Living in a digital world…

Brighton Digital Festival 2014: A quick round-up

We all know that this is undoubtedly a digital age that we live in, and to some of us it’s all just 0’s and 1’s.

01100010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001So if you think that all this digital-din is just binary-babble and that Brighton Digital Festival is not for you… well, we'd like to suggest this isn't the case! There could be the perfect event ready and waiting for you to discover it… Under the umbrella of Brighton Digital Festival there is a veritable smorgasbord of events, with something for everybody, literally everybody from beginners to boffins.

For digital virgins, there are IT Courses; IT For Beginners 2014 gives you the opportunity to learn computer basics, using the mouse, keyboard, word files and folders, internet and email. If you are nervous about entering the digital age then this course is for you. IT For Beginners 2014 starts on 25 Sep (10am – 12 pm) for 10 weeks at The Bridge Brighton and costs a remarkable £10… who says the digital age is not for everyone?

For the more technologically savvy of you, there is the Happy Startup Summercamp – a three day camping retreat to unplug, get inspired, meet like minded people and have a bit of fun. There will be inspiring speakers, workshops and skills sessions. For the full line up and costs visit happystartupsummer.camp.

Who knew dance could be digital? Blurring the lines between man, his environment, flesh and silicon, choreographer Matthew Morris performs GøL4M. Take a look at the trailer to get a taster. Heavily influenced by science-fiction, Morris quite literally dances with lightning, moving and interacting with a Tesla coil to create a visually stunning and unique performance. GøL4M will be in our Corn Exchange on Tue 23 Sep.

Beyond the Bright Black Edge of Nowhere tells the story of one of America’s most bizarre mass disappearances. The story is told through cut-ups of 1950’s B-movies, promotional films and commercials, with a live electronic score, classical instruments and eight monologues. The performance of Beyond the Bright Black Edge of Nowhere is at The Old Market on Thu 4 Sep.

The ‘something for everybody‘ theme continues with a unique event that takes place on Brighton’s streets… and you are invited to participate! Suitable for all the family, You’re Getting Warmer is an outdoor adventure for families and small groups, exploring the effects of climate change. The story so far is that the Three and a Half Degrees Gang are on their way... and you are our only hope of slowing them down. Armed with a smartphone, you are agents for change, hunting down clues and interacting on your mission to stall the gang! As they say in old-skool dramatic detective stories… ‘Dun-Dun-Dunnnnn!’ You’re Getting Warmer will set out from Brighton Dome Café-bar, groups leave at 15 minute intervals.

The family fun doesn't stop there - you can enjoy a huge city wide treasure hunt to solve the mystery of the alien, OggBots. Having travelled millions of light years from the planet ‘Maketopia’, the OggBots are a motley collection of electronic life forms that have crash landed and fallen to pieces all over Brighton and they need your help. By solving clues and meeting strange characters, you’ll be given different parts of the OggBots electronic body. Once you collect them all, you might just make it to the mother ship, where you’ll bring your OggBot to life and learn the secret of why they crashed. Fun for anyone from ages 8 to 80!

Pop-Up Brighton's Bring Your Own Beamer will return with a free-for-all of light and colour. Visual artists literally bring their own projector and beam their works onto the spectacular canvas of Brighton Dome Corn Exchange. Enjoy this explosion of creativity, explore video installation pods and Scalarama short film cinema and marvel at the results of brilliant moving image artists who've brought their 'beamer'. You can head to this free event on Sat 20 Sep from 7.30pm.

Brighton Digital Festival guarantees to cater for all tastes and all abilities - in fact, there's so much on we can't possibly mention it all - though we'd like to! For more information head to the BDF2014 website and get stuck in.