An international stage for the artists of tomorrow
Mediale
When York – the jewel in the UK’s Roman-Viking-medieval crown – was awarded UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts status, an ambitious organisation was assembled. Originally named York Mediale, they were tasked with curating groundbreaking digital
art for a citywide festival.
The challenges for the inaugural event were far-reaching: What defines ‘digital art’? How do we promote a festival for which the content doesn’t yet exist? How can we attract international talent to make new content? Will York break free of its historic shackles and bring the city, and the art, to new audiences?
We playfully invited art to meet the future with a curious identity to match the bold artistic risks Mediale were spearheading. We positioned the art as the story, with the city of York being the grand canvas – a playground for the incredible artists to create and be seen.
In just 7 years, Mediale has secured on-going Arts Council England funding and bloomed from a biennial 10-day citywide digital arts festival into an international media arts agency with a year-round programme that constantly pushes boundaries across the globe.
- Visual identity
- Verbal identity
- Festival campaign
- Digital experience
The inaugural festival took the form of a city takeover, transforming cultural landmarks and spilling out onto the streets. It was important the brand could make a noise, but still sit back to let the events and artists be the hero.
Since the inaugural festival, Mediale has continued to grow and find new audiences as an international arts collective.
Its flagship artist residency programme, Immersive Assembly, brings together established and emerging digital talent from around the world.
Artists, technologists, film-makers and cultural influencers are all invited to share new ways of thinking and develop work in response to an evolving central theme.
