About the festival

The idea of 15th Bella Skyway Festival is „Overflow”

Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.

– Ovid

The main theme of this year’s Bella Skyway Festival is Overflow, meaning more metaphorically – going beyond the established framework. At the same time, overflow is an ambiguous concept – depending on whether we are able to properly use and redirect the excess that we encounter in many aspects of life – it can be an amazing opportunity or a huge threat. Overflow, also known to IT students, is primarily related to water, which in terms of associations allows to reconcile seemingly opposing fields: technology and nature.

The modern world is saturated with information that floods us with messages via the Internet, newspapers and television. Almost every device we use every day is connected to the global network – even such a simple device as a watch, whose only function is to measure time, has been turned into “smart devices” measuring our heart rate, number of steps, checking the weather, receiving calls and sending notifications. from other applications. We are so accustomed to receiving “beeping” notifications on our phones, tablets and computers that increasingly young people, and over time even older generations, begin to feel afraid of the lack of current information. That’s why we chase news from everywhere, refresh our phones and browse websites, and try to find the most effective ways to stay updated with new information. However, the outpouring of information is so great that no matter how hard we try, we will always miss something. This causes us stress, anxiety, and ultimately a sense of excess that overwhelms us. Information floods us like a waterfall or a flood wave, breaking into our everyday lives.

Over the last 15 years, technology has developed incredibly – modern social media or the equipment we use every day, which seem necessary to us today to live and function in society, were sometimes only the beginnings of an idea. Others did not exist at all.

With all the excess surrounding us, however, it is worth remembering that technology and information are not just a destructive force carrying a negative message. There are many positive aspects of them. They can contribute to the creation of interesting and important things. Social media has the ability to connect people from all over the world to support a good cause. Through them, we provide information that can change the course of events and influence the lives of people living hundreds of kilometers from us. The devices we wear save lives and help many of us feel safe. It is modern solutions and technologies that can make our planet a place not only full of greenery, but also one where technology and nature coexist in harmony. Just as nature and evolution inspire people to create inventions, the wonders of modern engineering support the development of the nature around us.

During the 15th Bella Skyway Festival, we want to give creators this freedom of interpretation and action, giving them the opportunity to show both the life-giving and destructive sides of technology and information. Will overwhelming visions of the negative effects of Overflow prevail among the works? Or maybe, on the contrary, artists will show that with a bit of good intentions, attention and care, we can use the positive side of technology that coexists with the green refuges of urban nature.

The cultural landscape of Toruń has been enriched by another European-scale event — Bella Skyway Festival. A festival that is fresh, unique and reality-changing. A festival that breathes new life into the gothic town walls of Toruń.

The Festival has been organised in Toruń since 2009 and its beginnings are connected with the fact that the town tried to become a European Capital of Culture 2016. The programme of this event is based on three pillars:

• Science – festival’s concept is based on astronomy and science. The way Bella Skyway Festival communicates with people taking part in it is unusual, accessible and inspiring, always inviting people to go a step further to learn something new. The experience of beauty is very important, of course, but that scientific accent should be not neglected.
• Art – the driving force of the festival. Audiovisual arts, performance, art that is electrifying, innovative and unusual, that goes well with the natural landscape of the town and its public space. Art you can simply touch. This festival pillar is important from the perspective of town’s heritage and history, as Toruń is known for its special art and science-friendly atmosphere.
• People – “culture for everybody” – this has been the motto of the festival since its very beginning. Bella Skyway Festival is an event for all generations. To start interaction with culture it’s enough to leave the house. This is an advantage of a non-commercial event. An important aspect of the festival is a possibility to get involved in special actions accompanying the event.

Science and art combined with a strong social dimension are the aspects that have always intermingled and complemented one another in Toruń. They make the town so special. So does Bella Skyway Festival.