GIFs might have finally broken the old-school stigma that came with its clunky '90s predecessors. Tumblr is taking the animated images offline as part of a large-scale open call and exhibition, which will showcase GIFs as an art form in both digital and real space.
The event, titled Moving the Still: A Festival of GIFS, will be curated by Paddle8, an online destination for art collectors.
Several figures in the creative industries will join Tumblr and Paddle8 as part of the selection council, including R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, the Rodarte sisters and James Frey. Each council member will choose 25 GIFs in individual categories, like fashion, humor, avante garde and perpetual motion, among others.
The selected GIFs will be displayed in a physical exhibition during Art Basel Miami Beach in December. Artists can submit their work from Oct. 17 through Nov. 7 via the Moving the Still website.
To celebrate the launch, Paddle8 released a curated selection of GIFs created by the selection council members and other invited artists. Below is a sample of what the website currently has showcased.