India’s Only Media Arts Festival Returns to Mumbai this Weekend

The EyeMyth Media Arts Festival is back in Mumbai this weekend for its fifth edition. Between November 29 and December 01, 2019, visitors can explore an eclectic fusion of global art, culture and technology at several locations across town. Designed as a creators’ playground, EyeMyth will see three days of programming that includes conferences, new media showcases, panels and of course, the much-awaited afterparties. 

Immersive storytelling and mixed media wonders are the hallmark of EyeMyth, which will bring together radical designers, artists and technologists. The venues for the 2019 edition are Deepak Cinema, Flea Bazaar Cafe, ISDI and AntiSocial, all located in Lower Parel. 

The programming is broadly split into four parts. The first is called the Massive Mixer, a visual conference featuring over 50 speakers who will share their approaches to innovative storytelling and creative tech across themes like gaming, transmedia, digital heritage and indie publishing. Then there’s the Media Arts Showcase, which will feature artworks by emerging creators. The little alcoves within this mega-display? ‘The fantastic indie game arcade’, where visitors can try award-winning indie games from Switzerland and India; Mechbelief, where concept artists will combine alternate Indian histories and science fiction; the Visual Music Showcase, and its radical short films and animations about global music; and VR KINO, which will exhibit cutting-edge virtual reality experiences. Both these events are on November 29 and 30. The afterparties, naturally, will rage on all three days. Don’t forget to check out the snazzy website for Future Fiction, a sub-event that preempts trends in digital creativity. 

Hands-on workshops under the banner of ‘Speculative Sunday’ are slated for December 1. The final day also features a futuristic brunch—the ‘Bhavishya Bhojanalaya’—curated by chef Gresham Fernandes. Participants may visualise radical cultural shifts in the workshops’ three sessions, and explore opportunities and alternative ideas on how to tackle problems of sanitation, water and waste in India. 

“The Indian digital arts scene is at the cusp of becoming exponentially more potent and diverse. The next decade of Indian creativity will hopefully create a distinct and powerful identity for its creators and their work globally,” says Avinash Kumar, EyeMyth’s Creative Director. “EyeMyth sees the need for entities like itself to articulate and expand on the emerging discourse.”

For updates, follow EyeMyth’s official website and Instagram. You can buy tickets here.