Free games, interactive exhibitions, international collaborations, performances and workshops aim to connect audiences and show how technology can aid wellbeing.
Designed to engage people all ages and backgrounds Dreamy Place takes place in Crawley from 12 to 14 October and in Brighton from 19 to 22 October 2023. The festival will encourage thinking about how new creative technologies can inform, inspire and benefit mental and physical health.
A packed programme of free and low-cost immersive events includes:
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A free pop-up video game arcade exploring alternative controllers and new games from independent developers, set in a 15th-century, timber-framed, listed building
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A free video and sound installation in the cab road tunnel underneath Brighton Station (normally off limits to the general public) by Chinese artists CHILLCHILL, Uan, LazyBackHome and Zhu Jinkun as part of a collaborative exhibition co-created and produced by Brighton artist Thomas Buckley
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A club night at Brighton’s Fabrica gallery featuring an ethereal dance floor and Chinese star DJs and music producers GUAN and LimboLimbs making their UK debuts
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A performance where the audience creates a new national anthem with the help of award-winning stand-up Charlie George, artist Amartey Golding and a house band
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A free audio walking tour about the fascinating heritage of laundries in Brighton & Hove created by community arts charity Quiet Down There which runs a combined launderette/art studio in Brighton’s Open Market
Previously known as Brighton Digital Festival, the festival has been renamed by the new organisers, videoclub. Expanding outside of its original location across Brighton & Hove, Dreamy Place is working with a wide range of regional and international cultural partners.
Jamie Wyld, director of Dreamy Place and videoclub who also helped establish Brighton Digital Festival, said: “Technology moves quickly, it evolves in response to the needs of its audiences and communities. It’s fun, stimulating, enlivening and inspirational. It supports health and wellbeing, offers career paths, and enables inclusivity. Dreamy Place is not tied to one location, one idea, one purpose. We want the festival to inspire the idea that creativity and new technologies can support anyone to initiate and establish their dreams.”
