Pohoda in the Air was great, but we want to have it back on the ground as soon as possible
The first year of the Pohoda in the Air festival could not have turned out better. The festival was filled with the tremendous commitment of all those who took part in it and the fantastic approach of the artists with which they responded to this challenge; it also received countless support reactions from the spectators. Michal Kaščák says about the festival: “Thanks to the creativity of many people, Pohoda in the Air was a great artistic and technical adventure. It became a three-day installation, in which the empty airport was filled with culture in its various forms—from music through performances, visual arts, literature, and film to debates. I think taking this direction was a fortunate decision. Amazing things were created; we received an intense feedback from the spectators, we met great people, real enthusiasts and professionals in their fields, we learned a lot of new things. I am convinced that thanks to the creativity combined with consistency, trust, and support of many people, we have managed to do an exceptional thing.”
14. July 2020
Pohoda in the Air brought the audience 27 hours and 21 minutes of original festival content. Tens of thousands of people have spent more than three million minutes watching it, which is over 50,000 hours, or five years and seven months. 9 directors, 35 cameramen, 7 sound engineers and dozens of technicians worked on the technical support of the live broadcast and operated from ten production sites. They had 52 cameras and four live drones. 45 kilometres of optical fibers and one and a half kilometres of video cables were used, thanks to which the festival broadcast more than 30 TB of data via the web and social networks. Only the main stream recording itself has more than 16 TB in full quality.
Undoubtedly the most watched and also the most touching moment of the festival was the opening concert of Milan Lasica and Dorota Nvotová. Many viewers also watched the final piece of the festival, Sunday (non)sermon. The Midi Lidi concert, the best of unplugged, was especially discussed, as the avant-garde electro-pop band perfected the unplugged format and really “turned themselves off”. Billy Barman released their new album Zlatý vek in a visually impressive show, and many people also watched the rebirth of Neuropa. We received a lot of reactions to the streams of foreign artists such as Donny Benét and Liraz, and several spectators described band Fulu Miziki from the slums of Kinshasa as the discovery of Pohoda in the Air. Marina Satti & Fonés sent us a visually and musically beautiful concert and the last concert of the festival was delivered by the Kronos Quartet, whose mix of interesting works accompanied the concurrent sunset over San Francisco and the sunrise in Trenčín. A great response was given also to Saturday's welcoming the Sun that featured the winners of the Facebook contest: Timea Gregová, Norbert Danis, and Martina Repková. Among the most watched videos were the discussion with President Zuzana Čaputová, the night satiric divination with Hesso Jašterák, and the world preview of the documentary Orchestra from the Land of Silence about the first Afghan women's orchestra Zohra. The visual art was very strong with eighteen slots and three physical works—the centre of the festival held Stanislav Filko's Celebration of Air, Otto Hudec's Flag of the Earth was installed in Trenčín main square, and the impressive Ilona Németh's work Auditorium for Pohoda in the Air was set up across the airport runway.
Concerts, debates, performances, and other recordings from Pohoda in the Air will be gradually added to the Pohoda website and YouTube channel, where viewers can watch anything they missed. The last output of the festival will be the upcoming aftermovie, where the organizers want to include videos from the “watchparty” of spectators of Pohoda in the Air. They can be sent to ambassador@pohodafestival.sk and one of the contributors will be rewarded with a ticket to Pohoda 2021. Michal Kaščák concludes: “Pohoda in the Air exceeded all our expectations, but nevertheless, we can't wait for the Trenčín airport to be filled with our visitors. A live meeting is irreplaceable; we are looking forward to Pohoda 2021.”
