Brighton Digital Festival Manifesto
What we are
BDF supports the community to produce an open programme of independent events alongside high-quality commissioned arts and education programming
BDF supports the community to produce an open programme of independent events alongside high-quality commissioned arts and education programming
BDF is a digital festival with international impact made by Brighton
- BDF is inspired by the concept of the city and its surrounding areas reaching their full potential.
- We can learn by bringing the best artists and speakers from across the world into the city.
BDF welcomes advisory participation by all and provides support to help independent organisers showcase their ideas in the best, most accessible way
- Individual creativity is at the heart of the festival and we want to showcase Brighton as one of the most creative, eclectic, and fun places in the country.
- Brighton’s creative environment, size and collaborative culture means we are perfectly placed to be a testbed for innovation.
BDF is a vehicle for social change, connecting people from communities across the city with opportunities to express their creativity, to explore, test and understand how digital culture can shape the future
- Without democratisation of technical access and know-how, we risk inequality and injustice being perpetuated; we can help combat this by sharing the world-class digital skills and services in Brighton more equally across the city.
- The voices of all people need to be heard in order to inform the creation of a collective future that is better for all.
BDF encourages work that explores Brighton’s identity through its historical connections to radical thought, creativity, innovation and acceptance of outsider communities
- Brighton has always been a place where everyone is welcome to be who they want and our creativity has been accelerated by that diversity of experience, perspectives and ideas, as well as openness to the new and different.
- Brighton is changing rapidly and our history as a vibrantly creative place needs to be recognised and celebrated as core to our identity.
BDF showcases Brighton as a unique digital hub by promoting, supporting and celebrating local digital businesses
- Brighton has a pool of exceptional digital talent that deserves to be recognised nationally.
Brighton’s digital businesses benefit from a unique fusion of digital know-how, creative thinking and art practice.
- With access to a pool of talent attracted to the ‘anything goes’ lifestyle of the city and a highly-developed culture of collaborative working our digital businesses compete with the best.
- Our collaborative, collegiate approach to business has created a cluster of strategic importance to the city as a future-proof employer of young talent and a wealth generator.
BDF will provide people with access to thought-provoking digital art that both explores and makes sense of our transforming world and offers a key to understanding how the future is being constructed
- New technologies offer opportunities to radically rethink and represent our culture but technology is not neutral - it is informed by human behaviour, biases and prejudices.
BDF will support artists at all stages of their career by providing opportunities to make work and gain access to professional development
- Our world is transforming rapidly and all artists and creators, at any point in their careers, can benefit from exploring the possibilities within digital art to help us think about the construction of the future.
BDF will deliver activities designed to appeal to and engage with young people
- Creativity can help young people make sense of their world and to explore the questions, concerns and opportunities most relevant to them and the future they want.
- Young people should be the creators of digital products and culture, not merely the consumers.
BDF will create opportunities for older people and others lacking digital privilege to understand and engage with digital culture
- Learning and opportunities for creativity shouldn’t be limited to young people.