Motyf 2021 Logo

MOTYF FESTIVAL 2021–2022: COMMUNICATING COMPLEXITY

WORKSHOPS

Apr. 12 – 16, 2021

Online master classes. Free for students.
$150NZD for professionals.

Complete

SYMPOSIUM

March 25, 2022

Join us for an online event streamed across multiple timezones.

Watch the Livestream

EXHIBITION

Opens March 25, 2022

International exhibition co-hosted in Warsaw, Poland and Wellington, NZ.

More about the Exhibition

Motyf is an International Symposium and Media Art Exhibition that explores current and future forms of interactive and motion typography expressed through art, design, space and technology. The theme of the 2021 Festival is “Communicating Complexity” and will broadly explore how the elements and principles of visual, motion and interactive design can be leveraged within sequential, interactive, spatial or experiential works to authentically inform our understanding of society, elucidate complex concepts, or aid in the communication of data.

PRESENTERS, HOSTS & WORKSHOP LEADERS

Photo of Kat Greenbrook

Kat Greenbrook

Rogue Penguin,
Aotearoa New Zealand
Paul Tobin Photo

Paul Tobin

Weta Workshop,
Aotearoa New Zealand
Silas Munro

Silas Munro

Otis College of Art and Design,
United States of America
Photo of Kelsey Gee

Kelsey Gee

High Impact Innovation Programme, NZ Department of Corrections,
Aotearoa New Zealand
Photo of Angela Morelli

Angela Morelli

Info Design Lab,
Norway
Henrik Gieselmann Photo

Henrik Gieselmann

Germany
Dr. Hilary Kenna Photo

Dr. Hilary Kenna

IADT,
Ireland
Photo of Jan Kubasiewicz

Jan Kubasiewicz

Massachusetts College of Art
and Design,
United States of America
Photo of Dr. Mark Bradford

Dr. Mark Bradford

Massey University,
Aotearoa New Zealand
Ralf Dringenberg Photo

Ralf Dringenberg

Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd,
Germany
Ewa Satalecka Photo

Dr. Ewa Satalecka

Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technologies,
Poland
John Howrey Photo

John Howrey

Savannah College of Art and Design,
United States of America
Photo of Andre Murnieks

Andre Murnieks

Massey University,
Aotearoa New Zealand
Photo of Anna Foltinek

Anna Foltinek

Futurice
Germany
Nils Weger headshot

Nils Weger

University of Applied Sciences Mainz, Germany
Photo of Dr. Jan Piechota

Dr. Jan Piechota

Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technologies,
Poland
Brian Lucid Photo

Brian Lucid

Massey University,
Aotearoa New Zealand
Anja Stoffler Photo

Anja Stöffler

University of Applied Sciences Mainz, Germany
Zach Kaiser Photo

Zach Kaiser

Michigan State University,
United States of America

WORKSHOPS

Motyf 2021 features a curated collection of online workshops hosted by respected designers and design educators. The workshops bring together students and professionals to explore the themes of the festival from different technical and conceptual angles. Thanks to the generous support of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), the workshops are free for students, and are a nominal fee for design professionals. Professional tickets on sale now. Student tickets will go on sale March 31, 2021 at 9:00PM (NZDT) / 10:00AM (CET). A PDF Workshop guide is available for download. Questions? Contact the Motyf 2021 team.

Mapping Mashups

Brian Lucid, Massey University

April 12 – 16, 2021
Free for students
$160NZD for professionals

This workshop will playfully explore various methods of visualising the complicated inter-relationships that exist in multi-layered, time-based audio compositions. It will ask participants to identify, through research and observation, the content and structure of chosen musical compositions, then challenge them to communicate what they have learned through a diagram (or visual score) designed to be understood by a general audience. To support this work, the group will investigate the influence of remix culture on design and music while viewing and discussing historical examples of complex and experimental forms of musical notation..

Design within and for a Post-Scarcity Society

Zach Kaiser, Michigan State University

April 12 – 16, 2021
Free for students
$160NZD for professionals

The Covid-19 pandemic and accelerating climate change have laid bare the horrifying nature of global capitalism. We have no choice but to imagine different socio-political-technical configurations—a massively complex endeavour. Many theorists who imagine a post-scarcity future rely on a false idea about the power of automation, the prominence of which belies other economic shifts. If “abundance is not a technological threshold to be crossed,” however, but instead a “social relationship,” what does a post-scarcity society actually look like? This workshop—a theory-driven seminar-studio hybrid—asks what a post-capitalist, post-scarcity society might look like, and how design is done in such a society. It will critically engage with ideas about automation and ask what design means when basic human needs are met, economic growth is no longer an imperative, and necessary labor is shared and not relegated to certain classes of society.

Animated Conversations

Dr. Mark Bradford & Andre Murnieks, Massey University

April 12 – 16, 2021
Free for students
$160NZD for professionals

Animated Conversations: Creating a system of dialectic, gestural, emotive micro-interactions to augment virtual conversations. A taxonomy of abstracted, threaded movement acts can capture points of view involving actions, practices, interactions, activities, (inter)actions, reactions, human activity, and social practices. Through a series of group activities, demonstrations and discussions, students will seek to co-design a series of animated glyphs to convey attitudes, reactions, and feelings as conversational support in a deprived virtual setting. The group will attempt to finalize the system as a singular taxonomy to aid in virtual conversations with an emphasis on sharing creativity and critique.

Prototyping Interactive Visualizations

Henrik Gieselmann

April 12 – 16, 2021
Free for students
$160NZD for professionals

New and evolving technologies allow and challenge designers to create new ways to communicate with an audience. Virtual and augmented reality technologies are slowly adopted more widely and even the web still evolves with technologies like WebGL and WebXR. While planning and designing on paper is still essential, testing and experimenting is crucial while exploring interactive applications. This workshop will look at Unity to quickly and easily create prototype applications in the context of visualization. While not everyone has to become an expert programmer, having a basic understanding will help to explore and communicate more clearly with other team members.This workshop is aimed at people with little or no experience in programming.

2D Concept Design for Imaginary Worlds

Paul Tobin, Weta Workshop

April 12 – 16, 2021
Free for students
$350NZD for professionals

This online masterclass will introduce students to the fundamental conceptual and technical skills employed by Weta Workshop for creating Imaginary Worlds in 2D concept design. Students will receive a story driven brief that they can then adapt for a genre of their choosing; Science-fiction, Fantasy, Steampunk etc. They will then be given the opportunity to choose design briefs from a variety of speciality concept design areas; Character, Costume, Creature, Prop, Vehicle, Environment and Key-scene Design. Instruction is tailored to each student's skill level, with Paul reviewing and drawing directly over a student's work throughout the five days.

Who Are You? Curating a Personal Data Narrative

John Howrey, Savannah College of Art and Design

April 12 – 16, 2021
Free for students
$160NZD for professionals

Live data and social media have sparked the development today’s information-driven culture. Every day we do nothing but create data. We spend a lot of times worrying about the data being captured by Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok, but what about the other data that we are letting pass by. The bird your dog barked at on his walk. Your giggle at that silly joke. The leaves falling in your yard. You are a dynamic data set. You will gather yourself. Your Spotify playlists. Your Twitter timeline. What you like on Instagram and/or Reddit. The movies you watch (or haven't watched.) The books on your shelf or the cars you have own. The things that make you cry, or smile. In this class, we will collect it. We will be creative and generous and create a unique dataset that is a portrait of you.

Cyborg-Centered Design

Anna Foltinek, Futurice

April 12 – 16, 2021
Free for students
$160NZD for professionals

Rapid technological development makes future developments almost impossible to predict. Technology is getting smaller, cheaper and more integrated with the human body. What happens when humans physically merge with machines? Cyborg-Centered Design is based on the realization that the relationship between humans and technology is changing. Technology is starting to merge with human identity and individuality. Cyborgs are human beings that have been permanently enhanced by it. The course introduces students to the topic, and investigates - always with a critical and speculative eye - the possible effects of this transformation.

Tackling complexity with vvvv gamma

Nils Weger, University of Applied Sciences Mainz

April 12 – 16, 2021
Free for students
$160NZD for professionals

In this workshop we will learn the Basics of the the visual live-programming environment vvvv gamma. After getting control over the software we will tackle following topics depending on the remaining time: Programming basic aka object oriented patching; 2D data visualisation; RunwayML; Computer vision and 3D realtime rendering.

