ARS ELECTRONICA ARCHIVE - PRIX
The Prix Ars Electronica Showcase is a collection where all the artist submissions for the Prix since 1987 can be searched and viewed. The winning projects are documented with extensive information and audio-visual media. ALL other submissions are displayed with a basic metadata in list form.
Jury u19 - create your world (2024)
What’s most important here is that children and young people are not only the content of the whole thing, but also have their say. They are the source of ideas, researchers, developers and executors of the projects. They are what it is all about. At the Prix Ars Electronica u19 – create your world, not only are their ideas honored, but those who don’t win also have the chance to be discovered.
Photo showing (left to right): Sirikit Amann, Anna Wielander, Conny Lee, Anahita Neghabat and Emil Klostermann.
Photo: vog.photo
Jury S+T+ARTS Prize Africa (2024)
The STARTS Prize Africa welcomes initiatives that strive towards a positive social, humanitarian, economic or political impact and promote a diverse and sustainable society in Africa.
Photo showing (left to right): Andrea Barschdorf-Hager, Oscar Ekponimo, Kathleen Siminyu, Mónica Bello and Judith Okonkwo,
Photo: vog. photo
Jury New Animation Art (2024)
Computer animation has been part of the Prix Ars Electronica since its inception in 1987, and it continues to evolve in an extremely dynamic way. This category focuses on works that explore and experiment with visual expression at the intersection of animation, art and technology.
Photo showing (left to right): Georgy Molodtsov, Ari Melenciano, Fanni Fazakas, Chris Salter and Kalina Borkiewicz
Photo: vog.photo
Jury S+T+ARTS Prize (2024)
S+T+ARTS is an initiative of the European Commission to foster alliances of technology and artistic practice that effectively implement European policymaking to nurture innovation and that benefit the art world as well. The focus is on people and projects that contribute to mastering the social, ecological and economic challenges this continent faces.
Photo showing (left to right): Francesca Bria, Fumi Hirota, Katja Schechtner, Manuela Naveau, Miha Turšič.
Photo: vog.photo
Jury European Union Prize for Citizen Science 2024
The European Union’s Citizen Science Prize makes a statement. It honors, presents and supports outstanding projects whose social and political impact advances the further development of a pluralistic, inclusive and sustainable society in Europe. The European Commission has entrusted Ars Electronica in Linz with the task of staging this prestigious and highly remunerated competition.
Photo showing: Fermín Serrano Sanz, Snežana Smederevac, Sofie Burgos-Thorsen, Luciana Marques and Mairéad Hurley
Photo: vog.photo
Group Picture of the Jury Weekend
Every year since 1987, the Prix Ars Electronica has honored the world’s best media art works. Once a year a jury of international experts meets in Linz to select the winners of the renowned media art prize.
Photo: vog.photo
Jury Interactive Art + (2024)
The “Interactive Art +” category is dedicated to interactive works in all forms and formats, from installations to performances. At the top of the agenda is artistic quality in the development and design of the interaction as well as a harmonious dialog between the content level and the interaction level—that is, the inherent principles of interaction and the interfaces that implement them.
Photo showing (left to right): José-Carlos Mariátegui, Clemens Apprich, Salome Asega , Olga Tykhonova and Shiho Fukuhara
Photo: vog.photo
New Animation Art
Critical Imaginaries for Animate Futures
Kalina Borkiewicz, Fanni Fazakas, Ari Melenciano, Georgy Molodtsov, Chris Salter
The etymology of the word animation derives from the late 16th century Latin animatio—“the action of imparting life to”. Indeed, this concept of imparting life to images through new technological tools and thinking provides the basis for the winning selections in New Animation Art for the 2024 Prix Ars Electronica. Given the explosion of new forms of animation and the sheer number of entries (some 893), the jury faced a formidable task. Submitted projects ran the gamut from static and moving images using generative AI, to short films produced with game engines such as Unity 3D or Unreal, scientific data visualizations, performance projects employing motion capture, and VR/AR works. At the same time, the jury detected a range of emerging critical socio-political themes: climate transformation, dataveillance, decolonization, gender discrimination, and political oppression, as well as playful commentaries on the nature of the moving image itself. Such works all operate in an age not only of technical reproduction but also of technical simulation, which is successfully erasing the boundary between reality and its digital double. In grappling with these heterogeneous submissions, the jury’s deliberations oscillated between one of the oldest debates in aesthetics: that of form vs. content/expression. For example, in the context of numerous “generative AI” works, the jury was struck by the unresolved tension between creators using emerging applications like Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, DALL-E, Runway, or ChatGPT as tools (akin to the early use of commercial software such as Photoshop) versus those using such models to produce critical commentary on the socio-technical nature of these systems themselves. This tension led to intense discussion about the role of AI in enabling new forms of animation, particularly when motion—a key characteristic—is generated by the technical specificity of a mathematical model like a neural network. The jury grappled with whether works produced with/by AI tools relied primarily on the unedited output of these tools versus creators who attempted to integrate these outputs into larger ideas that were not purely reliant on AI capabilities.
