(Courtesy/Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts)
Today marks the beginning of the annual Communikey Festival, a five-day celebration of electronic arts. For the fourth year, specialty musicians, artists, filmmakers and speakers have gathered in Boulder to form a sizable lineup.
This year, the festival will feature bands and artists such as the electronic Monolake, minimalist guitar player Mark McGuire from Emeralds and the folksy Dark Dark Dark. With over 50 artists scheduled to perform, there is a diverse selection for most musical tastes.
In keeping with the technological focus of the festival, humans won’t be the only ones creating music. The Gamelatron, a complex robotic installation that produces rhythmic Indonesian music, will entertain audiences at Naropa University. An audio art exhibit at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art showcases Polish soundcards from the 1960s and 1970s that play “Western” music from the era.
Cinema asserts itself as an important part of the event with a few independent pieces. Selected films include the 2010 documentary “An Island” by Vincent Moon. This album-length documentary follows the Copenhagen band Efterklang and its musical experimentation on an island.
Another documentary, “Burning Ice,” chronicles an expedition through Greenland waters to understand climate change. The film’s stars include Laurie Anderson, KT Tunstall, Leslie Feist and Jarvis Cocker as they work to understand global changes.
Interesting components of Communikey include several discussion panels and interactive installations. One unusual installation centers on the pain of receiving parking tickets. Patrons can attend the Parking Ticket Emotional Reclamation Project event to create positive “anti-ticket-tickets” that PTERP will leave next to parking tickets. Panels include talks about culture, climate and robotics programming.
The several-day endeavor does not come with out a sizable fee, however. For the price of $80, patrons receive an all-encompassing pass for the entire festival. Though this may seem like a steep price, each day of Communikey is packed full with things to see (The Friday schedule features 22 events alone).
For those who want to participate in a few events, admission to certain events is free or tickets can be individually purchased at the door. Check the Communikey website for such offers.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Stephanie Riesco at Stephanie.riesco@colorado.edu.
