We’d love your contributions to a compound artwork for the lounge

The Lounge

The lounge is intended to be a quiet, calm space to sit, rest, work on projects and socialise. It inhabits low, hexagonal white tents, full of diffuse natural light during the day and softly lit at night

The lounge this year is split into three indoor areas: a tables-and-chairs area, a beanbag area, and a gallery and art space. There is also outdoor space adjacent to the lounge, connecting to the Greenhouse (and bat cave).

The gallery section called the “Galaxy” is where we plan to build a structure under the ceilings which will support a tangled network of digital, mechanical and organic-looking components.

As you might already know, this year’s theme is space, not just outer space, but discovery and fascination at every scale, from distant galaxies to our own pale blue dot. Find something that gets you nerdy and excited and bring it to life.

We invite you to build things which glow, move or just look beautiful to hang here, as well as elongated or network items to contribute to the ‘network’ itself and fill it with gently pulsing light and the impression of life. The Galaxy will be viewed at close range with attendees standing, sitting and lounging beneath it.

Possible Forms

  • Lanterns illuminated by LED or low voltage lamps, powered by the integrated supply
  • Self-contained sculptures to hang from a wire network

Artwork must be light enough not to cause harm if dropped from height (we suggest less than 250g), or well-engineered enough not to fall. If you are unsure about whether your creation is safe please contact the Design team for more specifications.

We suggest your artwork is no larger than 50cm in any axis (but this is only a guide) and should have a small loop so they can be hung with a carabiner or similar.

Logistics

Artwork can be shipped to us in advance, and larger pieces should ideally be delivered to site by the Thursday 16th of July.

Please don’t attempt to install your artwork yourself. A member of the Design team will do this and will available in the Lounge/ Greenhouse between 12:00 and 18:00 on 16th of July and 10:00 and 12:00 on other days of the festival.

Please also collect your artwork between 09:00 and 12:00 on Monday 20th of July, as in the afternoon we have to clear the lounge ready for the tents to be dismantled so your artwork will be disposed off.

Things to consider when building for the lounge

  • Safety:
    • Hanging sculptures need to be safe and this means they’re small and light enough to do no harm if they fall, or robust if larger
    • Electronics must be self-contained, with no bare wires.
    • No flames or other heating devices
  • Requirements:
    • Weight: max 250g
    • Voltage: 5V or 12V (please label clearly)
    • Max Current: 750mA (1A fused)
    • Connector: screw terminals or WAGO 221 style (for any other connector including USB please bring a suitable cable with a bare end)
    • If you do not want to bring your own electronics, we will supply: 12V 6W GU4 lamps
    • LED controllers are not provided, you will need to supply your own
    • If your lantern carries its own battery, we won’t be able to change it during the event
  • Comfort:
    • No flashing or flickering, only slow fades
    • Preferably slow movement, if your sculpture includes motors or moving parts
    • As quiet as possible
    • No vapours, mists etc.
  • Robustness:
    • It must survive handling by non-experts
    • It must be able to get to the event intact (collapsible or modular is ideal!)
  • Installation:
    • We need them in time to hang them
    • If it carries its own power supply, we won’t be able to change batteries during the event
  • Ultimate fate:
    • Make sure you’re OK with it taking damage as it’ll be handled with care but will be in uncontrolled situations and on display in a public space
    • Do you want to take it back afterwards? If so, ensure you can collect it!
    • If you are OK with it being disposed of, is it biodegradable? Will it be landfilled/recycled/composted?

Sponsors

We’d like to thank our Palladium, Platinum, Gold, and Silver sponsors.

Palladium

Platinum

We don’t have any platinum sponsors yet - this could be you!

Gold

Silver

Badge

In addition to our sponsors above, we’d like to thank the following for sponsoring the EMF badge specifically:

Supporting EMF as an Individual

In addition to sponsorship, you can support EMF as an individual at the self-service sponsors page. Anything you give us will be used to fund projects that make the festival more fun for everyone.