Hyper is an immersive art collective based in Winnipeg with the goals of celebrating, exploring, producing and sharing digital interactive art (including animation, immersive storytelling pieces, virtual and augmented reality, interactive digital installation, and other forms).

 

Each of the partners brings different perspectives about digital interactive art to the table, enriching the research and deepening the conversations with the community. Their objectives for 2022 are to curate and share Canadian immersive content to start a spark of thought-provoking conversations among the visitors of the first Hyper Festival in Winnipeg.

 

Fabio Hofnik presents more than 15 years of experience collaborating with international communities of digital art creations, as a special guest at conferences in Argentina, England, Switzerland, and France, he learned from the pioneers in interactive digital production globally and curated content for events in Latin America since 2009. Hofnik produced alternate reality experiences for brands and projects trailblazing the industry before social media platforms even existed. Currently, Fabio is heavily involved with the global ecosystem of immersive reality creators, as a consultant and partner of XRmust.com, the only web-based database of virtual reality art.

 

Joshua Banman brings alongside his current work as an artist and arts administrator, a past career of over a decade working with several Fortune 500 companies with a focus on adult education, organizational change management, and software integration. He is excited to engage with Winnipeg and the world through art, hoping to influence audiences to imagine and think critically about a better future for everyone and how we get there. 

 

As Hyper, Fabio and Josh started to work to serve the community through the Hyper Festival - in the belief that by creating a touchstone event exploring new media, we can create more diverse opportunities and a stronger community for all creators.

 

Future plans for Hyper Collective include experimental digital art workshops for under-represented communities, immersive theatre productions, and engagement with local non-profit organizations and sector councils on the support for interactive art creation and the development of audiences for new media arts.