Press Releases

	13.05.2002	THE WINNERS OF THE PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA 2002 6 Golden Nicas and 6 x 2 Awards of Distinction go to the best cyberartists of the world Five juries of international experts met from April 19 to 21 at the ORF Upper Austrian Regional Studio in Linz to judge the best works in the cyberarts competition Prix Ars Electronica 2002. 18 money prizes amounting to a total of Euro 109.900 will be awarded at the Awards Presentation on September 9, 2002 at the ORF Upper Austrian Regional Studio. 1.373 artists from 80 countries entered 2.356 works this year in the 16th edition of the most important cyberarts competition with the longest tradition worldwide. The overall results from all six competition categories provide a representative overview of the state of creativity in the field of digital media. "The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the main cultural activities of the ORF Upper Austrian Regional Studio. The international resonance that this competition finds every year indicates the radical transformation that digital media have stimulated in every area. Current creative achievements from all over the world in the field of art and also in connection with science and research find a common platform in the Prix Ars Electronica and make this competition an annual trend barometer," stresses ORF regional general director Dr. Helmut Obermayr. "At the same time, though, the work of young people in Austria plays a role that is just as important as the international projects in the Prix Ars Electronica. With the category u19 freestyle computing that was introduced in 1998, the Prix Ars Electronica offers young people an opportunity to present their work to a broader audience and face the challenge of international competition." Youth category "cybergeneration - u19 freestyle computing": *Great projects aroused the experts enthusiasm With 925 works entered this year in the section "cybergeneration - u19 freestyle computing", the success of this category of the Prix Ars Electronica continues. The competition, which was sponsored by the BAWAG / P.S.K. group and conducted this year for the fifth time, is intended to provide young people with an opportunity to demonstrate their skills, creativity and bright ideas in dealing with the computer. Support from the private and the public sector From the beginning, the Prix Ars Electronica has been made possible through support from corporate sponsors and subsidies from public funding. The Prix Ars Electronica prize money is donated by Telekom Austria, with additional sponsorship from the voestalpine AG. The competition "cybergeneration - u19 freestyle computing" is supported by the BAWAG / P.S.K. group. The Prix Ars Electronica also receives support from the City of Linz and the Federal Province of Upper Austria. The Winners of the Prix Ars Electronica 2002 Computer Animation / Visual Effects** Golden Nica Computer Animation / Visual Effects Pete Docter, Pixar (USA): "Monsters Inc." (2001) "Monsters Inc.", Pixar Studios most recent feature film, is a milestone in the field of 3D computer animation. The film demonstrates not only the highest quality in storytelling and animation, but is also impressive in all the technical details, such a modelling, light, surfaces and rendering. Pete Docter, CalArts graduate and director of "Monsters Inc." is one of Pixars veterans. He worked together with John Lasseter on "Toy Story" and now presents his first independent work with "Monsters Inc." Award of Distinction Computer Animation / Visual Effects Peter McDonald, Australian Film, Television & Radio School (Australia): "Harvey" (2001) Peter McDonalds 9-minute film "Harvey" tells a story of loneliness and obsessions. While using references to Alfred Hitchcocks masterpiece "Psycho", he not only conveys this story with the means and possibilities of our times, he also transposes it into the social reality of our day. Peter McDonald holds an Honorary Master of Arts from the Australian Film, Television & Radio School. His films have been shown at various film festivals. Award of Distinction Computer Animation / Visual Effects BUF/Columbia Pictures (David Fincher) (France/USA): "Panic Room" (2001) With "Panic Room", the French 3D production studio BUF radically expands the path started with "Fight Club". The completely digital