What do a neighborhood in La Paz and one in Dresden have in common? How can children connect through images alone? GIF.AWAY began as a transcontinental artistic dialogue where students from each city exchanged photos and stories from their daily lives. Using these images as a creative spark, they crafted their own animated GIFs and short visual narratives, reinterpreting each other’s worlds with imagination and curiosity.
Participants explored photography, collage, performance, and stop-motion animation across multiple sessions. Each meeting combined hands-on artistic activities with storytelling and reflection:
- Taking and reinterpreting photographs
- Experimenting with movement, shadows, and improvisation
- Creating analog and digital GIFs using tablets and stop-motion tools
- Reflecting on image, identity, and cross-cultural expression
The workshop was framed by the concept of Culture Link—encouraging flexibility, exchange, and open-ended visual communication across contexts.
The final GIF animations were shared across borders and presented at public events in both cities, including the Noche de Colores exhibition at the Deutsche Schule in La Paz. In Dresden, the results were presented at the Johannstädter Kulturtreff in a collaborative celebration with families and community members.
GIF.AWAY continues to grow as a modular format for visual storytelling and intercultural learning—empowering young voices and creative collaboration beyond borders.