Headed up by Peter Thaler and Lars Denicke, since 1999 the Pictoplasma project has been exploring developments in contemporary character design and now exhibits artistically reduced figure portrayals by over 1,000 globally active artists and designers in a curated, open-access online archive. Through installations, exhibitions and publications, Pictoplasma illustrates the trends and possibilities of character design and demonstrates the significance which the figures have gained in contemporary visual understanding. Since 2004 Pictoplasma has also organized an annual animation film festival backed up by conference events, providing a forum for a globally active network of artists, designers, agencies and the interested public.