storyboard allows the director to create previously non-existent image worlds - the camera becomes the eye of the director in the broadest sense. In this perspective, "Panic Room" thus represents a milestone in the further development of contemporary film. BUF was founded in 1984 as a 3D studio (software development and production) and has since then contributed essentially to the development of contemporary film production. Digital Musics Golden Nica Digital Musics Yasunao Tone (USA): "ManYo Wounded 2001" Yasunao Tone was one of the first Japanese artists active in composing "events" and improvisational music. A founding member of the Fluxus Movement with Takehisa Kosugi, Yoko Ono and George Maciunas, Yasunao Tone has been doing experimental sound pieces since the early 1960s. For the past ten years much of his work has centered on extending the possibilities of CDs as a performance medium. Primarily a composer, Tone has worked in many media, creating pieces for electronics, computer systems, film, radio and television, as well as environmental art. Tone has been designing musical compositions as a compound of cultural studies which have been ideas based on post-structuralist theories and audio visual materials compiled with ancient Oriental texts and musical sounds generated by electronic means. The Golden Nica winning composition "ManYo Wounded 2001" features an outstanding example of Tones groundbreaking use of manipulated CDs that he has been working with since the early eighties, as well as his ongoing software research in transforming the ancient Chinese ManYo text/pictograms in sonical corresponding particles. An artist whose incredible audible contributions are more current then ever, for all generations in digital musics ! Award of Distinction Digital Musics Alejandra Salinas and Aeron Bergman; Lucky Kitchen (Spain/USA): "Revisionland"/"The Tale of Pip" "Lucky Kitchen" is the project name of the Spanish-American duo Alejandra Salinas and Aeron Bergman. The duos work combines grass-roots digital synthesis with lo-fi tapeworks and field recordings that mine Europes rich vein of folklore, mythology and cultural and social tradition. Emerging as both an archiving project and a process of renewal for customs and lifestyles that are in decline, Lucky Kitchens work, whether issued on CD or presented via installation pieces, is a unique and evocative endeavor in digital music. Award of Distinction Digital Musics Curtis Roads (USA): "Point, Line, Cloud" Curtis Roads teaches in CREATE, Department of Music, University of California, Santa Barbara. He studied music composition at California Institute of the Arts, the University of California, San Diego (B. A. Summa Cum Laude), and the University of Paris VIII (Ph.D.). His award-winning project "Point, Line, Cloud" features granular and pulsar synthesis, methods he developed for generating sound from acoustical particles. He has recently developed the Creatophone, a system for spatial projection of sound in concert, as well as the Pulsar Generator software (together with Alberto de Campo). "Point, Line, Cloud" is an outstanding example of the most current computer music, a great listening experience, based on academic research & technologies, with a huge impulse on various scenes and environments beyond all boundaries. Interactive Art Golden Nica Interactive Art David Rokeby (Canada): "n-cha(n)t" "n-cha(n)t" is an interactive computer installation in which seven computers perform voice recognition, free-association and language generation. Tightly focussed microphones listen to words and phrases spoken by people in the immediate vicinity. The computers are linked by a network through which they stimulate each other. The computers speak their stream of association through speakers. The ears on the monitors indicate each computers state of receptivity. All of the text in the installation is improvised by the computers using extensive knowledge bases and rules of grammar. Award of Distinction Interactive Art Ranjit Makkuni, The Crossing Project - Xerox PARC & DMO (India): "The Crossing: Living, Dying and Transformation in Banaras" "The Crossing: Living, Dying and Transformation in Banaras" multimedia installation shows Banaras, a microcosm of Indian culture, and is a multimedia-based cultural learning tool. The exhibit consists of a collection of installations and interfaces. It