JazzAscona 2024, a festive vintage poster with a technological touch

The now classic vibrant orange background of JazzAscona, a striking logo with the inscription “40th edition,” and above all, a collage of black and white photos of musicians surrounded by flowers and symbols of New Orleans and Ascona. It’s a work of art that, in some respects, resembles a nostalgic vintage postcard but also looks to modernity. By pointing the smartphone at the paste-ups, you can access extra content through augmented reality. This is the festive and technological visual concept for the 40th edition of JazzAscona, created by the internationally renowned photographer Yuri Catania, who will be presenting the street art event “Jazz Off the Wall” in Ascona and his exhibition at the municipal museum of modern art (Museo comunale di Arte Moderna.)

The visual is both in vertical and horizontal format and was created using a paste-up technique and features some historical festival photographs and many images taken by Yuri Catania during last year’s JazzAscona edition as well as in New Orleans.

The characters presented in the photographic composition are musicians who have written (and will write) the prestigious history of JazzAscona, portrayed in splendid black and white, typical of Jazz photography. Elements referring to the trademarks of the two sister cities of the festival are not missing: the bell tower of Ascona, the steamboat on the Mississippi, the typical flowers of Lake Maggiore (camelias, dahlias, irises), and the “Sister City” New Orleans (lilies, hibiscus, magnolias, orchids, palms, bananas). Flowers that surround and embellish everything with subtle pastel colors.

The new visual concept of JazzAscona is inspired by the “Jazz Off The Wall” project, the major street art event conceived and realized by artist Yuri Catania to celebrate 40 years of JazzAscona. Starting from next Easter, around forty extra-large photographic works will be displayed on public and private buildings in Ascona. “Jazz Off The Wall” will be officially presented at the end of March. Yuri Catania’s works will also be exhibited at the Municipal Museum of Ascona from June 22 to September 1, 2024.

A distinctive feature of the 2024 visuals is the connection with augmented reality: when framed, even on-screen, using the Artivive app (download here), the two posters will come to life, showing the music-scored timelapse related to the creation of the represented works.

JazzAscona will take place from June 20 to 29 and will offer no less than 300 concerts featuring prominent names from New Orleans and artists from all over Switzerland and Europe.