Nine artists illuminate Castel Mimi at Act Festival
Nine international artists will compete at Castel Mimi on September 26 during the second edition of Act Festival, a new media contest centered on architectural projection mapping and cross-border creative dialogue.
Universal symbols and heritage facades
This year’s theme, "Shared Culture," challenges visual artists to convey universal messages beyond linguistic boundaries. Competitors from Moldova, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, and Chile will project site-specific digital artworks onto the historic winery’s architecture.
“When we talk about a shared culture, we refer to symbols, activities, and gestures understood without speaking the same language,” said festival organizer Artiom Ursoi on public broadcaster Moldova 1. “The artists communicate through universal imagery, drawing on internet culture and contemporary visual icons.”
The festival is judged by visual design professionals from Romania alongside the 2025 edition winner. Jurors will award first, second, and third prizes, accompanied by an audience choice award. Over 1,500 spectators attended the inaugural event in 2025.
Technical precision and ethical guidelines
Projecting animations onto heritage structures demands strict compliance with ethical and architectural standards. Projections must avoid political, religious, or discriminatory messaging to safeguard the building's historical integrity.
“If we work on a heritage building, specific rules apply so we do not distort its character,” Ursoi said. “Our festival enforces strict prohibitions to protect the venue's symbolic value.”
Behind each multi-minute performance lies weeks of interdisciplinary work combining motion graphics, animation, and sound design. While generative artificial intelligence assists in rendering assets, organizers emphasize that human artistic direction remains decisive.
Co-organizer Cristian Vizir noted that aligning digital masks with the architectural surface requires eight high-performance projectors and up to 72 hours of manual calibration.
“The mapping phase involves matching the software mask to the physical structure pixel by pixel,” Vizir said. “What the audience watches in just a few minutes represents an enormous technical and creative effort.”
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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