Join us in mapping democracy together!
WE ARE MAPPING is an experimental concept for artistic interventions in public space that expands conventional video mapping through active audience participation. The audience is equipped with green laser pointers and invited to interact directly with the projected image, becoming not only viewers but co-creators of the work.
This unique format was initiated during Genius Loci Weimar 2025 by Ewa Maria Śmigielska, Magdalena Małczyńska-Umeda and Jakub Pionty Jezierski, in collaboration with curator Hendrik Wendler. In 2026, we want to expand the concept by inviting other artists to join us in mapping the city together and creating works that engage directly with the festival audience.
We invite international visual artists, animators and designers to create a one-minute animation responding to the theme of Democracy and Society.
Three selected works will become part of the WE ARE MAPPING projection presented during Genius Loci Weimar 2026, 11–13 September, on the façade of mon ami in Weimar. The animations will be integrated into an interactive audiovisual environment combining video mapping, sound and participation of the audience using green laser pointers.
The winning project with the highest score will be awarded with 200€ to cover the travelling and accommodation expenses for a 1-night stay in Weimar during the festival. The two other winning projects will be given a Genius Loci Festival goodie bags.
Democracy & Society
This year, the central theme of the festival is “Democracy and Society.” In response to this theme, our project, titled “Your Echo in the Silence, Your Trembling in the Light,” invites you to express your perspective through an animation or symbolic visual contribution created specifically for the mapping. Your work can become a personal artistic response to the questions, emotions, tensions, and ideas surrounding democracy and society — a voice, a symbol, or an echo that enters the shared public space and becomes part of a collective visual dialogue