January has come and gone and we are now approximately two months away from The Art Department Eindhoven. All fine and dandy but perhaps good to go through what we know so far about our most ambitious edition yet!
In terms of line-up announcements, things are looking pretty sweet.
Crash McCreery, a fan favorite during The Art Department Berlin 2023, is coming to enchant our Klokgebouw audience as well. This Academy Award nominated creature designer, production designer, visual consultant, and illustrator has created iconic characters for the original Jurassic Park and its two sequels, the first three Pirates of the Caribbean, A.I. and many other blockbuster feature films.
Talking of blockbusters and legends, we‘ll also have concept artist and father-of Dobby Rob Bliss joining. Aside from his collaborations with the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises, Rob has contributed to titles such as Guardians of the Galaxy 3, The Dark Knight, The Last of Us, The House of Dragon, Maleficent, Divergent, Alien: Convenant.
Internationally recognised award-winning artist Karla Ortiz, known for her works Jurassic World, World of Warcraft, Rogue One: A Starwars Story, Marvel’s Thor Ragnarok, Black Panther and Marvel’s Doctor Strange, will let us peak into her process so we’re up for a wild ride for sure!
And yes, lovely people, we will also be welcoming, this time live on stage, independent production designer Armand Serrano. Special treat for those who enjoyed his virtual presence during our 24h streaming marathon The World Tour but also for fans of his works for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures Animation and The Bible Project.
Another World Tour familiar face finally joining us irl is Sylvain Marc. This French production designer, illustrator and animation director has enchanted audiences worldwide with his designs for films like Pixar’s Luca, The Mitchells vs the Machines, Hotel Transylvania 2&3 as well as The Boxtrolls.
If the name Baldur’s Gate 3 means anything to you, we‘ll keep things super short and leave you to the happy dances: Larian Studios will walk us through their design process during TADEindhoven! If you‘re unfamiliar with this epic adventure that has dominated The Game Awards 2023, winning six awards including GOTY, best RPG and best multi-player, this will be your chance to catch up with the buzz game of 2023!
Also part of our line-up are Form Play creators characterful animations and illustrations using playful storytelling. The studio specialises in frame animation, often hand-drawn. They worked with brands such as Nickelodeon, Sephora, Comedy Central and Google. A perfect match to our Playgrounds, don‘t you think?
For fans of a different type of playfulness, illustrator, writer and designer Somnath Pal can manage like no other to leave viewers puzzled and, in the same time, longing for more. He worked on movies like The Candy Tree, Death of a Father, Court and Sons of Ram. And he‘s joining us in Eindhoven!
Real Talks, a concept we successfully sported during In Motion but very relevant for The Art Department as well, is back and it will feature artists Iris Compiet and Loish. These two powerhouse ladies of the Dutch illustration landscape, will discuss their process as well as tackling important aspects for personal artistic growth while also being considerate about creating a fair working environment for others.
And it‘s not the only program piece making a come-back. The Industry Garden, Portfolio Reviews, Art Market, Artist Studios and Drink and Draw Berlin Live Sketching Sessions are once again happening during The Art Department 2024. Only bigger and greater than in the previous year(s)! One novelty element though is that the Art Market will be with free access. Yes, you‘re reading it right, a festival ticket is not required in order to enjoy all the beauties we are gathering there for you!
Something old, something new, right? Two pitching sessions will be happening this year during The Art Department Eindhoven. And the best news? You can still register! Read all about the Playgrounds Animation Pitch and/or the Playgrounds VR Pitch.
Many more surprises are headed your way. So watch this space! And in the meantime, why not try to meet and chat with other TADEindhoven enthusiasts, right on our Discord channel!