Editor's pick: Narrowsburg goes digital

Sixth annual DIGit lights up the town with screenings, installations, workshops and a video slam

WHEN: Friday, June 12 to Sunday, June 14. Opening reception from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on June 12.

WHERE: Narrowsburg, all over town. Reception at theDelaware Arts Center, 37 Main Street.

COST: Free.

CONTACT: ArtsAllianceSite.org or call 845/252-7576.

NARROWSBURG, NY — It’s an increasingly digital world, and Narrowsburg is privileged to have an annual festival, the DIGit Digital Media Exposition, that helps us celebrate and make sense of it. The event, scheduled for this weekend, includes continuous screenings, installation art, workshops and discussions and a competitive video slam.

It will start with an opening reception on Friday, June 12 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. featuring video screenings and installations at the Delaware Arts Center at 37 Main Street. Digital works will continue to loop throughout the weekend and remain on display through July 4.

On Saturday, June 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Narrowsburg Roasters will host “Java with the Geniuses,” an open discussion for all to address their technical questions—from how to download a picture to how to start a website. Next door at the Arts Center, a series of workshops and panel discussions will explore topics including “Digital Storytelling” at 11:00 a.m. and “Using Digital Media to Affect Political and Social Change” at 1:00 p.m.

At 7:00 p.m., the Excellence in Digital Art awards will be announced after a screening of the digital videos at the Tusten Theatre at 210 Bridge Street. Then at about 9:00 p.m., DIGit After Dark will feature a collection of outdoor video projections titled “Video in the Built Environment.”

“I am interested in how the Delaware River functions both as a border between Pennsylvania and New York states and as a historic conduit of trade,” says artist Mat Rappaport, one of the shows creators. His installation, “currents,” includes light, sound and video at the Narrowsburg Bridge. On the New York side, a high-powered flashlight will beam Morse code across the water onto a video screen positioned on the Pennsylvania side and a video juxtaposes scenes of interior office architecture from the films including “The Firm” and “Wall Street” with footage shot in and around the river.

Also participating in DIGit After Dark with outdoor video projections will be visiting artists Grant Taylor, Ivan Matrinez and Conrad Gleber.

The festival’s events will be brought to a conclusion with the screening of entries for the Quick and Dirty video slam at 12:00 noon at the Tusten Theater (see sidebar).

DIGit is sponsored by the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance and is funded in part by a grant from the Electronic Media and Film Program of the New York State Council on the Arts.