The pandemic will not pass! How can we reinvent a festival that brings together the public and professionals of interactive documentary every year in Amsterdam, when the world is confined? How can we rediscover the pleasure of exchanging with « zoom fatigue »?
We brainstormed with our friends at DocLab, and met up with other new friends on the other side of the globe who were releasing a beta version of a new online creative platform, a kind of mutant, illegitimate child of MySpace and Zoom/Google Meet, which turned out to be much more than that!
As a result, we put online a space where the public and professionals could interact, discover new things, meet up for dinner in a restaurant or go out for a smoke while playing Pacman, before moving on to a karaoke session… yes, yes, all that…
And then, because it was so much fun, we went back to the drawing board with smaller versions for the SXSW and Sundance 2021 festivals.
A brief overview ©Callum Cooper
The story in tweets
The opening of the do {not} touch program is TONIGHT at 8PM CET!
Experiences range from online projects, live VR performances, interactive outdoor experiences, planetarium screenings, and a radical attempt at climate-neutral theater.
Register for free: https://t.co/uFDLc7sqAo pic.twitter.com/YNBvTwvaoY
— IDFA DocLab (@DocLab) November 20, 2020
#IDFADocLab is open! Great, fascinating opening speech to introduce the amazing « do {not} touch » section! #newmedia #idfa2020 pic.twitter.com/GMtWn5nJEi
— Film Fest Report (@ffreportmedia) November 20, 2020
Beware all other festivals – @IDFA @DocLab have just upped the game with a CBBC Broom Cupboard style programme intro from @casparsonnen, their physical exhibition is being virtually replicated online, plus daily happy hours and discos ???? Also, karaoke. WHEN IS KARAOKE?? #idfa pic.twitter.com/HQBIGZlNAx
— Lisa Brook (@lisa_brook) November 20, 2020
The craziest of opening night parties @DocLab ???? pic.twitter.com/eV2WDZswW2
— elaine.wong (@eastboundelaine) November 20, 2020
The @doclab Do Not Play is weird and fun. This does capture the experience of being drunk and lost at 2am in Amsterdam pic.twitter.com/X8huDBIXq0
— Brett Gaylor (@remixmanifesto) November 20, 2020
Article in Dutch newspaper @parool about the physical side of this crazy festival year: https://t.co/ypBwjNlJc0
— IDFA DocLab (@DocLab) November 21, 2020
About to start a live podcast recording with some @IDFA @DocLab artists talking about ethics here in the « live studio » at https://t.co/ReczuxPxBR https://t.co/EIVu6Y4Blu pic.twitter.com/sVWZK4uj7Z
— Kent Bye VoicesOfVR (@kentbye) November 21, 2020
I love all the fun extra things you can discover on the DocLab festival platform! https://t.co/saafMH42zF
— Ingrid Kopp (@fromthehip) November 24, 2020
I am so incredibly impressed with what the @DocLab team have created this year. It’s responding to the pandemic but also creating something delightful, original and brilliant in its own right. Massively impressed and a little bit jealous. Kudos! https://t.co/jsQnWVK803
— Ingrid Kopp (@fromthehip) November 24, 2020
Went to the Chinese Dinner at @IDFA @DocLab that’s happening on a @Snapchat internal prototype experience called OhHay. Pretty cool spatialized teleconference app that even has a whisper function.
One of the best virtual networking events I’ve had so far.https://t.co/pQRyIKbapJ pic.twitter.com/b4BNgJjQPy— Kent Bye VoicesOfVR (@kentbye) November 24, 2020
Late night discussions at the IDFA @DocLab dinner. Nice virtual ‘hanging out’ experience and good chance encounters, being there feels effortless and fun. The team built some amazing fun spaces on top of a Snapchat product called Ohyay. https://t.co/7uq4mrAtVJ pic.twitter.com/vu063HDvEn
— ANRICK (@Anrick) November 25, 2020
Thank you all for attending and participating in IDFA DocLab and IDFA on Stage this year. Either as physical audience in Amsterdam or as mouse pointer, avatar, video chat box comment, flying emoji or a tiny dancing video from your home anywhere in the world. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jAgrJcD9YN
— IDFA DocLab (@DocLab) December 8, 2020
A condensed version of our online social exhibition do {not} play has reopened upon invitation by @sundancefest #NewFrontier . Hang out in a bar together, dance, do karaoke, play hive mind pong and more. Now open: https://t.co/XGIz1Tx6I1 ✨ pic.twitter.com/1dyGyK60IW
— IDFA DocLab (@DocLab) January 29, 2021
DocLab immersive dinner at Sundance #NewFrontier
It’s friends o’clock somewhere in the world.@casparsonnen @wotienke @bchirls @jigarmehta @DocLab pic.twitter.com/SOo1MY2hNY— Oscar Raby (@oscar_raby) January 31, 2021
do {not} play the SXSW edition is now OPEN! Dance, drink, sing, shave or meet for dinner in a digital restaurant during #SXSW See you there! https://t.co/61JE7onkFq pic.twitter.com/QWiohoHyg1
— IDFA DocLab (@DocLab) March 16, 2021
Some views from inside the machine
