South by South Lawn explained

Venue:White House
Location:White House South Lawn
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Organisers:Obama administration, South by Southwest, President's Committee on Arts and Humanities, Futurism
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South by South Lawn (stylized SXSL) was a technology and music festival organized by the White House under the Obama administration that took place in October 2016 in Washington, D.C. It was modelled after the South by Southwest music festival.

Background

South by South Lawn was a technology and music festival[1] [2] initiated by the Obama administration.[3] It was modelled after and co-organised by the South by Southwest festival,[4] [5] President's Committee on Arts and Humanities,[6] and tech media company Futurism.[7] It was hosted on the South Lawn of the White House,[8] [9] and was live streamed.[10] Announced in September 2016 by the White House, the festival took place on October 3.[11]

The first festival to be staged at the White House,[12] it was considered by the Times columnist Carol Midgley to be "the coolest event of the year" and "better than a ticket to the Oscars".[13] The New York Times considered the event "like the swan song of the first president who seemed to get it — “it” being the value of start-up culture"[14] while Pitchfork, sharing similar views, wrote that it felt "idyllically removed from the present political tire fire".[15] The festival was noted by the LA Times in a December 2016 retrospective as reflecting "many of the cultural shifts that happened during the Obama presidency."[16]

The festival had panel discussions and exhibits relating to sustainability, climate change, and technology. One exhibit comprised a virtual reality experience by the Guardian and The Mill that showcased the sensation of spending nine minutes in solitary confinement, while another was mounted by the American toy company Sphero and allowed visitors to play with robots. The SXSL sign was programmed by Adam Savage to light up every time someone made a social media post with the hashtag #sxsl.[17]

Climate change panel

The main event of the festival was a climate change panel led by President Obama that featured guest speakers actor Leonardo DiCaprio and the Canadian climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. This also included the domestic premiere[18] [19] of DiCaprio's National Geographic climate documentary Before the Flood.[20] [21] The panel was considered "stirring" and "passionate" by The Independent chief film critic Clarisse Loughrey.[22]

Musical guests

In late September 2016, President Barack Obama announced the musical line-up for South by South Lawn.[23]

Attendance

Attendees were chosen through a nomination process where attendees must have made positive impacts in their communities.[25] More than 20,000 attendees were nominated to attend. "A few thousand people" attended according to The New York Times out of 24,000 applicants.[26]

Notes and References

  1. News: Overly . Steven . October 4, 2016 . South By South Lawn tech, music festival loosens up the White House . May 17, 2024 . The Washington Post.
  2. Web site: Sylla . Sophie . 2016-10-04 . The White House Holds the First Ever South by South Lawn Festival . 2024-05-17 . Global Citizen . en.
  3. Web site: South by South Lawn . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170524233921/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/node/357821 . May 24, 2017 . 2024-05-17 . The White House . en.
  4. News: Pilkington . Ed . Spencer . Jane . 2016-10-04 . The Obama White House hosts the first – and last? – SXSL technology festival . 2024-05-17 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  5. Web site: Moore . Sam . 2016-09-02 . President Barack Obama to hold mini SXSW festival at the White House . 2024-07-13 . NME . en-GB.
  6. Web site: 2016-09-01 . Inspired by SXSW, Obama announces South by South Lawn Festival . 2024-05-17 . . en-US.
  7. Web site: Futurism . 2024-05-17 . Forbes . en.
  8. Web site: 2016-09-30 . Celebrities, innovators head to D.C. for the first ever South by South Lawn . 2024-05-17 . SiriusXM . en.
  9. Web site: Dickey . Megan Rose . 2016-10-04 . Here's what happened at South by South Lawn at the White House . 2024-05-17 . TechCrunch . en-US.
  10. Web site: Monroe . Jazz . 2016-10-03 . Live Stream the White House and SXSW Festival South by South Lawn . 2024-05-17 . Pitchfork . en-US.
  11. Schneider . Marc . 2016-09-02 . White House Announces 'South By South Lawn,' SXSW-Inspired Micro Festival . 2024-05-17 . Billboard . en-US.
  12. Web site: Britton . Luke Morgan . 2016-10-04 . 'Stranger Things' kids attend President Obama's White House music festival . 2024-07-13 . NME . en-GB.
  13. Web site: Midgley . Carol . 2024-07-13 . Obama's music festival . registration . 2024-07-13 . The Times . en.
  14. News: Wortham . Jenna . 2016-10-25 . Obama Brought Silicon Valley to Washington . subscription . 2024-07-13 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  15. Web site: Anderson . Stacey . 2016-10-13 . The Presidential Suite: A Look Back at Obama's Musical Milestones . 2024-07-13 . Pitchfork . en-US.
  16. Web site: Ochoa . Laurie . 2016-12-15 . 2016 moment: The day Barack Obama turned the White House into a rock and tech fest . subscription . https://web.archive.org/web/20230321160507/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-ca-year-end-obama-white-house-culture-20161208-story.html . March 21, 2023 . 2024-07-13 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  17. Web site: Bajohr . Donny . October 5, 2016 . Here's What You Missed At the White House's First-Ever South By South Lawn Festival . 2024-05-17 . Smithsonian Magazine . en.
  18. Web site: Benac . Nancy . October 3, 2016 . Barack Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio urge action on climate change at South by South Lawn . 2024-07-13 . Global News . en-US . The Associated Press.
  19. Web site: Gelt . Jessica . 2016-10-03 . South by South Lawn: LACMA's Michael Govan to talk with James Turrell and David Adjaye at White House festival . subscription . https://web.archive.org/web/20240331024653/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-southbysouthlawnmichaelgovan-20160930-snap-story.html . March 31, 2024 . 2024-07-13 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  20. Web site: Billboard . Gil Kaufman . 2016-09-26 . Leonardo DiCaprio, 'Stranger Things' Cast Set for President Obama's South by South Lawn Fest . 2024-05-17 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  21. Web site: Kiefer . Halle . 2016-10-04 . Leonardo DiCaprio Comes Out Hot Against Climate-Change Deniers: 'You Should Not Be Able to Hold Public Office' . 2024-05-17 . Vulture . en.
  22. News: Loughrey . Clarisse . October 4, 2016 . Watch Leonardo DiCaprio and President Obama go hard on climate change at SXSL . July 13, 2024 . The Independent.
  23. Web site: Edelman . Julia . 2016-09-25 . President Obama Plans His Own South by South Lawn Festival, Invites Leonardo DiCaprio and the Kids From Stranger Things . 2024-05-17 . Vulture . en.
  24. Web site: Earls . John . 2016-09-26 . President Obama announces line-up for first festival at The White House . 2024-07-13 . NME . en-GB.
  25. Web site: Coulehan . Erin . 2016-09-26 . Commander in cool: Obama's upcoming South by South Lawn festival is one more reason he'll be missed . 2024-05-17 . Salon . en.
  26. Wichard-Edds . Adrienne . 2016-10-04 . President Obama Welcomes Common, Leonardo DiCaprio & The Lumineers to His Backyard for Inaugural South by South Lawn . 2024-07-13 . Billboard . en-US.

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