makes the traditional form of the computer (display, mouse, keyboard) disappear and substitutes them by meaningful objects of cultural value. Information can be accessed through an e-Rickshaw, e-jackets, hi-touch interfaces integrating traditional arts and crafts. Hardware reflects the content of the installation. Award of Distinction Interactive Art Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (MEX/CDN): "Body Movies - Relational Architecture No. 6" "Body Movies - Relational Architecture No. 6" is an installation demanding public access for the interaction. Portraits are projected on a building wall but can only appear inside the projected shadows of local passers-by. Without shadows the portraits are completely washed out by strong light sources. A camera-based tracking system monitors the location of the shadows on real time, and when the shadows match all the portraits in a given scene, the control computer issues an automatic command to change the scene to the next set of portraits. Net Vision / Net Excellence* Golden Nica Net Vision RSG (USA): "Carnivore" An interesting project based on the FBIs software for monitoring network traffic, the Carnivore project enables designers and artists to create their own visualizations of data flow on a network. The Carnivore software is available to anyone who wants to experiment with it. Using Flash for the visual design can produce some of the most dynamic and beautiful designs based on real-world, real-time human interaction with computer technology. Award of Distinction Net Vision Its Alive! (Schweden): "BotFighters" Gaming is recognized as being a serious area of development for the future of mobile technology and wireless internet. Botfighters uses existing technology to bring people in a localized area together to play against each other using their mobile phone handsets. It is a definitive step in the right direction for mobile gaming and has spread to other countries already including the Finland and Sweden. Award of Distinction Net Vision Maia Gusberti, Michael Aschauer, Nik Thoenen, Sepp Deinhofer (Österreich): "./logicaland" Online education resources are going to become more and more prevalent as time goes on. "./logicaland" is such a resource. Excellent in its execution, the site invites you to partake in the development of the Worlds nations by voting on how and what the country in question should spend its money on. As an individual you cannot hope to have much of an impact, but by grouping together you may see the direction of a country begin to shift. An excellent method of invoking discussion and debate, as well as a good primer for political discussion in the classroom. Golden Nica Net Excellence Josh On, Futurefarmers (USA): "They Rule" Database visualization is an important area of interactive design. "They Rule" is an excellent example of this kind of project. It attempts to demonstrate the relationships between some of Americas most powerful corporate executives by visually showing you which companies they are involved with, and how these companies might gain from such a relationship. Award of Distinction Net Excellence Schoenerwissen (Deutschland): "Minitasking" Gnutella is the famous peer-to-peer file sharing protocol. "Minitasking" attempts to visually show the relationships of the computers on that network. And does it very well. It is beautiful to look at and will bring out the most voyeuristic tendencies in the viewer as they watch the various search strings appear on their screens. A strangely engaging use of common internet technology. Award of Distinction Net Excellence Alexandra Jugovic, Florian Schmitt; Hi-Res! (Großbritannien): "Donnie Darko" Film has long held a magic for audiences around the globe, capturing our imaginations in a way that few types of media can hope to replicate. Extending this magnetism to the web is something that many people have tried, with varying degrees of success. The website for "Donnie Darko" is a supreme example of engaging audiences across multiple media where the online component actually enhances the viewers experience of the original element. cybergeneration - u19 freestyle computing Golden Nica u19 freestyle computing Karola Hummer (Innsbruck): "TI-92" The project "TI-92" uses mathematical functions from analytical geometry to draw on the TI-92 calculator (without a cursor). Karola Hummer: "The abstraction is preconditioned by the technology (a screen with about 5000 dots), and I strive for maximum reality with my modest means. If art links idea and technology, then my pictures are at least a modest artistic expression." Award of Distinction u19 freestyle computing Philipp Luftensteiner (Aschach, OÖ): "Arena" After intensively studying manuals and tutorials, Philipp Luftensteiner developed "Arena" in conjunction with a graduation project. This is a complete 3D animated short film, which is about two robots that were created to kill one another, but then begin to love each other. Award of Distinction u19 freestyle computing Gruppe ”sofa23” (Milo Tesselaar, Markus Murschitz, Ulrich Reiterer, Jona Hoier), Mathias Scherz und Stefan Bergmann, Graz: ”minials” "minials" is a Flash animation combining video with audio. There are 12 buttons, which are each assigned a sound level and an image level. The aim is to allow the visitor to individually partly arrange the track and the video, and to have fun trying things out with the media of sound and film. The Honorary Mentions of the Prix Ars Electronica 2002 in an overview The following works are awarded an Honorary Mention in the Prix Ars Electronica 2002 in the form of a certificate: Computeranimation/Visual Effects (6 Honorary Mentions) Lars Magnus Holmgren, The Moving Picture Company/ UK: Annlee, You Proposes Digital Domain; Dreamworks SKG/USA: The Time Machine Hiroshi ChidaPolygon Pictures Inc./J: Polygon Family: Episode 2 Yasuhiro Yoshiura/J: KIKUMANA Wojtek Wawszczyk, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg/D: Mouse Jason Watts, The Mill/UK: BMW Pool Digital Musics (12 Honorary Mentions) Francisco López, V2 Archief/E: Buildings [New York] Mika Taanila/FIN: Fysikaalinen rengas (A Physical Ring) Stephan Wittwer, Grob/D/CH: Streams Marina Rosenfeld/USA: Delusional Situation Raz Mesinai/USA: Soldier of Midian C.M. von Hausswolff/S: A Lecture on Disturbances in Architecture Goodiepal/DK: Goodiepal: track #4, #9 Anticon/USA: we aint fessin Phoenecia/USA: Brownout Russell Haswell/USA: Live Salvage 1997 -> 2000 (1/8) Iancu Dumitrescu, Ana-Maria Avram/RU: ED MD 1016, ED MD 1017 PXP/D: PXP - print if Interaktive Kunst (11 Honorary Mentions) Luc Courchesne/CDN: The Visitor: Living by Number Volker Morawe, Tilman Reiff/D: PainStation Hay Young/Hong Kong: Body-Brush: An Interface Where Aesthetic and Technology Meet Crispin Jones. Ideo/UK: An Invisible Force Ryota Kuwakubo/J: PLX Golan Levin, Flong.com/USA: Dialtones (a telesymphony) Yasuhiro Suzuki; NHK BS1 Digital Stadium/J: Globe Jungle Project MEET Autorenwerkstatt Bonn Development Workshop for Computer Media; Animax Multimediatheater/D: FX Factory - Interaktive Installation für Kinder Tetsuya Mizuguchi, United Game Artists/J: Rez Atau Tanaka, Kasper Toeplitz/F: Global String Bill Tomlinson, Marc Downie, Matt Berlin, Jesse Gray, Adolph Wong, Robert Burke, Damian Isla, Yuri Ivanov, Michael Patrick Johnson, Derek Lyons, Jennie Cochran, Bryan Yong, Bruce Blumberg; Synthetic Characters Group, MIT Media Lab/USA: AlphaWolf Michael Saup & Supreme Particles/D: R111 Net Vision / Net Excellence (7 Honorary Mentions) Net Vision (3 Honorary Mentions) Jonathan Gay/USA: Macromedia Flash Alexandra Jugovic, Florian Schmitt; Hi-Res!/UK: The Third Place Harper Reed: Audreyhacking.com - Hacking the Audrey Net Excellence (4 Honorary Mentions) Kennet Hung, TINKIN.COM/USA: 60X1.COM Peter Kuthan, Sabine Bitter, Helmut Weber, Thomas Schneider; Arge Zimbabwe Freundschaft/A: Tonga Online Francis Lam; IdN/Hong Kong: db-db OUR.DESIGN.PLAYGROUND Elan Lee, Microsoft/USA: Cloudmakers - the AI Web Game cybergeneration - u19 freestyle computing (12 Anerkennungen) Lucas Reeh/A: DJ_Sky feat. HP - Deskjet 695c Marian Kogler/A: Topix Martin Kucera/A: Filmemacher.at Raphael Murr/A: Overcast Stephan Hamberger/A: Meine Homepage Rene Weirather/A: $§$§$$YYYY Dominik Jais/A: Berufsbekleidungsprogramm Silvia und Iris Schweinöster/A: Graphic Project Schüler des BG XIX Wien/A: Schriftbilder - individuelle Zeichen - Symbolfindung Manuel Fallmann/A: o fortuna Projekt Dezentrale Medien/A: herein.at Georg Gruber/A: INFLEX.ORG Die Jury-Mitglieder des Prix Ars Electronica 2002 Net Vision/Net Excellence Barr-Watson Pete/UK: Co-founder of the New Media agency kerb, owner of Pixelfury Beusch Bruno/F: New Media Label TNC Network Cassani Tina/F: New Media