Designing Information
for Impact

Angela Morelli, Infodesignlab

April 12 – May 14, 2021
Free for students
$160NZD for professionals

This workshop is a hands-on experience aimed at students and professionals working in an environment that requires presenting complex information in effective ways in order to capture the imagination of an audience, enhance understanding, raise awareness, support informed decisions and ultimately create change. Participants will be introduced to the world of data storytelling where the intersection of text and image, perception and cognition, beauty and function, logic and emotion enables us to create splendid visions, to reveal what hides behind the data and to address effective messages.

Visual Narration

Andrzej Klimowski, Royal College of Arts London / PJATK

April 12 – 16, 2021
Free for students
$160NZD for professionals

The description for Visual Narration with Andrzej Klimowski will be updated soon. Please keep an eye on this website and our registration page.

SYMPOSIUM

The Motyf 2021/2022 International Symposium is a 2.5 hour livestream featuring presenters from North America, Europe, and Oceana. The talks explore how designers make complex knowledge more accessible, so that others can make informed decisions about the big challenges we face as a society.

The symposium is hosted by Brian Lucid, Head of Ngā Pae Māhutonga - The Wellington School of Design at Massey University in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Because Motyf's partners are geographically diverse, the livestream will be broadcast twice across March 25th, 2022 to support multiple timezones.

Symposium Livestream One: March 25th, 2022

  • Wellington, NZ – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 9:00PM (NZDT)
  • Sydney, AU – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 7:00PM (AEDT)
  • Shanghai, CN – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 4:00PM (CST)
  • Dubai, AE – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 12:00PM (GST)
  • Warsaw, PL – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 9:00AM (CET)
  • Mainz, DE – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 9:00AM (CET)
  • Dublin, IE – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 8:00AM (GMT)
  • Boston, US – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 4:00AM (EDT)
  • Los Angeles, US – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 1:00AM (PDT)
View on Youtube

Symposium Livestream Two: March 25 – 26th, 2022

  • Wellington, NZ – Sat, 26 March 2022 – 9:00AM (NZDT)
  • Sydney, AU – Sat, 26 March 2022 – 7:00AM (AEDT)
  • Shanghai, CN – Sat, 26 March 2022 – 4:00AM (CST)
  • Dubai, AE – Sat, 26 March 2022 – 12:00AM (GST)
  • Warsaw, PL – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 9:00PM (CET)
  • Mainz, DE – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 9:00PM (CET)
  • Dublin, IE – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 8:00PM (GMT)
  • Boston, US – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 4:00PM (EDT)
  • Los Angeles, US – Fri, 25 March 2022 – 1:00PM (PDT)
View on Youtube
The Motyf 2021/ 2022 Symposium features the following speakers:
Angela MorelliInfoDesignLab

Visualising Data for Impact. A Participatory Journey from Data to Storytelling

27 Minutes

Communication as Simulation

27 Minutes
Paul TobinWeta Workshop

The Art and Design of Ideation

30 Minutes

For a Fairer Start - Innovating within the Justice Sector

(In collaboration with UX New Zealand) 27 Minutes
Kat GreenbrookRogue Penguin

Introduction to Data Storytelling

27 Minutes

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION

The Motyf 2021/2022 International Exhibition challenged designers to consider how the elements and principles of visual, motion and interactive design can be leveraged within a sequential, interactive, spatial or experience-based work to inform our understanding of society, explain complex concepts, or communicate findings within abstract data.

The Motyf 2021/2022 Exhibition opened on March 25th, 2022 in Warsaw, Poland and Wellington, New Zealand.

