MILIA 1999
HAPPENINGText: Nicolas Roope
The selection was thin on the internet front which is a shame considering the amount of interesting work out there on the web. To make up for this, a huge, bald and highly charismatic guy called Stewart McBride puts on the showdown conference entitled “Zapping the Web.”
Seventeen creative talents from around the world are amassed for the talk. Each speaker has three minutes in which to convince the 1000 or so audience in the main auditorium that they’re the main attraction. Stewart dons a referee’s kit to underline his role of authority, to ensure the rules are observed. At the end of the three minutes horns blow and lights flash so that the speaker doesn’t have another word. Out of the seventeen speakers, Enami from Digitalogue got the largest applause for his inspired performance of John Maeda’s new product. I was on last with Antirom’s take on interactive TV, some explosions and finally an attempt to show all the work we’ve ever done in 40 seconds.
The real buzz of the conference was around interactive TV. I remember how excited people were about CD-Roms, when no-one really knew what they could do other than help to reel in the cash riding on the back of the hype factor. Everyone is talking about interactive TV, platform and communication convergence, but in most cases are at best saying much the same thing or at worst nothing at all. The main area is how this will get people who are already buying stuff, to buy more stuff, more easily in what are often obvious, tacky ways.
A medium that doesn’t yet, but is soon to exist on a large scale, that requires massive investment, that no one possesses any real experience in or knowledge of, is an exciting medium. It is also however a medium full of speculation and theory spun about in the hope of magnetising the cash which is desperate to find it’s way into integrated global communication s. A typical idea suggests how that when you’re watching a live football match or something on TV, you’ll flip around to see different camera angles, see game statistics, vote for you favourite player and buy some sunglasses while you’re at it. You can see why they’re exited, but my enthusiasm is still waiting for an idea that I might find of greater relevance and sophistication than what is currently on the agenda.
The consensus on the games area was that it was insubstantial, due probably in part to it being it’s first year. Lots of people flocked to hear the announcement that the Dreamcast logo is going to be blue in Europe; wow!!
Milia left me a little pessimistic. The Techno Party that closed the event summed it up for me, with its rave visuals carrying the emblems and products of microsoft; never a selling opportunity to be missed.
A weekend walking in the Alps managed to clear my head of all the mayhem.
Milia ’99
Date: February 8th – 12th, 1999
Place: Palais des feativals
http://www.milia.com
Text: Nicolas Roope
Photos: Nicolas Roope