A signature moment repeated often at last year’s IGNITE Broward was the reaction of passers-by to “As Water Falls.” A floor-to-ceiling video wall with a rectangular pond at its base, the digital monolith from Montreal’s Irregular art studio sent black and white pixels pouring down the screen, to be reflected in the pond, in endless combinations to a continuous sound of rushing water.
It didn’t take long for curious attendees, enchanted by the installation’s hypnotic rhythms, to discover that it also responded to their movements. Soon they were fully engaged, waving their arms with cellphones outstretched and watching the imagery transform in real time. They were conductors, choreographers and painters all at once.
Guests at this annual convergence of art, technology and interactivity won’t see “As Water Falls” in 2024 (it’s on tour), but here in year three they can look forward to plenty of other experiences that bridge the gap between observer and object and turn spectators into creators. IGNITE Broward is literally twice as large as last year’s edition, with 19 artists and 27 exhibits, and organizers make no secret of their ambition to rival Miami Art Week for regional drawing power.
“With more immersive experiences than ever, this year’s IGNITE Broward festival is growing to become one of South Florida’s signature events,” Phillip Dunlap, director of Broward Cultural Division, tells PureHoney. “We’re proud to work with artists from all over the world to shine a light on creativity at the forefront of art, technology, and sound and invite everyone to experience these wonders first-hand.”
Solar Hive by Anaisa Franco
A free, participatory experience open to all who RSVP, the five-day exhibition features light sculpture, projection mapping, audio-visual installations and much more at locations in Fort Lauderdale (Esplanade Park and Museum of Discovery and Science) and Dania Beach (MAD Arts). “Our goal for the third installment of IGNITE Broward is to create the most accessible, immersive experience for attendees of all ages,” says MAD Arts CEO Marc Aptakin.
Artworks by “imaginators” Ottomata, Anaisa Franco Studio, Scot DiStefano / Verve Multi and more will comprise the large outdoor light sculptures and projection map displays on the grounds of the museum and the park in Fort Lauderdale. MAD Arts will host numerous exhibits and workshops where visitors can continue transforming their knowledge and conceptions of art, courtesy of participating artists including Rosanna Kalis, Richard Vergez, OLO Creative Farm, Makoto Tojiki, Jaime Reyes + ReThread, and Josh Miller & Angela Fraleigh.
Strates by Thomas Garnier
Here are some of the highlights:
— Though smaller than Miami Art Week’s Art Basel, IGNITE Broward competes with well-established fairs by leveraging the visual and theoretical innovations of artists such as Tine Bech of Tine Beach Studios. Specifics on Bech’s plans for IGNITE were undisclosed as of press time but we anticipate interesting things from the creator of “Illuminated Swim,” which employed Olympic-sized pools as canvases of light and real swimmers as artistic elements in a Mark Rothko-inspired collaboration.
— Video installation artist Holly Danger will project art set to electronic music by Tapered Shapes, with guests invited to dance along to shifting technicolor lights and patterns as Danger transforms the surrounding space.
— Poet and artist Ana María Caballero will give performative readings projected through 3D holoboxes. Caballero’s subjects include generative AI, Web3, and the intersection of biology, sociology and culture.
Theatre of Brain Stars by OLO creative farm
— Adding to IGNITE’s Rolodex of intellectual heavy-hitters, Anaisa Franco fuses biophilia, cognitive science and psychology into sensory-stimulating public sculptures that illuminate connections between micro and macro worlds. Mad Arts’ MadLabs facility has confirmed rumors — with glimpses on Instagram — of Franco’s “SOLAR HIVE,” a work comprised of vibrant organic shapes to be unveiled at the show.
— The Ottomata studio specializes in themes of tactile experience and celestial understanding, and if previous works such as “Ozone” are a guide, whatever they present at IGNITE in 2024 will dissolve any remaining boundaries between art and viewer. “Ozone” viewers would press themselves against the work’s Spandex surface, altering the imagery cast onto the fabric while also triggering sounds, in physical and metaphorical acts of creation for a piece contemplating the cosmological construction of our universe.
IGNITE Broward runs Wednesday-Sunday, January 24-28, at Esplanade Park and Museum of Discovery & Science in Fort Lauderdale and MAD Arts in Dania Beach. ignitebroward.com ~ Amanda Moore
