova 2018 Award Winner Ryan Wurst for a special live digi-sonic performance to enhance the day’s programming at the feature LED Screen located in the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

Supernova brings back “Director’s Choice” as a premier focus intersecting some of the most fascinating and groundbreaking artists from around the world that define digital animation as the “Art of Today.” Fresh new talents Sara Roth, Cyane Tornatzky and Mek Hepler-Gonzalez deliver compelling works side-by-side with previous festival favorites like Max Hattler, Jack Wedge and Heather Crank. The Director’s Choice program will also introduce a new $1,000 award, to be determined by regional curators Daisy McGowan of UCCS Gallery of Contemporary Art, Livy Snyder of Rhinoceropolis and Black Cube, and previous festival guest artist/juror Faiyaz Jafri, who returns in 2019 as curator for Supernova’s “Overdrive - Adults Only” program of digital animation preceding the festival in a collaboration with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

Supernova continues to support popular programs “Everything Abstract/Experimental” and “Animation for all Ages,” and formalizes “Students Shorts” as a program now carrying a cash prize for an emerging animator in the amount of $500. Supernova will also showcase an assortment of animations by students enrolled in the fall semester at CU Denver’s College of Arts & Media, featuring a practical application of experiments in motion-art going directly from the workshop to screen.

Artists selected for the Competition program are given a $150 stipend in recognition of their work, with an additional $100 for those from outside the state who decide to attend the festival, a significant new development in 2019. Supernova maximizes the opportunity for the public and attending artists to engage with all animations through display in a wider array of formats and locations. Three premier downtown screens will simultaneously feature Supernova programs with sound, and each will also present a mixed playlist from across all programs from noon to 2:30pm, with priority given to works by locals and visiting guest artists. With 100 distinct digital entries, spanning from 90 seconds to 17 minutes, Supernova delivers a robust, ecstatic slate of artworks in a singular, exciting forum.

Silent Satellite Screens

Digerati’s overriding goal is to change the nature of public art through utilizing outdoor screens in support of digital media. Supernova related works are sampled throughout the year on the 16th and Arapahoe Street LED display, a continuous cycle that gets equal billing with the advertising populating the screen, serving as a strong model for the directive. During festival day, all downtown LED screens are turned over for displaying animations. Several found in the Denver Theatre District will serve as silent screens that will light up with animations looping throughout the day. Artworks chosen specifically for each context include new pieces by Colorado-based artists John Morrison, Daniel Maw, Camila G., and students from CU Denver CAM; Supernova 2019 juror Jeron Braxton and 2017 festival juror Jeremy Couillard; a multi-screen display from France dubbed “ Liquid Time - Jelly,” with a QR code activated sound component for personal devices; and additional artists Sarah Groff Hennigh-Palermo, Ana Carolina Estarita Guerrero, Jullian Young, Hung Keung David, Anabela Costa and John Harlan Norris.

Community Screen Hosts

Supernova enters a new collaboration with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the country’s most successful independent movie theatre chain, for the adults-only program “Overdrive,” curated by Digerati’s long-time inspiration and animator extraordinaire Faiyaz Jafri. Overdrive aptly widens the field of artistically driven animations at the core of Supernova with an assortment of potent, fun and compelling works that push past the barriers of suitability for public consumption. In keeping with the festival’s public accessibility, the special 90-minute screening is free, with purchase of a $5 Alamo food voucher, and guaranteed to thrill adventurous viewers seeking exposure to what’s happening in digital animation on even broader levels. The program will take place at 7pm on Thursday, September 19th at Alamo Drafthouse’s Sloans Lake location on Colfax.

Two additional local venues will engage new audiences on festival day, bringing Supernova’s prestigious programming into a comfortable indoor context for the first time. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science will present a digital “Supermix,” tailored specifically for the museum’s core audience, on their indoor LED display from Noon to 5pm. Presented in a setting remarkably similar to the festival’s premier location in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the Museum’s viewing screen is one of the best in the city and should prove to be a terrific location to watch programming during the afternoon on September 21st. A separate mix focusing on Locals, Animation for all Ages and other select animations will screen throughout the day at Denver Central Market in RiNo, bringing Supernova to this popular gathering hub’s large format monitor display from 10am to 8pm.

