VISUALIA FESTIVAL 2017: A Different Kind of Innovation

Today’s press conference launched the new visual identity of the event and announced the date of the fifth anniversary of Pula’s Visualia Festival that will, this year, take place September 21 – 23.  Visualia Festival is the first festival of light in Croatia and represents the full magic and beauty of new technologies and audiovisual arts. Media representatives were today addressed by Boris Miletić, mayor of Pula, Sanja Cinkopan Korotaj, Pula Tourism Office directress, Marko Bolković, Visualia Festival director and president of Sonitus Association, and Siniša Jean Sambolec, author of the visual identity and 3D artist.

Visualia Festival is a festival of light and is an integral part of Pula’s cultural events carried out and organized by Sonitus in association with the Pula Tourism Office and many partners. The festival aims at promoting modern works in the field of audiovisual art contributing to a richer cultural offer, emphasizing artistic values and achieving benefits for the community and society.

“For four years the Festival was held in May. However, we think that September will be a more appropriate time for this Festival in terms of quality. One of the reasons is the earlier sunset, which means that the programs could start earlier. This will give the opportunity for children to enjoy the festival, and all other visitors, too can enjoy longer program hours. The second reason is financial, i.e. the festival co-financing. Results of applications for the festival co-financing, of which the most significant is EU funding, are not announced before June or even later, which is why staging the Festival in September is much easier in terms of finances”, said the Tourism Office directress Sanja Cinkopan Korotaj.

The festival’s fifth year is a proof of its value and the potential multiplied onto the development of competition and reinforcement of a recognizable destination image where Pula presents itself as the city of light. In its three days, the festival gathers over 10 thousand visitors who support such an event, which is the reason for continuing the tradition of sustainable presentation of modern works through different frames and spaces, offering visitors unforgettable impressions, emotions and new experience.

The mayor of Pula emphasized the importance of Visualia and is determined to continue supporting it: “This festival has branded Pula in a way. With these specific events, we would like to attract visitors to our city in months beyond the high season, which is of crucial importance. The new date of the festival in September, I believe, will enable an even greater number of Pula’s citizens and other visitors to come and enjoy the attractions of Visualia.”

Festival director Marko Bolković expressed his appreciation for the support from the City of Pula and the Pula Tourism Office that the festival has been provided with since its beginning. “We started in 2013 with our first festival in August. Already the following year, there was an even better cooperation with the City and the Tourism Office and illumination of the “Lighting Giants” by Dean Skira. In a single night, Visualia had around 12,000 visitors. In 2015, we managed to enter the Guinness Book of Records in the category of photography with the greatest number of people forming a light sign with exactly 4,013 visitors. This was exactly our desire – to have a maximum interactive festival and that all those visiting Pula live the city to the full during these three days through the magic of light.” Last year Visualia stepped outside the national borders with a pronounced international cooperation with other festivals of light and participation in the transnational program Spectrum with more than 20 installations of national and international artists from Portugal, France, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Austria.

This year’s program will consist of the best installations and shows present in the past four years. There will be various combinations of artists, installations and guests, but also works of Croatian artists. The specific power of the festival lies in local creative people. Not only are we able to enjoy their lighting creations, but, as the festival evolves, they take part in other festivals promoting Visualia and our city.

The last festival day will host the night race “Xica” carried out in cooperation with the Pula Kinesiology Association. The first race was held in 2016, and it will be even more special this year, with an emphasis on a greater impression of the race through the city bathed in light.

The turning point of Pula’s festival of light brings about novelties within its activity. This firstly means a new visual identity with which the festival emphasizes its previous activity, but also due to which it assumes a new significance projected towards society. This year’s visual identity was conceived and created by Siniša Jean Sambolec, 3D artist with a years-long experience in 3D visualization, design and animation. “I realized that the fifth year of the festival requires a change of visual identity that will be even more visually recognizable. The new visual is dominated by graphic elements of a circle representing photons in section, visible as light. They also served for creating other graphic forms recognizable as a luminous cloud, luminous tree, luminous garden. These motifs are part of the new visual identity and will appear on all promotional material this year”, said Siniša Jean Sambolec explaining the changes of the visual identity. It is interesting to say that the same forms also symbolize luminous installations within the creative collective of the Visualia Group, and each year the circles (photons) will build new graphic forms according to the increased number of their installations.

The festival logo has been simplified and consists of three letters “V” following the symmetry. This still makes it a recognizable symbol of Visualia.

At the end of the conference, the festival director expressed his appreciation for the years-long excellent cooperation with many private companies and institutions: “I would like to thank the Archaeological Museum of Istria  with which one part of the Visualia festival program is carried out and also companies Ara electronic, IDD production and Arenaturist as well as other partners for their logistic and technical support because without them, such a rich and quality program would not be possible. We thank the caterers and all other participants who help us in making this festival successful. Our gratitude also goes to our citizens for enjoying, visiting or taking part in this festival.”

See you September 21 – 23 in Pula at the fifth edition of the Visualia Festival!