CYLAND Makes South American debut at SOFA
by Leah Stuhltrager
SOFA VIP Tour of Bogota Cultural Landmarks. Photo: L Stuhltrager, 2015.
CYLAND makes its South American debut with a public CYBERFEST screening of video art at SOFA.
SOFA (Salon Leisure and Fantasy) is an annual convention held in Bogota, Colombia. The largest Tech and Culture event in South America, SOFA brings together communities involved with electronics, gaming, film, art, music, and performance.
Held at the prestigious Corferias (Centro Internacional de Negocios y Exposiciones de Bogotá), the festival attracted over 50,000 visitors the day of CYBERFEST’s public screening; over 200,000 visitors for the 5 day event in 2015.
VIP Badges. Courtesy of SOFA, 2015.
A rundown of this special international leap for CYLAND in pictures:
Halloween / Oct 31, 2015 (Bogota)
10am: The line to get into SOFA reached across massive lots, wound through gates, and stretched around corners, for 5 blocks.
2pm: The diverse, unique crowd (including grandparents – parents — children hand in hand, groups of teens dressed as an entourage straight from their favorite film or game, avid collectors from South America who made a pilgrimage, curious locals celebrating the holiday weekend, tourists with cameras ever clicking, talent from across the globe, and industry leaders of every subculture imaginable) reached fever pitch by mid-afternoon.
SOFA on morning of CYBERFEST screening. Photo: L Stuhltrager, 2015.
3:30pm: The CYLAND / CYBERFEST tees, usb cards, and totes caused frenzy and were snatched up in mere moments – embodying the palpable energy right before the screening.
CYLAND Swag at SOFA. Photo: L Stuhltrager, 2015.
3:45pm: Inside the theater the seats filled. Along the sidelines and back, those passing through stopped to see.
4:00pm: The lights dimmed, the screening started, and the rest is history.
