![]() It started out as a musical event, so there is no denying that despite the many activities that take centre stage at the festival, music still remains its most pertinent art form. Over the years, prominent keynote speakers include Elon Musk of Tesla, Neil Degrasse Tyson, Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal, Chelsea Clinton of the Clinton Foundation, author Bruce Sterling, Mark Zuckerberg, among several others. Some impassioned stories of talent, perseverance and effort have been told at these sessions, making for some truly candid confessions. This is done, so young, wistful creators can learn from what the established talent have to say, and take away inspiration from their experience. Some of the most acclaimed talent from the industry, from creators to financiers, have come to be the Keynote speakers at SxSW. Today, it has seen speakers such as as Lena Dunham, Dave Grohl, Snoop Dogg, Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Steve Carrell, Neil Degrasse Tyson and Seth Rogen, among other industry regulars, with performances by musicians such as Lady Gaga, Foo Fighters, Toro y Moi and Kendrick Lamar. “All in all, an impressive beginning for SXSW and a sturdy groundwork on which to build a balanced conference tradition – level-headed, sober discussion countered with six or seven hours worth of the real live thing.” The famed Austin Chronicle then described it as – The festival, with performances and screenings of music and film, remains a confluence where creative minds can come together, discuss and collaborate. With contemporary media advancing to more developed terms, art at SxSW has expanded to be inclusive of digital media. What started out as a music based event, it grew to incorporate interactive media and film. Its first edition, held in March, 1987 saw the number of registrants grow from a mere 150 to 700. SxSW was hence initiated in an attempt to bring the world to Austin. A need where superlative art from outside could be brought to Austin, brought together some sharp, entrepreneurial minds of Austin, who brainstormed an event that would satisfy this possibility. It was the time when technology was still at its nascent stages, the Berlin Wall was still standing, there existed no Euro, Apple was selling a Macintosh Computer with 128 kilobytes of RAM, CDs were the norm and Ronald Reagan was American President. Several things were commanding American’s consciousness in 1986. The Sherp looks at the festival, its history and its bright future, as it continues to be the most promising platform for up and coming creators. This year’s edition marks SxSW’s 30th Anniversary, as the festival continues to remain a most prevalent art festival – a truly cohesive event that amalgamates America’s creative ingenuity in all forms. “…the domestic pop and rock music industry’s most important annual event.” The New York Times has in fact called it – In more ways than one, America’s independent arts find comeuppance at SxSW, which carries Austin’s indie sensitivity with unpretentious vigour. By featuring the most qualitative acts of the year, becoming a festival and an industry-affecting conference, it sees the coming together of the brightest creators from the world art scene. But few can boast the cultural influence such as SxSW, easily independent culture’s flag-bearing representation. SxSW continues to be the meeting point of cinema, music and art, and remains a pertinent cultural phenomenon, 30 years since its inception.
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