Festival
Kaboom 2026
19 — 22 March 2026
These are traces of human presence, which an algorithm lacks. The Human Touch theme program explores how animation has always been crafted by touch: from the earthy textures of clay and graphite, through analog experiments and stop motion, to their echoes in AI-generated imagery.
In a time when machines can imitate the craft of animation, the question arises: what makes handcraft unique? A brushstroke reveals hesitation, an embroidery stitch rhythm, a smear of clay intention.
The central question is: if craft is no longer the only way to create animation, then what’s left? Will craft become a simulation—valued for their aesthetics, but stripped of human touch? Or will craft evolve, by absorbing this existential threat? Maybe this isn’t the end of craft, but a provocation. When AI becomes chisel, pen, loom—what role is left for humans? Will the animator become a curator? The ghost in the machine? Maybe it’s less about how something is made, and more about why?
For her poster design, Spanish illustrator Bea Lema looked at the original artisan, the spider. She found inspiration in artist Louise Bourgeois, who wrote: “I come from a family of repairers (of tapestries). If you tear a spider’s web, she doesn’t get angry. She weaves it and repairs it.”
Together with creators and our audience, we will be looking for our role in a changing animation reality. In a world that only wants to be faster and more efficient, Human Touch reminds us that craft demands attention, care, and meaning.
Festival programme
Planning on having a drink or a bite to eat? Book online for Eye Bar & Restaurant.