Not many are aware of this, but the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) — the internet’s favorite medium for reacting to things — is 30 years of age this year.
With the internet’s arguably most greatest file format hitting that milestone, it’s fitting that there’ll be an entire week-long festival in Singapore dedicated to the GIF (it’s officially pronounced JIF, okay) come October.
National Arts Council initiative Noise Singapore will be collaborating with art gallery and magazine publisher Kult to treat GIFs as a proper art form (as they should be) in the inaugural Noise x GIF Fest 2017.
Already, they’re inviting everyone to take part in the exhibition, which will take place from Oct 4 to 11 at Gillman Barracks.
Artists are welcome to craft GIFs inspired by the theme of “Illusions”, and they can be created in any medium (photography, animation, etc), so long as the final output is a looping sequence.
You just have to upload your work on Instagram and tag #GIFFESTSG in your post to take part — the deadline for submissions is Sept 1.
“We want to showcase the breadth of work Singapore has to offer, from illustrated GIFs to photographic and filmic GIFs,” said Kult co-founder Steve Lawler to TODAY. “[It’s] a chance for the artists to demonstrate their powerful image making and sequential design skills. It is going to feel like a very POP ART type of show.”
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