The first art and science residency at ESO went to María Ignacia Edwards from Chile. She was selected from among the 140+ applicants from 40 countries who responded to the open call. The decision was reached by a 10-member jury made up of representatives of Ars Electronica, the European Southern Observatory and the seven cultural partner institutions that make up the Art and Science Network. The artist spent the residency at the European Southern Observatory in Chile and subsequently at Ars Electronica Futurelab in Austria. The jury deliberation took place from 23. – 25.02.2015 in Linz at the Ars Electronica Center. Jury members Gerfried Stocker, Horst Hörtner (both Ars Electronica), Fernando Comerón (ESO), Slobodan Coba Jovanović (Center for the Promotion of Science), Richard Kitta (DIG gallery), Robert Devčić (GV Art London), Jurij Krpan (Kapelica Gallery), Lucía García Rodríguez (LABoral), Diane Mc’Sweeney (Science Gallery Dublin), José Carlos Arnal, Fermín Serrano Sanz (both Zaragoza Foundation) issued the following statement: The artist works with space, endeavouring to maintain the balance, suspension, lightness, and weightlessness of objects, which are sustained by their own weight and counterweight. The constructions are the result of exquisite prior calculations, mechanisms, solutions, and interventions. María Ignacia Edwards calls these pieces self-sustainable because they require no more than their own weight to exist, and the objects tend to rotate constantly around their own axis. The artist invites beholders to observe each object as if they were stars in the firmament. While, at first sight, her approach might seem purely plastic, it transcends science and particularly physics and mathematics, and in the jury’s view, it is especially attractive for the potential it offers for the residency. The artist makes a great effort to connect both the inspiration and the outcome of the work to characteristic features of astronomy: isolated objects in weightlessness. The work is thus intended to evoke astronomy-inspired awe. The presentation is very well elaborated and clearly transmits the idea of the project, though it also promises great potential for development in both residency venues.” Statement of the Jury (Source: The Practice of Art and Science, p. 32)