WEDNESDAY 8. 10. 2025
THURSDAY 9. 10. 2025
DARK MODE: The World in a Time of Darkening
Today, the phrase dark mode no longer refers to just a visual setting of a user interface. It is becoming a symbolic metaphor – a state of mind and the spirit of the times. If we transpose it into the context of contemporary society, dark mode represents the way we adapt to an increasingly bleak, uncertain and digitally overloaded world.
The contemporary individual is constantly exposed to information overload, conflicts and crises – war, climate change, political instability and economic uncertainty. In this light, dark mode becomes a symbol of retreat, protection and search for relief. Just as a dark screen shields the eyes, we too seek ways to ease the pain and fatigue brought on by contemporary life. Darkness is becoming a means of survival.
When dark events – repression, fake news, exclusion – begin to feel commonplace, society shifts into a kind of normalised dark mode. The sense of shock is gone – replaced by fatigue and resignation. A bleak mode of functioning means that we are gradually accepting the dark layers of reality as the new norm.
Have we, as a society, adapted to the darkness to the point where it now feels ordinary? How many ethical compromises are we willing to make in the name of comfort, security or the illusion of stability?
The use of the phrase dark mode allows us to reflect on our social and personal position – not only as individuals, but as a collective. Perhaps dark mode is just a temporary switch to a more endurable state. But there is a danger: that it becomes a lasting state of mind. And when darkness becomes the norm, we have to ask ourselves once more – what does light actually mean?
This year, Indigo Festival explores how we, as individuals and as a society, are responding to this darkening. Through lectures, talks, music performances, and DJ sets by local and international guests, we will open up a perspective that dark backgrounds reveal – not merely conceal.
Blaž Peršin, Artistic Director of the Indigo Festival
Tickets
Early Bird (on sale from 21. 7. until 20. 8. 2024)
Three-day ticket for the music programme
€ 25.00
Regular sale
Three-day ticket for the music programme
€ 30.00
One-day ticket for the music programme
€ 12.00
Free entry to all lectures and talks.
With a festival ticket, you can visit the exhibitions at Cukrarna Gallery at a discounted price.
Production
Support
Artistic director: Blaž Peršin | Production director: Marko Maršićević | Curator of the design programme: Ajdin Bašić | Curator of the music programme: Brandon Rosenbluth | Executive Producer: Janja Buzečan | Public relations: Mojca Podlesek | Marketing and promotion: Nejc Kovačič | Visual identity: Ajdin Bašić | Technical manager: Martin Lovšin