A similar debate arose around the increasing use of game engines to produce new kinds of CGI-based short films. Such tools allow for an unprecedented level of visual production that just a few years ago was only available to the likes of animators working at ILM or Disney. Yet the jury was interested in how creators could go beyond existing forms in order to transcend traditional Hollywood-driven storytelling. The jury was focused on how well creatives were able to use these technologies to tell captivating stories and how successful they were in utilizing the most appropriate technology to tell the story effectively. At the same time, many works submitted under the “hybrid form” label brought up long standing debates in media studies and art history such as the mediating power of technical images, whether scientific visualization should be “true to nature” or artistically autonomous in regards to its original data sets as well as the role of human authorship in what Joanna Zylinska terms “non-human photography”—images that are increasingly produced by algorithmically driven processes outside of human comprehension.
Given the social, technical, and ethical complexity of understanding how similar sets of tools could yield vastly different genres and forms of artistic expression, the jury developed a set of criteria to allow comparison between the different submitted works. Chief among these criteria involved balancing technical innovation with artistic impact together with the possibility of works transcending our particular technological moment—just as pioneering animators like Mary Ellen Bute or John Whitney had done with the tools of their time. Another key criterion was explicitly demonstrated novelty arising through the merging or mixing of different genres and forms. Extra credit was given to projects that explicitly used new technological possibilities to create compelling socio-political commentary while points were deducted for works that ignored the ethical concerns around the technologies being deployed. This was particularly relevant in the context of some generative AI submissions that used datasets containing the images of other creators without acknowledging the larger legal and ethical issues involved. Finally, in narrowing its selection down to the top 15 works, the jury unanimously agreed that the winning projects had to reflect diverse viewpoints in all manner of the word, from thematic and medium to cultural, racial, gender, and geographic contexts, including age (emerging, mid and senior career), and whether the project was developed by a single creator or produced with a large team. Overall, the Golden Nica, Awards of Distinction and Honorary Mentions met many (if not all) of these criteria. The three winners (Smoke and Mirrors, I’m Feeling Lucky, and Stained) also demonstrate ways of using new technologies to make acute observations on the core wicked problems of our time: climate emergency, data capture in surveillance capitalism, and new visions of culture, nature, and space. These works thus prove that new animation as a creative form is not only a product of the technical times in which they are produced but also serve as critical imaginaries for futures that have not yet come to pass.
Golden Nica
Smoke and Mirrors
Beatie Wolfe
Smoke and Mirrors is a scientific visualization that confronts us with the ever-increasing tension between scientific facts about global warming and ideological positions denying such science. An emissions clock at the top of the screen rapidly counts the amount of methane in parts per billion as the 3D globe image starts to emit a pinkish smoke: a data visualization of methane density since 1970. As the Earth slowly turns and fills up with smoke, a series of still-to-this-day shocking headlines unfurls across the screen: “Oil pumps Life,” “Unsettled Science,” and “Doomsday is Cancelled.” These headlines demonstrate six decades of climate denialism and misinformation in the public sphere from Big Oil corporations. Smoke and Mirrors is inspired by the path-breaking work of Harvard historians of science Naomi Oreskes and Geoffrey Supran, who have extensively examined how fossil fuel companies have long strategized to shift responsibility for global warming away from the fossil fuel industry and onto consumers while also depicting climate change as a “risk,” rather than a reality. Smoke and Mirrors impressed the jury not only through its stark message but also in its reimagining of scientific data visualization. Visualization pioneer Edward Tufte popularized the notion that data should speak for itself, minimizing the influence of the designer. Smoke and Mirrors takes a deliberate departure from this traditional approach. Instead of letting the data stand alone, it boldly incorporates historical headlines that are in direct opposition of scientific facts, inviting the viewer to question prevailing narratives about environmental responsibility and accountability. This deliberate strategy compels the audience to confront the misalignment between scientific data and advertisement-driven public perception, emphasizing the magnitude of the climate crisis in a thought-provoking manner. Rather than being just a pure data visualization, this piece is a data “visceralization”, intentionally evoking feelings of discomfort and awe. In Data Feminism, Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren Klein highlight the importance of acknowledging subjectivity and emotion in data work, arguing that data practices should engage with complexity and challenge existing power structures. In this vein, Smoke and Mirrors exemplifies how data can be wielded not just to inform but to disrupt narratives, urging viewers to reconsider their perspectives on urgent societal issues.
