IDFA Doclab: From naked artist to naked truth

IDFA is back in town. The International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam hosts their new media program IDFA Doclab for the 10th time. At the Doclab expo it’s all about undefined non-fiction storytelling. You can experience 30 differing, interactive documentaries for free at the expo at the Brakke Grond.

I have been wandering there for quite some hours to see and do as much as possible. The projects were measurable on a scale of Wow! to What the actual f*ck?! Arty-farty installations such as the Meat Puppet Arcade -where instead of shooting pinballs, you shoot 3D scans of the naked artist himself- are just not my cup of tea. But there were also a lot of projects that I could appreciate indeed, these are my three favorites.

My favorite projects at IDFA Doclab:

1. DeathTolls Experience

In one word: disturbing. This VR experience brings data visualation to the next level. The news bombards us daily with death rates, but those numbers have no emotional urgency. Now they do, you can actually see the body bags around you (as in the header image), you can count the bodies. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of refugees drowned in the Mediterranean sea, hundreds of thousands Syrian civic war casualties. DeathTolls is visually strong, but it is mainly the factuality that grabs you by the throat. This is one of the best VR experiences that I have ever seen, repulsive and real.

2. The Island of the Colorblind

Experience what it is like to be colorblind, just like the majority of the population of a small island in Micronesia. While listening to the story of the islanders, you can paint one of the beautiful pictures. Thanks to the changing light in the room your perception of color changes. Can you paint with the colors of your mind?

3. These memories won’t last

This interactive web animation tells the personal story of the artist’s grandfather and his dementia. Scroll through his life with fading memories of both funny and sad moments. Just beautiful.

You can still visit IDFA Doclab at the Brakke Grond. Daily from 9 to 21 until Sunday, november 27. Check out the IDFA website for more info.

Last year I also visited IDFA Doclab, read about it in my blog post: Falling in love and dying at IDFA Doclab.