Cities need people like Alex Nikolov. People who believe in the power of culture as a revitalising tool of a community which interrelates within itself through shared interests. People with that magical vigour which comes from trusting that things don’t have to be the way they are, they can be even better than that, more interesting, more relevant. That belief is, in fact, the heart of Loom of which Nikolov is the co-founder.
ALEX NIKOLOV, ALL ABOUT THE LOOM FESTIVAL
Alex Nikolov is the co-founder of the Loom collective, whose main project is organising the Loom Festival, a multidisciplinary event that is a mixture of interactive art, performance and music. But Alex Nikolov is so much more than that, he’s someone who’s well-known for his efforts in trying to revitalise Barcelona’s cultural scene. And that’s a titanic task.
Before that, Alex had gone through many jobs that have not only helped him get better at what he does as he has been able to build a web of actions destined to bring life to the city of Barcelona, but it has also served him to create a network that is worth its weight in gold, from which he can erect even more eloquent activities. Activities like his manual labour inside the Primavera Sound. Or, above all, activities like the Loom Festival, which actually is Nikolov’s passion project.
Loom Festival is born out of a shortage in Barcelona, where there are music festivals and artistic actions abound, but they’re all too compartmentalised. It’s a place that overlooks the fact that we presently value multitasking and multiplatform experiences. Loom Festival, in fact, celebrated its first edition last year, with a proposal that joined interactive audiovisual installations, performances and music. And at the end, they ended up announcing at the door that they had sold out.
For 2019’s edition, which will be held next Saturday, May 4th at the Utopía126 space, Loom Festival raises the stakes and weaves its own group of experiences surrounding the concept of synaesthesia. We talk to Alex Nikolov about all of this, but also about his own role revitalising Barcelona’s cultural scene. Even though, after all, they’re very interconnected with each other. It’s a hyperlink.
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In the last few years, you’ve had some really interesting jobs. But the truth is that your role as Loom’s co-founder comes very natural to you, why do you think that’s you’re so in tune with this project?
Sure, Loom is a very important nucleus for me. I’ve been involved in very different projects from which I’ve learnt a lot, and Loom has been the place where I’ve been able to apply all of this knowledge, and, above all, with the collective that backs up the project, we’ve decided to do things our own way. I’ve always seen entertainment and culture as a field in which you can join very different kinds of people, and the result of these encounters have inspired me from a very early age.
And how do you think these different interesting jobs have helped enrich your vision inside of Loom?
I’ve always believed that it’s important to be involved in several projects at the same time because each one provides you with very different things. At DGTL and OffSonar I learned the groundwork of how to organise a festival. At Atlas Electronic, I learned about the importance of a festival having a conceptual context rooted in its environment. At RED58 and Nica, I learned how a club works (and how to make my friends party a lot). Currently, I’m really happy with Primavera Sound; it is being a good school for me as well as an opportunity for me to develop new facets. I’ll soon be able to talk more about the inauguration of ABX10, Primavera’s new project/club. I’m also managing Andrei Warren, and I’ve discovered how beautiful it is to watch someone grow first-hand during their process. I try to learn everything and try to apply it as best I can. And, above all, I try to always be grateful.
Why do you think that Loom is necessary to act as a collective as well as a festival to provide something that the city of Barcelona is lacking in?
I think that Barcelona is at a very magical moment. On one hand, a really young creative generation (much younger than us) already has mainstream examples with which they can identify themselves. And, at the same time, the underground is more active than ever, with so many friends and collectives giving it their all, like the Voodoo Club, Maricas, Spanish Mafia, Seasons, Samxsen... Collectives are definitely the future, even though it’s hard to learn how to work with friends, Barcelona needs more DIY projects and it should further facilitate their persistence because it’s really complicated to fight the good fight without any help.
How will Loom 2019 surpass the success of its previous edition, which managed to even sell out?
The truth is that we’re very happy with this year’s line-up. We’re presenting an in-depth look into more micronational scenes and some of our own international icons. All of the artistic proposals really go in depth with the synaesthesia concept, and this will create a very effective interactive journey. I’m not going to give any more spoilers, there are only two days left!
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You’ve resorted to crowdfunding for the new edition of the festival to become a reality. How did the campaigning and the people’s implication in it go?
Loom has always been a project of collaborative co-creation that is very close to the people that integrate it. A project in which anyone who wants to take part in it, can. This is why crowdfunding became such an obvious option for us. We’re happy with the campaign’s results, which almost reached its goal! We’re still raising money, so all donations are still welcome!
I know that this is like asking a parent who their favourite child is, but, which artists are unmissable for you at Loom 2019 and why?
I highly recommend the acts of artists that are stepping outside of their comfort zone to create a performance in which they lose the fear of doing what they usually do: Sega Bodega’s live session, that is getting closer than ever to pop, Candela Capitán’s performance with Insecthaus, the biggest collector of unusual insects in Europe; ISAbella, whose performance is more experimental than ever, Aire with his new live session.
How does your dream Loom Festival of 2025 look like?
There has been a significant development in just one year, and so we’ll keep being as ambitious without thinking too much in what seems impossible at first sight.
As aesthetics are important to Loom, can I ask you about your favourite garment? The first one you think of when opening the closet from which you build your full look…
Definitely hoodies.
Sweatshirt GCDS.
Sweatshirt GCDS, trousers ARC'TERYX VEILANCE, cap NASASEASONS, shoes NIKE Air Max 720.
Sweatshirt GCDS, trousers ARC'TERYX VEILANCE, cap NASASEASONS, shoes NIKE Air Max 720.
Sweatshirt GCDS.
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- Photos: Viridiana Morandini