Awards of Distinction
I’m Feeling Lucky
Timothy Thomasson
In I’m Feeling Lucky by Canadian artist Timothy Thomasson, a historically and geographically ambiguous 3D virtual landscape is generated in real-time with game engine technology and populated with figures from Google Street View. Processed by a deep neural network, thousands of anonymous figures taken from all over the world are randomly selected to inhabit the landscape. The work is based on 19th century panoramas: all-encompassing circular paintings that featured spectacular natural landscapes or battle scenes that completely surrounded the viewer. The panoramas’ immersive scale aimed to condition and mediate perception, thus linking the spectacle and scale of the time with the contemporary scales of imaging and data collection undertaken by Google. Images in the work are continually produced in run time as a virtual camera rotates around the space endlessly and at times almost imperceptibly, thus creating a disjunction between the stillness of landscape painting and the expectation of high frame rate digital images. The jury was impressed with how I’m Feeling Luck subtly links histories of geography and historical media technology with current issues around mass data collection.
Stained
Jeremy Kamal
Stained is a CGI short film created by American trained landscape architect, Jeremy Kamal. The film is one of a series of 3D animations depicting a future where America’s landscapes are transformed by Black culture. The film follows a sensitive tea master named Demetrius, a member of the Crimson Needles gang that uses colored flora to mark territory. Haunted by the voice of his elder, O.G. Bump, Demetrius relives the memory of being reprimanded for his fascination with a blue plant; forbidden by the red gang to which he belongs. Based in a world where symbiotic relationships with technology allow Black Americans to transform “natural” and synthetic environments, the film is a small glimpse into the intimate life of one of its many inhabitants. Stained imagines an alternative ecology that foregrounds under-explored narratives. It re-frames gang culture as a landscape phenomenon and recasts those affiliated as environmental caretakers and tea makers. Beyond its unique and captivating story, Kamal beautifully renders and acoustically designs a world experienced concisely yet incredibly viscerally.
Honorary Mentions
ATUA
FAFSWAG
ATUA is an XR (extended reality) installation created by FAFSWAG, a queer Indigenous art collective based in New Zealand. The main goal of this project is to revive stories of indigenous cultures by bringing AR (augmented reality) sculptures to life. These sculptures are designed based on the pan-Pacific deities of the Moana and can only be accessed through a digital portal. One notable deity, Tekore, is reimagined in human form, a departure from its conventional representation as space itself. This unconventional choice not only challenges cultural norms but also highlights the limitations of available digital assets, as the character’s body mesh was custom-created due to the absence of non-binary representation. Through this, ATUA offers commentary on the binary nature of technology in art, advocating for greater inclusivity and representation.
Chuly? Chuly / Чули? Чули
Letta Shtohyrn
This work is an artistic exploration between gaming and live performance that brings us to new frontiers of visual art. Centering the story around the body swap of the two faceless characters, the work gives both participants and outside viewers a change of perspective, raising critical questions around issues of embodiment and agency. The hybridization between game engine aesthetics and mechanics, live performance with motion capture and the exchanging of roles of performers on stage suggests new possibilities for live performance incorporating the techniques of virtual production.
DUCK
Rachel Maclean
DUCK is a daring deepfake short film, set in the instantly recognizable world of a famous British Spy Thriller. Like many of Maclean’s films, DUCK explores the fragility and malleability of identity, the slipperiness of reality, and the ramifications of gender-based power dynamics. Society is entering an increasingly more powerful inflection point through the role and impact of more AI. Through this, DUCK satirically reflects on such a moment with a time-bending cultural resonance, reminding us that the issues we fear are also issues we have dealt with in other forms.
