If you could bottle the atmosphere at OffGrid, there would be queues around the block for it. But being on hand to capture the content of this extraordinary annual gathering, our scribes come pretty close to capturing it.
OffGrid festival brings together ‘the interesting and interested’ for 48 hours of curated talks, workshops and discussions to discover fresh perspectives, diverse ideas and hear from people outside their usual world environment. And, as always, our team set up camp there on Osea Island to capture the ideas that filled the air.
Under this year’s theme - 'Time to look at a more human future and reimagine the way we do things' - an impressive line-up of speakers took the stage. It included the Barbican’s Artistic Director (and former BBC Arts Editor) Will Gompertz, comedian Sophie Duker and writer and strategist Alastair Campbell. Our scribes, Matt and Terri, brought content and ideas to life by live illustrating every talk on a series of stackable boxes.
"There is so much information and ideas that come out of these sessions so using Scriberia is the perfect way to document them, in the most beautiful and, frankly, cool way.”
Jeremy Hill, Founder of OffGrid
Founder of OffGrid, Jeremy Hill says, “OffGrid is all about being there, getting involved and sharing with others, so the sessions are not videoed to encourage as open and honest discussion as possible. There is so much information and ideas that come out of these sessions so using Scriberia is the perfect way to document them, in the most beautiful and, frankly, cool way.”
The festival was set up by Jeremy and Aimi Hill in 2016 as an antidote to the usual industry event. They spend 12 months sourcing the speakers, whether well-known or complete novices, to create the perfect line-up - diverse in both its make-up and outlook.
“The work of Scriberia hugely helped get delegates involved and stimulate conversation post each session. It served as a prompt, giving people the ability to reflect and continue the discussion.”
“When it came to events, we’d been listening to the same people, from the same industries, sponsored by the same companies - the usual echo chamber of an event that describes and listens to itself. We wanted something completely new,” adds Jeremy.
OffGrid is held on the private island of Osea with access via a causeway that is only open for 4 hours every 12 hours. In between talks, attendees could explore the beautiful island and its unspoilt beaches… or, for an unexpected delight, listen to Alaistair Campbell showcase his musical talents on the bagpipes.
Once created, the artwork from each session was arranged together in a pyramid shape and stacked in a ‘totem pole’ that was moved around and strategically placed in areas where attendees would congregate.
“The work of Scriberia hugely helped get delegates involved and stimulate conversation post each session,” adds Jeremy. “It served as a prompt, giving people the ability to reflect and continue the discussion.”
Post event, the artwork has been circulated to attendees and posted on the festival’s site and social channels.
“Once people got back to the office, they asked for the notes so we proudly sent the Scriberia work. If I had typed up my notes in Times New Roman, I doubt it would have had the same impact!” says Jeremy.
“The feedback has just been phenomenal. Some of the speakers have said it was the best summary of their work they'd ever seen.”
