From 27 to 30 october, KIKK Festival, the international crossroads of digital and creative cultures, returns to Namur.

For 4 days, professionals and amateurs of unusual experiences are invited to gather around the discovery of unique and daring projects, designed with enthusiasm by a selection of Belgian and international talents.

Conferences and masterclasses, parties and performances, monumental and interactive installations or workshops for children… Under the theme Tales of togetherness, the 11th edition of this spirited festival, at the crossroads of silence, art and technology, celebrates what connects us with more than 80 surprising events and activities throughout the city.

For 11 years, the KIKK festival has been seriously breaking new ground in the digital field. During 4 days, the KIKK Festival makes the almost complete turn of what agitates the digital world and the demonstration of all its possibilities but also of its dangers. Thanks to a programme of conferences by leading figures in their sector (AR, VR, data design, graphic design, etc.), a Market of innovative products, a wide range of networking activities, and a trail of immersive and interactive installations in the centre of Namur, the KIKK Festival has become an unmissable event for professionals, but also for the curious and explorers of all kinds. 

Offering a rich and diversified program for professionals but also for the general public is the DNA of the KIKK Festival, this 11th edition will be no exception and will be divided into two parts. A paying PRO part, composed of conferences, workshops, masterclasses, networking (with an application to facilitate meetings between professionals), parties and new activities (Experience Dinner) and a general public part with the Market of innovative products (free) and the KIKK In Town (€5 entrance fee).

This 11th edition, Tales of Togetherness, will explore the concept of otherness, connection and our relationship with others, human and non-human. With a focus on storytelling and dialogue, the festival will explore how empathy can not only transform our personal relationships, but also help address societal challenges such as combating discrimination, inequality, biodiversity loss and preventing (geo)political conflict. After more than two years of global pandemic and many moments of life shared online, it is important to look back, to analyse how these double lives between the physical and the virtual have come together. What happens when virtual spaces replace personal relationships and the physical world? Are they not a source of increased loneliness, cutting off our senses from the essential connections of what defines us as human beings? What kind of world are we heading for with Web3, the Metaverse and Blockchain technology? What about the utopias of a neutral and decentralised internet, the notions of the commons born at the turn of the millennium? The KIKK festival will highlight the current state of affairs in relation to the utopias of the past.

The talks

What makes the KIKK Festival an exceptional event is its conference programme. Artists, designers, art directors, entrepreneurs, researchers, innovators, developers… the KIKK brings together every year nearly 40 world-class speakers. The opportunity for an audience composed mainly of professionals to be inspired by good practices and new tools. This year, for greater clarity, the conferences are divided into 6 sections :

• Metaverse, immersion, XR, AR, VR. The speakers who will adress this theme will be Artificial Rome, Immersive Garden, Annie Saunders, Lauren Moffatt, Vincent Morisset, David Bennett – Mimic Productions, Lundahl & Seitl, Deloitte Digital, l’effet Québec, XR France.
• AI & Creativity. The speakers who will adress this theme will be Iregular, Cedric Kiefer – onformative, Alber-K.
• Digital Communication. The speakers who will adress this theme will be Thierry Brunfaut – Base design, Immersive Garden, SNASK, Accurat, Mutant & nøcomputer, Mojo Agency.
• Critical thinking & inclusive design. The speakers who will adress this theme will be Sophie de Oliveira Barata, Kathleen Siminyu, Nicolas Nova – Near Future Laboratory.
• Art & Technology : artistic and interactive installations. The speakers who will adress this theme will be Kimchi & Chips, Olia Lialina, Irregular, Neil Mendoza, onformative, Phoenix Perry, Tatiana Viela Dos Santos, Clara Daguin (Fashion Tech).
• Data Visualisation. The speakers who will adress this theme will be Pau Garcia (Domestic Data Streamers), Accurat.

Creative Village

The Creative Village is the nerve center of the KIKK Festival. Located on the Place d’Armes, it houses the KIKK Pro, its B2B space and bar, international pavilions for delegations and the KIKK Market, a showcase of Walloon and international excellence in innovation and an opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their product to the general public. 

Among the Creative Village, you will find the KIKK PRO, the networking area of the festival. It provides access to a VIP business environment accessible to all professional participants. This space includes a bar, informal meeting areas as well as meeting spaces to invite clients or prospects. KIKK PRO also has a networking application to facilitate contacts between participants. This application is equipped with artificial intelligence which, depending on the profile and interests of the participants, connects them with the most appropriate people. It also allows you to make appointments directly with them and to establish an ALL in ONE schedule of business meetings and activities not to be missed during the KIKK Festival. 

KIKK Festival is THE place for professionals from all over the world to meet & connect. Participants from more than 30 different countries will be coming to take part to this 11th edition. Among them, more than 10 delegations are confirmed. France and Quebec will be in the spotlight and will each have a dedicated space in the Creative Village. In addition, these two delegations will each present organise a cocktail party as wall as give a conference during the KIKK Festival Wallonia will not be left out and will also have a pavilion. An opportunity to discover the cream of the Walloon creative ecosystem.

Experience Dinner

This year, the KIKK Festival and Unusual Ingredients are offering an extraordinary experience. This multi-sensory collective brings the relationship between sound and taste to life. With their concept, they turn the delicate art of eating into a renewed feast for the senses. On Thursday 27 October, a few lucky people will take part in a taste and sound experience never before seen in Belgium. This experience is based on numerous research projects that combine gastrophysics and sensory perception. Plunged into the dark, with a few ingredients in hand, you will be carried away by music with precise sound frequencies and calibrated musical gestures that will influence the sensation and flavour of each ingredient. Sound that influences taste? Yes, this is exactly the experience proposed by the KIKK Festival and Unusual Ingredients. 

KIKK in Town

The KIKK in Town is a real journey of interactive and digital works and performances in several places in the city of Namur. Its goal? To offer a unique journey of monumental digital installations and as many new experiences. It is an opportunity for the local public to join festival-goers from all over the world. This year, the public will be able to discover more than 30 work of art and installations throughout the center of Namur as well as on the esplanade of the citadel. Among the unusual places : Galerie du Beffroi, Le Pavillon, Le Delta, Le Jardin des Arts Déco, L’Ecole Notre-Dame, L’Ecole Sainte Marie, La Nef, Le Cinex and more.

In 2021, the KIKK in Town had gathered 30,000 visitors. 

KIKK festival has a program dedicated to children. On top of the KIKK In Town exhibition and the Market (that kids will love!), KIKK Festival has shows and workshops specially made for them! More information on our website www.kikk.be. 

The kingkong team will obviously be there and will offer you exclusive content throughout the festival, both on its website and its social networks. So don’t wait any longer and subscribe.

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