ITS#NINE will take you on a fantastic Voyage!
December 22, 2009
Everyone probably agrees that the year that is coming to an end has not been an easy one... The global economic crisis that struck has demonstrated how fragile the world’s economy is and how we must reconsider much of what we had taken for granted in the past. Those of you who were there in mid-July attended what seemed to be the last edition of ITS, at least in the traditional way.
As you may remember, plans were made to move the event to the web, a challenge we were already working hard on, and we must admit that we were sure things would have gone in a completely different way from how they actually went. What happened is that ITS is not moving to the web. That means you won't discover the surprises that we were preparing for you online (we'll keep those in our "great ideas" drawer for now...). ITS is back to let you know that we will once again meet the most interesting international creativity in Trieste, Italy, on 16 and 17 July 2010!!
You might ask yourself: What happened in these few months that changed things so radically? Well, it appears we have been working well all these years. It appears that our partners believe in us and in our work so much that they wanted to fight and be on our side to keep ITS as it is and have it live on. They believe, just like we believe, that what we do is worthy of continuing. They faced a very hard 2009 just like we did, and you'll realise that not everybody will be there with us as they have been in the past (and some surprises are around the corner, wait and see!). But it is thanks to them and to the important support of the local government and local agencies that ITS is very happy to announce ITS#NINE - THE CONFEDERATION OF FANTASTIC VOYAGERS.
This year ITS went a step beyond, by creating not just a concept, but a confederation: The Confederation of Fantastic Voyagers. They are a bunch of valorous pioneers whose mission is to go where no man has gone before: Astronauts who fly across space, Chrononauts capable of travelling through time and Psychonauts who dare to explore the secret landscapes of the human mind. Retrofuturistic steam-powered vehicles and devices are the arsenal of these individuals, who can blend dreams and technology into effective and unimaginable ways to extend human knowledge. Finalists at ITS#NINE will become Fantastic Voyagers. How far will they be able to take us?
There are two major changes for this ninth edition. DIESEL, the main partner of ITS#FASHION, has completely revamped the project for the Diesel Award. It will challenge the contestants to present an ideal Autumn/Winter 2010 collection of at least 5 outfit sketches. The proposal will be inspired by a selection of images from Diesel collections of the nineties, that will be provided to all fashion competition entrants. Each of these outfits will have to include a proposal of a Diesel Jacket. During the Preselections on 15 and 16 April 2010, a Diesel representative will decide which jacket the selected finalists will have to produce for the finals in July. Only the best jackets will make it to the finals!
The YKK Award has also radically changed, with a very interesting and stimulating project for all young accessories designers to develop. Every ITS#ACCESSORIES competitor will be asked to present proposals for at least one of three different categories. For Category One they will be asked to present a creative use, in a footwear, softwear or hardwear accessory, of any of the YKK fastenings provided in a sample book made available online. Those who choose Category Two will be asked to present a creative use of YKK® products in response to the following statement: "The Zipper in Next Generation Art" using any kind of media they want. The third category will be a tailor-made fastening project utilising existing YKK products.
We'll keep ITS#PHOTO a secret for now...and if you click on the photo section in the upper right-hand side of the home page, you will be redirected to a page that thanks you for your interest BUT WON'T REVEAL ANYTHING MORE! We're the same old crazy bunch and we don't like to present things until we've gone through every single little detail...So be patient, and keep an eye on itsweb.org.
Go through the Fashion and Accessories pages in the meantime, and discover all there is to know about the new competitions! If you are among the many who wish to enrol, go and have a look at the fashion and accessories entry requirements. ENROLMENT WILL BE OPEN FROM 25 JANUARY 2010, so you'll want to be ready by then and know all of the material you need to prepare!
We will find all the Fantastic Voyagers in the world!
