Heading to Treefort? Get an inside look at Hackfort’s interactive space in Boise

Sarah Miller
·1 min read

Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, cybersecurity, electronics, and video games — all are hot topics at Hackfort, a feature of the Treefort Music Fest in Boise, that celebrates all things technology.

“It’s not a hacker conference,” Hackfort Director Mike Taylor told the Idaho Statesman. “It’s for technology, but it’s more inclusive of people that have a passing interest in technology or are maybe brand new to it.”

Yael and Josh Dyckman of Eugene, Oregon, and their daughters Ruth, 1, and Amira, 3, move sand into piles to change the topography map at the Sandbox of Life exhibit at Hackfort on Thursday. The interactive activity was sponsored by Sensebellum, a Boise-based digital arts company.
Yael and Josh Dyckman of Eugene, Oregon, and their daughters Ruth, 1, and Amira, 3, move sand into piles to change the topography map at the Sandbox of Life exhibit at Hackfort on Thursday. The interactive activity was sponsored by Sensebellum, a Boise-based digital arts company.

Held at the Boise Centre East, along Capitol Boulevard downtown, the event has been at Treefort for the past 10 years and hosts speakers, panels and a large interactive space featuring hands-on activities from sponsors like Micron, Meridian Library District and Boise State University.

Michael Blood of Advocacy for Responsible Recycling and Reclaiming Tech Together (ARRRTT) worked with community members to build an installation from donated e-waste to advocate for the need to recycle old electronics and digital devices.

Boise State students from Varsity Esports led an evening of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate video-game playing at their downtown arena, while Games, Interactive Media and Mobile Technology (GIMM) program students showcased their projects.

Boise State gaming major Derek Pyatt, of San Diego, displayed his Buster Bronco face filter for Instagram, which turned onlookers’heads into the animated horse mascot. Pyatt said he was self-taught in the project, which was created for the admissions office to use at last semester’s Bronco Day event, a recruiting day for prospective students.

Boise State University student Derek Pyatt, of San Diego, turns passerbys at Hackfort into Buster Bronco with a camera filter he created for the school’s Bronco Day recruiting event last semester.
Boise State University student Derek Pyatt, of San Diego, turns passerbys at Hackfort into Buster Bronco with a camera filter he created for the school’s Bronco Day recruiting event last semester.

Admission to the Hackfort is included with full festival and single-day Treefort passes, available at: https://treefortmusicfest.com/tickets/

Onramp Program volunteer Emma DiNucci, left, helps Hackfort attendees Bertie Andreae, 10, of Boise, and his mother, Val Kiersig, create an augmented reality experience using a tablet at Hackfort on Thursday. Onramp Program is sponsored by Boise State University, College of Western Idaho, Idaho Digital Learning Alliance and Apple Community Education Initiative.
Participants dance and play musical instruments at a large video projection on the wall inside the interactive space at Hackfort on Thursday.
Participants dance and play musical instruments at a large video projection on the wall inside the interactive space at Hackfort on Thursday.
David Reyes sets up audio for attendees to listen to at the Experience Immersive Audio exhibit at Hackfort on Thursday. The exhibit featured immersive audio applications from Dolby Atmos and Sound Particles, two programs that are used to make soundscapes for movies.
David Reyes sets up audio for attendees to listen to at the Experience Immersive Audio exhibit at Hackfort on Thursday. The exhibit featured immersive audio applications from Dolby Atmos and Sound Particles, two programs that are used to make soundscapes for movies.
Jared Decker, of Salt Lake City, and Erynn Graf, of Boise, try the Cyberdome Security Challenge at Hackfort on Thursday. The event was sponsored by Boise State University’s Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity.
Jared Decker, of Salt Lake City, and Erynn Graf, of Boise, try the Cyberdome Security Challenge at Hackfort on Thursday. The event was sponsored by Boise State University’s Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity.