Open Saturday truly defines what PIF is all about. The participants spend the morning putting finishing touches on projects, or preparing our little speech for why it’s not quite right yet. So much of what happens here does keep growing far past the actual physical event. Many of us will continue down a rabbit hole that came to us at camp. Most of us have more than one new thing we want to try.
Despite every possible distraction that exists at PIF, people have pulled off making some incredible things.
The day is split into three sections: Day Program, BergCamp, and PifHain.
During the day people set out projects, some set up for a talk about what they’ve worked on. There’s so many wonderful projects that I’m sure I’ll capture them all here. Karolina takes us through the process of self-defence workshops, that culminated in beautiful embroidery of poisonous plants in thread dyed by those very plants. The Smoke Vending Machine is out on a ledge and accepting one euro coins for a little puff of smoke, partnered with a receipt with an artist statement printed on it.
Across a table Dasha sets up a spread a poetry written in dr. seuss style scrawled on various sizes of paper by various participants, in the centre sits the crocheted data centre thneed. Next to that another table with the weavings made in pairs on tension looms under Zoe’s guidance, the squares contain strands of conductive wool, they’re hooked up to some microcontrollers and a speaker, letting you play the woven samples like an instrument.
The mycelium cyberdeck prototype is out, Lea’s SCOBI samples containing copper table, coincell batteries and LEDs shine. Maša is tapping her freshly soldered nails on every surface she can.
The river appears in so many of our projects.
Freyja puts out a laptop with rock samples from Soča, aleksander has the screen showing the water with large patches of vibrating moss to hold. We have all been affected by the river. libi streams a radio signal of sounds of the river, using a battery charged by the river. If you go down to swim today you can hear Tamara and Jani’s river organ playing, pushed by the currents and calling out hauntingly to hikers passing by.
As evening comes in, BergCamp begins on the basketball court behind the school.
We are treated to performances from Jakob and Matjaž, Dima and the plant, Fer and Omar, Bernhard, Toyota Vangelis, CMAR #1, Blaž as the sun sets, each utilizing projects developed here. Dima uses the biodata sensor made in Fer’s workshop with recordings captured across the area, Jakob and Matjaž use four cassette players they have modded in multiple ways to record and replay sounds around us.
We feast that night, doing our best to use any leftovers while also enjoying more amazing food made by the kitchen crew. Later in the night they pull out a pan of banana bread, the perfect treat in between the PifHain sets. How lucky we were to have Živa & Matija, Aja, Nina, Ahac cooking and caring for us with food.
PifHain runs in the storage building on Neža’s property, the security is tight with the PIFkids running the door. If you’re on the list you get a green dot on your wrist, although there was rumours of a VIP pin as well.
As the moon rises from behind the mountains, just beginning to wane but shining so bright the night pieces begin.
A piece shines against the tree and rocks on the hill behind us, where the chickens eat bugs in the evenings and a spot I used for many naps. In the field where Tilen Town once stood, a lighthouse beckons us closer with soft sounds. Inside the hollow tree there is a pulsating red glowing light. PIFcampers are very good at lighting and utilizing their setting.
Inside we get sets from Shu, Moira + Roger, Bernhard, Toyota Vangelis, Omar + Turbulente, Jakob and Matjaž, Blaž & Dasha, Ahac, and Blažen. Another moment of PIFtime for Coralie: we start close to an hour later than planned because we were all too busy talking, finalizing, eating, and setting up.
Sets of music and livecoding splash across the walls of the shed. Harsh noise duetting with clips of bacteria wiggling and squirming, full deep soundscapes, incredible laser usage, dj’s bouncing between the deck and the dance floor for music you absolutely could not stand still to. Everyone is dancing and celebrating. It feels like too perfect of an ending in so many ways. Through a silly booking mistake I end up getting to stay for the full night instead of disappearing at 2am for the airport. I do not regret missing my original flight at all.
As soon as the new flight is booked, I’m back in the shed. I’m dancing, I dance until I can’t move anymore, I get to dance to Ahac’s set which is the best possible way to end the night. I sleep for a few hours, and then leave for the airport. As far as a first PIFcamp experience goes, I think it was essentially everything you could possible hope for. I’m leaving buzzing with ideas, planning out some projects to come. I’m feeling full and happy. I spent the week surrounded by people who just want to make wonderful and unusual things. I’m excited to see what they all do next.
Text by Sid Drmay, photos by Katja Goljat.