NXT STG DigiLounge

Digerati offers Denver’s public a nearly 3 month opportunity to become immersed in digital media through a collaboration with CU Denver CAM and the Next Stage NOW Gallery at Denver Performing Arts Complex. The space will transform into a multi-faceted experience for patrons to watch, learn, talk, shop, hang and play as part of their cultural excursions within the DPAC. Special features include a new VR experience by French artist Sandrine Deumier, special animation compilations by Justin Lincoln and Jeron Braxton, a program deconstructing “Hauntology” in digital media, a term applied by the program’s bright up-and-coming art curator and CU Denver student Olivia Snyder, and much more to satisfy hours of engagement in this well situated downtown gem. Digerati will host an opening reception for the DigiLounge as the ultimate base for Supernova in advance of the festival on Tuesday, September 10th from 5:30-8pm, featuring super-swag giveaways and a deep dive into digital culture. Supernova will also host the festival’s official launch party at NXT STG on Friday evening, September 20th from 7-9pm, with additional patron engagement occurring at nearby Understudy.

Watch TV Forever at Understudy Digerati widely embraced one of the most passionate and energizing local new media artists Ryan Wurst after his introduction to the Supernova audience at the 2017 festival. Unfortunately Colorado lost him just last month to Florida Southwestern State College, in a coup for that state, where the artist will establish a new digital-arts based curriculum in his first official role since receiving a PhD from CU Boulder. Wurst nevertheless returns to Denver for the festival in grand fashion, with one of the most outrageous and anticipated installations to ever take place at Understudy throughout the month of September, presenting the artist’s Mouth Breather Broadcasting Systems (MBBS) Infinite Television Network. This truly one-of-a-kind experience will feature three generative, AI driven shows: Oh, Mouth Breathers!, MBPD: Special Investigation Unit, and Love at the Lake, each streaming for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While available to viewers around the world via themouthbreathers.com, only Denver area residents & visitors will be able to check out the MBBS headquarters at Understudy, where they can take selfies with the Mouth Breathers, buy exclusive MBBS merchandise, participate in a Mouth Breather Zumba class, and watch MBBS all day long!

Supernova at Momentum Festival Toledo

In a year filled with many exciting new developments, one of the most significant for Digerati is a collaboration with the Arts Commission based in Toledo, Ohio, setting the stage to bring Supernova’s unique programming to a major public screen outside of Colorado for the first time at their annual Momentum festival. The partnership will introduce the singular international network of vanguard digital animators to a robust new audience through four distinct programs on Toledo’s massive public LED. The directive launches on the evening of September 19th with a 90-minute “Best of Supernova” reel, followed by a special program focusing on Great Lakes Region animators, curated by Toledo educator and Digerati commissioned artist Barry Whittaker. Supernova’s 2019 Competition program will then screen simultaneously to participants in both cities on Saturday September 21st, followed by a final selection of “silent-screen” animations. This exciting partnership with Momentum fully elevates Digerati’s focus on positioning digital motion-art as an exclusive art engagement, free for all to enjoy. Momentum delivers a varied selection of music and arts-based programming in a family friendly public setting along Toledo’s Maumee River waterfront, with a privately operated LED display serving as a key visual anchor.

TRY OUT THE APP for one month free by contacting izeile@supernova.video

Supernova launches Supernova.video streaming service in conjunction with 2019 Festival

The most profound development within Supernova’s four-year trajectory is the launch of Supernova.video, the curated streaming App at the new intersection of Art & Entertainment. Supernova boldly goes where no festival has ventured before, with a media channel that brings the most exciting forms of digital animation and motion-art being created today out to the entire world through a low-price, subscription based service. Launching on September 5th, 2019, anyone will be able to watch and enjoy Supernova’s carefully curated and cataloged digital animations anywhere and at anytime on their mobile devices, home entertainment systems or desktop computers.