Image of Wellington Exhibition

Wellington Exhibition. Te Ara Hihiko. Massey University. March 25 – April 1, 2022

Image of Warsaw Exhibition

Warsaw Exhibition. PJAIT. March 25 – April 15, 2022

The Motyf Exhibition features work by the following students and faculty supporters:

Alexandros Konstantaras, Alina Varanchykhina, Anja Stöffler, Ann Bessemans,  Anna Borówka, Anna Hynowska, Dr. Anna Klimczak, Anna Pavlichenko, Arnold Schoenberg, Bartosz Witkowski, Brian Lucid, Dr. Brody Neuenschwander, Bryant Wayne, Charlie Jones, Christine Kerres, Clara Otto, Daryna Kudenko, Dennis Moen, Diana Vyucheyskaya, Domink Schreiber, Duncan Van Der Schyff, Elke Hietel, Emilia Fester, Emory Fierlinger, Felix Knauber, Florian Jenett, Igor Posavec, Ira Nevshupova, Izabella Dunajska, Jakob Klooth, Jakub Derda, Dr. Jan Piechota, Janik Damrau, Jonas Althaus, Julia Maria Klös, Julian Pontzen, Justyna Woźniak, Kay Propheter, Kevin Bormans, Klara Nail, Klaudia Makowska, Klaudiusz Ślusarczyk, Klaus Kremer, Linus Käpplinger, Łukasz Czerwiński, Maika Dieterich, Maja Korzeniewska, Maksym Tsylia, Manfred Liedtke, Marek Gnyś, Margarita Maikova, Mariia Rybalko, Mariusz Kleć, Martin Bausch, Martina Huynh, Martyna Bochniak, Masha Afonchikova, Mateusz Kępczyński, Mateusz Król, Matt Jennings, Nadiia Velychko, Natalia Gańko, Natalija Čaiko, Olexandra Boyko, Olga Kulish, Olga Wroniewicz, Piotr Gnyś, Ralf Schönwiese, Robin Limmeroth, Rolf Buschpeter, Dr. Rustem Dautov, Soloman Drader, Stanisław Bromboszcz, Stela Bechtel, Stern de Pagter, Svenja Döbert, Thore Toews, Thuy Linh Nguyen, Tim Turnidge, Tom Starbuck, Tomasz Miśkiewicz, Tristan Bunn, Vladislav Litovka, Vladlena Udovychenko, Volker Ebert, Weronika Michalska, and Yannick Burkard

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MOTYF PARTNER INSTITUTIONS

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ABOUT MOTYF

Founded by Prof. Ewa Satalecka, Prof. Anja Stöffler and Prof. Ralf Dringenberg in 2013, Motyf has a special focus on initiating discussion between academics and industry practitioners about interactive and dynamic media text design and delivery. It aims to run bi-annually, each time taking a new theme and opening up further discourse amongst a greater number of interested stakeholders, students, academics and industry professionals. Motyf welcomes contributions from a spectrum of disciplines: design, technology, media and creative arts.

MOTYF 2021 Boardmembers:

  • Prof. Ralf Dringenberg, Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
  • Prof. Dr. Hilary Kenna, Faculty of Film, Art & Creative Technologies, IADT, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland
  • Prof. Brian Lucid, College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Aotearoa New Zealand
  • Prof. Dr. Ewa Satalecka, Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technologies, Warsaw, Poland
  • Prof. Anja Stöffler, University of Applied Sciences Mainz, Institute Media-Design, Mainz, Germany
  • Dr. Jan Piechota, Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technologies, Warsaw, Poland

Previous MOTYF Festivals:

Motyf 2013 — Moving Types: Letters in Motion — focused on motion typography and all aspects of dynamic text design. The Moving Types exhibition presented at the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany was conceived by Anja Stöffler and Ralf Dringenberg and has since been developed into an archive of over 800 works that include film titles, advertising, brand films, artist films and experimental pieces. View Website

Motyf 2014 — Type in Music: the rhythm of letters — examined the relationship between dynamic typography and music. It was hosted in Warsaw, Poland at the Polish Japanese Academy of Information Technology. View Website

Motyf 2016 — Moving Types: Gutenberg goes Media was held in Mainz, Germany at the Gutenberg Museum. The theme compared dynamic type and its added value to its static counterpart in an increasingly multimedia and convergent world. The accompanying exhibition Akademos–Poetry and Philosophy in Motion featured more than 70 international selected works that impressively showcase the theme using moving text from poems and texts by many authors and philosophers. View Website

Motyf 2018 — Virtual Types: Future forms of Typography was developed and curated in partnership with Dr Hilary Kenna, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology (www.iadt.ie), and was hosted in Dublin Ireland. View Website