CAVE and CAGA

Art director/VFX supervisor/CG artist Jakub Knapik has a range of experience touching every aspect of the industry.

From working as an effects and cg artist on films like Lars von Trier’s Melancholia to high end commercials and music videos for bands like Radiohead, he has accumulated a deep understanding of visual art and design. He recently joined the games industry, attracted by the evolving technology and innovative visual storytelling.

He will be speaking about his role as Global Art Director for CD Project Red, and his experience in art direction and world building for the hugely successful expansion pack Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.

Isis Sousa is an art director, illustrator, concept artist, and author.

She has worked as a freelance illustrator, concept artist, art director, and educator, working for small clients and global brands. She is currently an art director at BAFTA-winning Supermassive Games, known for their dark and horror titles like Until Dawn and The Quarry.

Isis will discuss her work and career, and demonstrate the art direction process through the different phases of a game development cycle at Supermassive Games.

Johan Oettinger is a director, animator, and cinematographer best known for his award winning short films, including Annecy winner Seven Minutes in the Warsaw Ghetto.

He is the founder and director at WiredFly, which is co-producing the game Vocabulantis in collaboration with Kong Orange.

Johan will take us behind the scenes of this unique game, where every asset is made by hand, and every frame is a work of art.

Bonnie Mitchell is an experimental animator, curator, and professor in Digital Arts at Bowling Green State University.

Her large-scale animated installations explore spatial and physical relationships, inviting the viewer to physically enter an environment where animations and sculptural elements immerse them in a conceptual journey. She has exhibited at numerous festivals and conferences, including SIGGRAPH, ISEA, Under the Radar, Punta y Raya, and more.

Bonnie’s keynote presentation is titled “Time, Timing and Timelessness: Expanding the Boundaries of Animation.” It will explore various theories of time and connect them to an expanded definition of animation, focusing on both traditional animation and works of animation art that defy the boundaries of the screen, challenging our notions of both time and space.

September 10th, 09:10am:
‘’Time, Timing and Timelessness: Expanding the Boundaries of Animation’’

Michelle and Uri Kranot are an award-winning filmmaking duo based in Denmark, renowned for their innovative contributions to animation and immersive media.

For over 20 years, they have collaborated to create groundbreaking works that blur the lines between film, virtual reality, and multimedia art. Their projects often explore themes of exclusion and amplify the voices that are often left unheard, resonating deeply with their mission as artists. 

They have garnered international acclaim for their projects, including the award-winning VR experience The Hangman at Home which was honored with the Grand Jury Prize for Best Immersive Work at the 77th La Biennale di Venezia and Best Immersive XR at the 74th Festival de Cannes.

Uri and Michelle are also heavily involved in research and education through Anidox and The Animation Workshop, continuing to push the boundaries of animation and virtual reality.

September 10th, 1:00pm:
‘’A Pathway to Immersive Storytelling: From Linear to Participatory.’’

Boris Eldagsen is a photomedia artist. He is currently Head of Digital at the German Photographic Academy, and one of the world’s leading AI photography experts.

In 2023, he stirred international controversy by refusing the Sony World Photography Award for his AI-generated image “The Electrician.”

Boris will speak on “/animate – the Rise of AI-Generated Moving Images?”, giving an overview of the current possibilities and implications for generating moving images using artificial intelligence.

September 11th, 09:00am:
‘’/animate – The Rise of AI-Generated Moving Images?’’

Henrik Schønau-Fog is an Associate Professor, PhD and Deputy Head of Department of Media Technology at Aalborg University in Copenhagen.

His work is based on real-time 3D game engines, and he is an expert in virtual production, final pixels in camera productions, in-camera VFX, motion capture animation and adaptive real-time story worlds. He is also an expert in motivational factors, and assessing engagement in games and interactive media.

September 11th, 1:45pm:
‘’Virtual Production and Real-Time Animation: Opportunities and Challenges’’