International Festival To Showcase Work Of Digital Artists Worldwide

"A unique year long, on-line event which will showcase the work of digital artists worldwide," was how the International Festival of Digital Arts (IFDA) was described at its launch by the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales in Newport.
Professor Anne Carlisle, who is President of the innovative web-based festival, said: "Newport's University is delighted to have been invited by the organisers to play a key role in this exciting venture which is at the cutting edge of the ongoing digital revolution.
"By using the internet with enhanced video and sound quality, the Festival will transcend any traditional boundaries of time and space, as well as fields of creative work traditionally regarded as completely separate.
"Newport School of Art Media and Design prides itself on providing a diverse range of programmes that are very relevant to the Festival, including film, video and creative sound and music - all of which offer fantastic opportunities. We are now educating the children of the digital age who are constantly developing and exploring new forms of creative output through digital technologies.
"It's apt that this festival is being launched in Newport because of the number of bridges we have here. It's a city that makes connections just as this festival does."
As well as the International Film School Wales, which is based at the University, partners in the event include Newport City Council, Real Radio and The Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre.
The year-long event which is designed to celebrate the best the world has to offer in the fields of audio, video and photographic excellence is the brain child of John Wake who is Executive Chairman of the festival.
He said: "This festival is an acorn that will grow over the next few years and once it has become established will be as successful as the Swansea Film Festival. We have looked at lots of places to base the Festival, including Cardiff, and decided that Newport was the ideal location - it has all the necessary facilities, the University with the IFSW and the city council have been very enthusiastic about it.
"Digital arts are the big thing in the world at the moment and we are so glad to have Newport's University on board. This will be a year-long festival which anyone in the world can enter and contribute towards on the website which will be packed with creative content and include a variety of prizes in various categories including best video, best single and best audio drama."
Commenting on the fact that the Festival will put Newport on the map, the University's Pro Vice-Chancellor for Regional Development, Chris O'Malley, said: "My interest is primarily in the impact the festival will have on Newport and the surrounding region. There is no better opportunity to reposition Newport as we have one of the strongest Schools of Art and Design and in the UK and in the world."
The launch was held at an exhibition at the Riverfront in Newport, which encapsulates the spirit of the Festival. Chris O'Malley added: "This current 'Ghosts in Armour' exhibition provides a very positive example - created by staff, students and graduates of the University, it features the kind of art that can be used to capture people's lives. Part of the role of digital arts is to look at people's lives and reflect them."
This year-long Festival will culminate in an awards ceremony in October 2009. Further details are available at: www.amritsa.com
(KMcA)