21/05/2025
International animation workshop and animated bike ride.
From 7 to 11 April 2025, the international animation workshop GO! Animacikel took place at the School of Arts of the University of Nova Gorica. The workshop was organised in cooperation with the University of Banja Luka, a partner in university's Ceepus network Adriart.Ce. In addition to the students of the Nova Gorica School of Arts, students from several Ceepus partner universities also participated. Two of the workshop mentors were also professors who came from the Ceepus programme (Danjel Djukić from the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka and Iva Čirić from the Academy of Arts in Belgrade).
The intensive workshop not only gave students the opportunity to create animations, but also to explore the work and perspectives of peers and mentors from various countries. The highlight of the workshop was a spectacular cycling projection of the created animations across urban surfaces. Starting at the School of Arts of the University of Nova Gorica, visitors and participants moved into the city environment, sharing the animations in an innovative way. The animations were projected from a moving vehicle onto the facades, streets, and trees of the city. A group of cyclists and pedestrians accompanied the projection vehicle; they made a few short stops along the route and concluded at Bevkov trg.
The workshop programme included several phases of the creative process.
On Monday, 7 April 2025, the participants gathered and got to know each other, during which the organisers presented the goals of the workshop and formed creative groups. The atmosphere was full of anticipation and energy for the upcoming creative week. The next two days, the students engaged in intensive workshops that lasted from morning to evening. They developed ideas for animations, exchanged perspectives, and began creating their animated stories. The creative process was dynamic, full of collaboration and experimentation.
On Thursday, 10 April, the project reached its highlight—by the afternoon, the animations were completed, and the participants went on an unforgettable bicycle projection. On bicycles equipped with projectors, the students projected animations onto city facades, trees, and streets. The city was brought to life in a different, illuminated image that attracted many passers-by and impressed the local community.
The final day was dedicated to evaluation and collective reflection on the experience. The participants shared their impressions, challenges, and plans for the future, while we recalled the unforgettable moments of the past days together.
About the Animacikl project
Animacikl is a unique international animation workshop for students, followed by an innovative public screening of the animations on urban surfaces—not just any screening, but one done with the help of bicycles! This special form of animation projection onto building facades, streets and trees, using bicycles equipped with projectors, was first introduced in 2017 in Banja Luka. Since then, Animacikl has impressed audiences at various international festivals, including Animafest in Zagreb, the European Capital of Culture 2020 in Rijeka, and Animator Fest in Jagodina.
What makes the project special is that the authors of the animations ride specially adapted bicycles and project their creative works while cycling through the city—a true combination of art, technology and physical activity.
The event was part of the accompanying programme of the European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica - Gorizia, within the GO! Studio project (SPF GO! 2025 – Interreg Italy–Slovenia 2021–2027). In addition to students from the local academy, the workshop was attended by students and mentors from art academies in Banja Luka, Zagreb, Belgrade, and Budapest.
