MAKE WALLS TALK!

Temple of Nike, House of the Weimar Republic and Schiller’s House

GENIUS LOCI WEIMAR: VIDEOMAPPING COMPETITION 2026 COMPLETED

This year, Genius Loci Weimar once again launched its international video mapping competition. Artists

from around the world were invited to create projection works for the Temple of Nike, the House of the

Weimar Republic and Schiller's House. Under the festival theme "Democracy and Society", participants

were encouraged to explore the challenges of democratic processes, social change and the transformation of

public communication.

Nearly 100 entries from 28 countries were submitted. The Genius Loci Weimar Festival provides a total

budget of €24,000 for the realization and award of the winning projects. Each of the three selected teams

will receive a production budget of €7,000 to develop and present their work at the festival from September

11–13, 2026. During the festival weekend, one of the three projects will be honored with an additional prize

of €3,000.

The Festival 2026

The 13th edition of Genius Loci Weimar is dedicated to the theme "Democracy and Society". The festival's

three locations – the Temple of Nike, the House of the Weimar Republic and Schiller's House – each

reflect different facets of democratic history and public communication, providing the conceptual starting

point for this year's artistic works.

Drawing on the relationship between historical experience and contemporary challenges, the festival

explores the conditions of democratic coexistence. How does democracy evolve in the age of new media?

Which images can make social cohesion or division visible? And what role can art play in making complex

social processes tangible? International artists translate these questions into large-scale audiovisual

projections, creating immersive spatial experiences that connect past and present while opening up new

perspectives on our society.

Genius Loci Weimar is organized by MXPerience gUG. The festival is supported by the City of Weimar, the

Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation, ReBeam, Logando, Apoldaer, the House of the Weimar

Republic, Klassik Stiftung Weimar, mon ami Weimar, Radio LOTTE Weimar, Weltoffenes Thüringen,

Weimarer Sommer Thüringen, and MXWendler.The winning entries of 2026

"Temple of Voices: An Unfinished Common Script" by AOTOO / China

Drawing on the Temple of Nike’s history as a place of public exchange and communication, the projection

"Temple of Voices: An Unfinished Common Script" explores democracy as a continuous process of listening,

participation and negotiation. Combining text, data streams, sound waves and faint human whispers, the

work transforms the Temple of Nike into a "Hall of Voices" that, having endured periods of noise and

voicelessness, has once again regained its capacity to listen.

Link to the video: https://vimeo.com/1201753131

About AOTOO:

AOTOO is a new media art studio based in Chongqing, China, specializing in immersive projection mapping

and light art. The studio has received multiple awards for its work, including prizes at the China Chongqing

International Light Art Festival and the One Minute Projection Mapping Competition.

Videomapping Temple of Voices: An Unfinished Common Script © AOTOO"STRATUM" by Amir Ahmadoghlu / Iran

"STRATUM" is an interdisciplinary video mapping and stop-motion animation project designed for the

facade of the Haus der Weimarer Republik in Weimar. Moving beyond a conventional digital projection, the

project serves as an architectural anatomy that uncovers democracy’s visual memory, layer by layer, across a

2,000-year timeline.

Link to the video: https://vimeo.com/1201750856

About Amir Ahmadoghlu:

Amir Ahmadoghlu is a transdisciplinary designer, artist and visual storyteller specializing in motion design,

animation and transmedia narratives. His work explores the intersections of design, technology and visual

culture through experimental projects focused on cultural heritage, immersive media and interdisciplinary

design methodologies. His works have been exhibited internationally, including in Berlin, New York,

Beijing, Toyama, Venice, Mexico City and Istanbul, and have been selected by renowned juries, including

Taiwan Design Week and the Toyama Modern Art Museum in Japan.

Videomapping STRATUM © Amir Ahmadoghlu"Fragĭlis" by Rita Reis / Portugal

Projected onto Schiller's House, "Fragĭlis" uses lace as a metaphor for democracy—a delicate structure

whose strength depends on the interconnectedness of every thread. The work reflects on the gradual erosion

of freedom and shows how the loss of individual rights can weaken the democratic whole. At the same time,

the traces of decay and the spaces left behind suggest the possibility of renewal and collective reconstruction.

Link to the video: https://vimeo.com/1201745499

About Rita Reis:

Rita Reis is a Portuguese multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans illustration, sculpture, installation,

scenography and video mapping. Through her projects, she addresses socially relevant issues, using art as a

catalyst for individual and collective reflection and for imagining fairer futures. Her work has been presented

at international festivals in France, Spain, Brazil, China, the United States and Portugal.

Videomapping Fragĭlis © Rita Reis

Genius Loci Weimar | Festival for Videomapping und Facade projection | September 11 – September 13 2026