Scan Magazine | Activity of the Month | Denmark
Nothing Happens is a short animated film – and a cinematic virtual reality (VR) experience – that questions the role of the spectator by inviting the individual to participate in an event. Photo: K.Pauli:CITIA
Activity of the Month, Denmark
Viborg Animation Festival – explore the richness of animation Viborg Animation festival (VAF) is not just about films and entertainment. As Denmark’s largest festival of its kind, it explores the meeting between art and technology and celebrates the countless possibilities of animation within business, education and healthcare. Taking place during the last week of September, the festival is part of Aarhus 2017 (European Capital of Culture) and will this year have a special focus on the world leader within animation: Japan. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Viborg Animation Festival
A string of films, workshops, conferences, exhibitions and cultural events will be among the numerous offers for guests visiting Denmark’s largest animation festival in Viborg. Running in its fifth year, the festival has made a name for itself by focusing not only on art and entertainment but also on the many oth90 | Issue 102 | July 2017
er areas where animation has proven to be a powerful tool of communication. “During the first couple of years, the festival was very much a local event, but by focusing on different areas we have gradually developed a more international profile. For us it’s very much about attracting experts from the fields in which
animation is used to create change and progress,” explains the director of the festival, Morten Thorning. “For instance, this is the case in healthcare and science, where animation and visualisation can be used to create clear and precise communication. In both areas, animation is used to communicate complicated topics that the public or patient has the need to be informed about in a way they understand.” In line with this philosophy, in 2017 the festival will, among many other things, host conferences such as Animated Health, Animated Learning, and Science Visualisation and Animation (Sci-Vi).