Playgrounds announces new travelling motion festival for 2023

The creative festival platform Playgrounds is back with another series of festivals, this time with a travelling series of events – Playgrounds In Motion. The events will all focus on different themes while maintaining one central thread: motion. From animation, visual effects and digital arts to film and games, the festival is set to take a tour through our ever-changing media landscape. The first event will take place in London on 8 and 9 September in Outernet District – a new entertainment district in London – while the second event will take place one month later at Maassilo events space in Rotterdam on 5 and 6 October.

At the London event, there will be a whole host of talks from big names throughout the industry, like animation legend James Baxter. Known for classics like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek 2 and Kung Fu Panda, James has navigated the changing nature of the industry from 2D to 3D animation, and from hand-drawn to CGI. You can also expect talks from Patrick O’Keefe, production designer for the hit Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse; filmmaker and animation director Anna Ginsburg, a motion dab hand who’s mastered the art of stop-motion, digital imagery and live-action, alongside her signature 2D animation; plus Danni Fisher-Shin, who’s created work for Netflix and Procreate, as well as singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo’s brutal track.

Alongside the talks, there will be a number of other sessions to take part in, including a Procreate special event in which its CEO and co-founder James Cuda will reveal what the team have been nestling away at. A number of panels will also take place – focusing on subjects like AI, education and imposter syndrome – to sketching demos with character designer Loish, James Baxter and She Drew That. The event will be rounded up with an after party on 8 September led by director David Wilson for a DJ/VJ event (tickets available here). Not only will the event feature a presentation of his archives from over 14 years of creating visuals for music, there will also be guest appearances from the likes of drag performer Wet Mess and Masstor. The DJ opening and closing the event will be Anna Prior, drummer for Metronomy and CEO of Beat Palace Record.

The festival has been created to bring together the online communities that were created during Covid times and to showcase the latest exciting developments in the industry. Since 2006, Playgrounds has organised a number of festivals and conferences, all with the aim of helping to connect makers, industry, educators and audience, enhancing and propagating advancements in moving image. The next event in Rotterdam is set to focus on post-digital storytelling, cutting-edge creativity, fluid media and cross-genre projects, with a whole host of innovative works and artists. Keep your eyes on Playground’s social media pages for line-up announcements.

Buy your tickets for Playgrounds In Motion London here.