Label TNC Network Davis Joshua/USA: Interface Designer, Golden Nica 2001 Net Excellence Diezmann Tanja/D: Prof. Interface Design College of Anhalt Ito Joichi/J: Producer, Netexpert, Webmaster Computer Animation / Visual Effects Maschwitz Stuart/USA: Producer, proprietor "The Orphanage" Street Rita/USA: Publisher of "Animation Magazine", journalist Robertson Barbara/USA: Journalist Computer Graphics World Sayre Rick/USA: Supervising Technical Director, Pixar Studios Buxton Bill/CDN: Chef Scientist Alias Wavefront, Designer Digital Musics Watson Chris/UK: Musician, has worked on BBC documentaries Hecker Florian/D: Musician, Mego Label Herrington Tony/UK: Editor "The Wire", London Humon Naut/USA: Artist, curator, producer Blecdom/USA: Musician Interactive Art Masuyama/USA/J: Professor, game producer, media theorist Higgins Peter/UK: Curator Millennium Dome, develops interactive interfaces for museums Ishii Hiroshi/USA/J: MIT Media Lab Adriaansens Alex/NL: Artist, Director V_2 Sommerer Christa/A/J: Professor at IAMAS School, artist u19 freestyle computing Amann Sirikit/A: Austrian Culture Service (öks) Miss Monorom/Internat.: Member of the group etoy Lippe Barbara/A: Game designer Hörtner Horst/A: Ars Electronica Center/Technical Director Wu Hans/A: Game designer, journalist Chairman of the jury as a whole: Dr. Hannes Leopoldseder Sponsors, Prize Money, Dates, Information Benefactors and sponsors of the Prix Ars Electronica From the beginning, the Prix Ars Electronica has been made possible through support from corporate sponsors and subsidies from public funding. The Prix Ars Electronica prize money is donated by Telekom Austria, with additional sponsorship from the voestalpine AG. The competition "cybergeneration - u19 freestyle computing" is supported by the BAWAG / P.S.K. group. The Prix Ars Electronica also receives support from the City of Linz and the Federal Province of Upper Austria. The Prix Ars Electronica is also grateful for support from Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Casinos Austria, City Hotel Linz, Sony DADC, the Pöstlingberg Schlössl in Linz and ÖKS Austrian Cultural Service. The Prizes of the Prix Ars Electronica 2002 Computer Animation / Visual Effects, Digital Musics, Interactive Art, Net Vision, Net Excellence Total prize money: Euro 100.000 / approx. USD 89,000 5 x 1 Golden Nica à Euro 10.000 5 x 2 Awards of Distinction à Euro 5.000 37 Honorary Mentions in the form of certificates cybergeneration - u19 freestyle computing Total prize money: Euro 9.900 1 Golden Nica à Euro 5.000 2 x 1 Awards of Distinction à Euro 2.200 12 Honorary Mentions in the form of certificates Awards presentation on Monday, September 9, 2002 live on TV The Prix Ars Electronica 2002 Awards Presentation will take place during the Ars Electronica Festival on Monday, September 9, 2002, at the ORF Upper Austrian Regional Studio, and will be broadcast live via the satellite program 3sat at 9:00 p.m. and later at 12:30 a.m. on ORF2. "Cyberarts 2002" - Exhibition of the best works of the Prix Ars Electronica A selection of the best works of the Prix Ars Electronica will be shown at the O.K Center for Contemporary Art in Linz, beginning Saturday, September 7, 2002. 3-day artists'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' forum with Prix winners in Linz During the 3-day artists'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' forum from September 10 to 12, 2002, the prize winners (Golden Nica and Awards of Distinction) will present their works in person to an audience at the ORF Upper Austrian Regional Studio in Linz. Competition Documentation - Book, VHS/DVD, CD The book "CyberArts 2002" documenting the best works of all categories of the competition will be published by Hatje Cantz Verlag to be released for the Ars Electronica Festival. The best works in the category Computer Animation / Visual Effects will be documented on VHS cassette and DVD, and excerpts of the prize-winning works in the category Digital Musics will be released on CD. For questions, please contact: ORF Austrian Broadcasting Corporation Upper Austrian Regional Studio/ Prix Ars Electronica Dr. Christine Schöpf, Judith Raab Europaplatz 3, A-4021 Linz Tel. 0043/ (0)732/ 6900 - 24218, 24227 christine.schoepf@orf.at judith.raab@orf.at				Program and Service Information concerning Ars Electronica Festival and Prix Ars Electronica.