The concept for the service grew grew holistically out of the desire to implement a meaningful audience vote award for the 2019 festival, and the potential in allowing the medium and artists to flourish in a manner not limited by the festival’s once a year singularity. Supernova.video dovetails with the latest technology that provides a formidable template for streaming channels to house and deliver motion-based content. The service is in lockstep with today’s access driven culture, a result of technology’s remarkable impact on our daily lives, as well as the multitude of screens populating both public and private realms. Following Netflix‘ massive success in universally changing viewing habits, “streaming” channels are seen as the lucrative future of entertainment. Already considered the buzz-word of 2020, there is currently widespread debate over can compete and at what cost.

Supernova takes an alternate route into this universe, becoming the world’s first reputable arts-based platform to initiate an advanced, comprehensive niche service. Ahead of the curve and with room to grow, Supernova is set to open new doorways in association with the visionary artists and unique circumstances surrounding its creation. Just as independent film and other forms of more artistically driven entertainment have developed footholds over time against the major conglomerates, Supernova is poised to become the leading, curated service for digital animation and motion-based art, and a gamechanger in the field of arts patronage.

Supernova categorizes collections within the channel in a similar manner to the festival, distributing content based on genre, aesthetic and thematic direction. Supernova also remixes the full content library into consumer “vibes,” allowing viewers a different approach to enjoying the artworks. Users can create their own playlists, share works with friends and associates, or simply press a single button for hours of entertainment in order to create an ambience that complements any situation.

Supernova recognizes the growing need for archive-based concepts that allow sustained access to artist-driven content and curatorial initiatives that are largely lost in the blink of an eye. Supernova.video is for the artists, passionate consumers and the general public alike who are all seeking to diversify from the spoon-fed entertainment currently dominating the airwaves. Supernova.video is a beautiful and exciting alternative, the perfect entry point into a rapidly growing and largely untapped artistic arena.

“Public festivals, like Denver Digerati and Supernova, intensify emotional reactions to the animation and generative art they feature by amplifying it to an epic scale. The act of viewing becomes an experience as crowds of strangers come together and share first impressions. When the same imagery is watched repeatedly at home on smaller screens, the experience is very different. A private, personal relationship develops between the art and the viewers that deepens our appreciation of the subtle details and complex ideas. Streaming allows the viewer to explore, curate, and enjoy the work up-close and personal or passively like background music that sets a mood and fills a room with atmosphere. Though the content is professionally curated, many of the gatekeepers that stand between artists and their audiences would be eliminated. The service would also provide creators with a new income source and promotional platform.” - Julia Morton, director of Generative Art Project, arts writer & curator, Austin, TX

“The difficult truth is that the vast majority of interesting animation is experienced by people as random internet junk, and not this incredible artform it might be to you.” - David OReilly, filmmaker and digital animation pioneer

Supernova 2019 program animations will commence streaming through the App on Saturday September 21st. The window for public voting through the App is one week worldwide through September 28th, 2019.

SUPERNOVA Sponsors

SUPERNOVA is presented by Denver Digerati and made possible through the support of the Denver Theatre District, Denver Arts & Venues, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, The Arts Commission Toledo, Exclusive Education Partner CU Denver College of Arts & Media, Colorado Office of Film Television & Media, Orange Barrel Media, and Branded Cities. Community hosts in 2019 include Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Alamo Drafthouse CInema, Understudy, NXT STG Collaborative at DPAC, Denver Central Market and Denver Film. Special thanks to Kristin Stransky Mallinger for design and production of Supernova’s annual award trophies.

Special Guest Artists scheduled to attend Supernova

Jeron Braxton

Faiyaz Jafri

Ryan Wurst

Julia Morton

Feature Program Artists scheduled to attend Supernova

Peter Whittenberger

Cassie Shao

Brian Ng

Sara Shoshana Roth

Danou "Jenny" He

Christina Hibner

Atomic Elroy

Michael Edwards

David Bennett

Supernova Feature Program Artists working in / from Colorado

John R. Morrison

Michael Sperandeo

Tara Knight

Cyane Tornatzky

Lares Feliciano

Kendra Fleischman

Kristin Stransky Mallinger

Matthew Langford & Jeremy Grant

Camila G.

Jullian Young

Daniel Maw

Lee Gallagher