(photos by Katja Goljat / PIFcamp except where noted in titles)
PIFcamp is a yearly art/hacking camp organized by Slovenian associations Project Atol and Ljudmila. They describe the camp like this:
“A 7-day international summer camp in the Slovenian nature, where art, technology and knowledge meet. The participants of the camp take the leading part in holding workshops, practical field trips, theoretical lectures and on-sight briefings and actively participate in the development of various DIY projects, while collaborating together in a creative working environment.”
True enough, but I think this description by Václav Peloušek (Bastl Instruments co-founder) captures the spirit even better (from a lecture at Noise Kitchen):
“There is one magical place in the mountains of Slovenia, near the river Soča….You apply with a project, and probably don’t really do the project but you hang out with others and do other different projects … and don’t finish any of them!”
First Impressions
I attended PIFcamp In July 2025 (with my whole family). I had met some PIFcamp alums (Bernhard Rasinger and Stefan Voglsinger) while working in France on the Wandering Sounds & Images project. They encouraged me to apply, and I’m so grateful for the recommendation.
The trip started with a winding journey between the peaks of Triglav National Park on a standing-room-only minibus with several of the other camp participants. After this “trauma bonding” right of passage, the camaraderie was solid before the camp even began!
When we arrived, the vibe was instantly multidisciplinary. I think the organizers did a great job selecting participants from different art backgrounds (music, movement, social practice, electronics, live coding, etc). There was also a great mix of PIF veterans and noobs like myself, as well as a range of ages (young kids, graduate students and PhD candidates, teachers, and folks working outside of academia).
In the first few days, the calendar started to fill with workshops where participants shared their works-in-progress, gave artist talks and demos, and convened discussions. As Václav mentioned in his quote, it’s very difficult to balance participation with “getting something done” at PIFcamp! I quickly decided that my project (an audio looping system to transpose ultrasound to audible frequencies) wasn’t going to see more hardware development during the week. Instead, I’d spend my time demonstrating it to others and learning to play it better.
Workshops
There were almost 50 participants, so too many workshops to keep track of. Some standout topics: Turning bio-data into music and visuals, Edible plant foraging walks, Building DIY piezo preamps for contact mics, PALM 01 wireless MIDI controller, Eco-printing fabric with chemical impressions of plants, Flexible circuits (using a portable vinyl cutter to cut traces from copper tape sheets!), Distillation of wild plants, Embodied synthesizers (movement workshop), Hack your gut biome (DIY fermented drinks), Intro to live coding, Intro to pixel sorting, “Stories of Repair” (conversations about the practicalities and philosophies of repair inside and outside of media art), Relational shifts (prompted walking activities).
My Workshop
I gave a quick artist talk about my field recording practice, focusing on ultrasound and other techniques of “expanded” listening. I joined forces with the piezo preamp workshop to set up a few listening stations for people to try out contact mics and preamps.
Camp Life
Some highlights between workshops: Trying to swim in the icy waters of the river. The little chicks making a perfect particle system around their mother hen in the neighbor’s yard. “From Scratch” : a live coding tradition where every participant makes a 9 minute performance starting from a blank screen. The hike to a high-altitude lake, joined by some of the happiest-looking cows I’ve ever seen. Off-grid solar experiments. The “Tillentown” tent, always good for coffee and conversation. And of course, 3 delicious meals a day, made with love by a skeleton crew who were just as talented as any of the guests.
Final Day Presentations & Performances
On the last day, the camp is open to the public, so everyone is encouraged to share their project. There were talks, installations, and performances all day, culminating is a very late night at the exclusive “PIFhain” club (AKA the neighbor’s garage, with some improvised lighting and a table made of insulation foam). I played some slowed down recordings of local bats, and did a looper duet with So Kanno (who brought along his robotic adaptations of mechanical bird calls). The other performers were amazing and varied.
Goodbye PIFcamp. I hope to see you again next year!