EMPEROR
Ilan J. Cohen, Marion Burger
EMPEROR is a personal experience that leverages the imperfections of VR technology to emphasize the struggles of the main protagonist of the story. Using analog, pencil-style technique in the 3D space, the work creates a unique combination of the well-optimized experience which perfectly fits the narrative. This approach brilliantly guides us through the narrative, enabling us to feel the story rather than merely being told about the family’s struggles. The artistic style of the work, where objects suddenly appear or images jump from one scene to another seamlessly, aligns with the theme of fading memories, directing our focus towards the most poignant aspects of this journey.
F*ckai? (Famous)
Jordan Clarke
This ironic animation project uses a simple base idea of creating the most generic story by ChatGPT itself, but quickly turns into a magnificent journey of the struggling artist. Playing around meme culture and the most predictable evolution of the character together with clever comments on the appropriation of art historical images, Clarke shows his own excellence in animation and filmmaking.
I stitch my skin to the ground
Naomi Usami
Usami’s work transcends traditional game design by using interactivity to spotlight the serious problem of sexual harassment in Japan’s public spaces and its effect on the survivors. It uniquely portrays survivors’ disconnection from their bodies, rendering visceral imagery of characters leaving their own skin. By defying conventional gameplay norms, users symbolically rebuild their avatars, evoking ‘reparative play’—a psychoanalytic concept of empowerment amid trauma. The experience prompts users to confront uncomfortable truths and fosters collective understanding, healing, and renewal through its blend of unconventional gameplay and narrative.
ITERATIVE BODY SYNTHESIS
Michael Wallinger
ITERATIVE BODY SYNTHESIS is a technical project, a social experiment, and a work of art in itself. It explores the human form and what it means for a body to not only be beautiful, but even to be acceptable in our modern digital world, filled with photoshopped images of picture-perfect bodies. The project offers a critical commentary on the invisibility of certain body types in digital spaces, perpetuated by invisible black box algorithmic decisions that shape our media realities and, in turn, our perceptions of ourselves and those around us.
Mid Tide #3
Ryu Furusawa
Mid Tide #3 is a captivating installation that reimagines the concept of spacetime through an innovative visual lens, offering a meditative and visually striking exploration of temporal dimensions. This work challenges traditional linear narratives by presenting multiple cross-sections of time, continuously evolving and looping in a mesmerizing three-dimensional space. It is aesthetically beautiful and conceptually thought-provoking, encouraging viewers to consider how we navigate and understand the fabric of time. Mid Tide #3 stands as a testament to the power of art to reshape our understanding of fundamental concepts.
No Se Van Los Que Se Aman
Matar a un Panda
This live performance project by the Chilean artist collective Matar a un Panda (Carla Redlich and Jean Didier) examines issues of individual and collective memory. It explores the experience of more than 1,200 detainees who passed through the Chacabuco concentration camp (a former mining town) in the Northern Chilean desert between 1973 and 1975 in the first years of the military dictatorship. Combining live movement, recorded bodies that are projection mapped onto architectural structures in the actual town with narrative testimonies of survivors, No Se Van Los Que Se Aman successfully employs minimal means to reflect on the brutality of political oppression in Pinochet-era Chile and its continued resonances within the next generation.
Random Acts of Flyness—Season 2, Episode 4—Fourth Dimension: Spacetime/bodyspirit
Kordae Henry
Fourth Dimension: Spacetime/bodyspirit is the fourth episode in the second season of the groundbreaking and unparalleled Random Acts of Flyness TV series. Created by renowned writer, director, and producer Terence Nance, we witness a poignant exploration into the beauty and complexities of contemporary American life. Leveraging advanced visual storytelling techniques, VFX-artist Kordae Henry (aka Tafa) creates captivating and surreal computer animations that reflect the nar ratives exploring space, time, and ancestral remedies. Within this animated segment, characters traverse life stages as water, vines, and the sea, connecting us through layers of dimensions.
Thank you for your souvenir, UK!
Los
The film explores the experience of a Chinese international student who spends a year in the UK and sheds light on the challenges of identity, belonging, and cultural displacement. The artist behind this personal film raises a crucial question of whether international students are being exploited as resources or are genuinely benefiting from the system. Although the film focuses on a specific narrative, it delves into broader themes of immigration and outsiderhood. By showcasing the struggle of identical closed-eyed ragdolls pushed through the system, the film urges viewers to examine the complexities of the system and its implications. The film’s raw and honest portrayal will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.
Unknown Label
Nicolas Gourault
Unknown Label captivated the jury with its innovative approach to documentary storytelling, seamlessly integrating animation as the core narrative medium and redefining the documentary film format. The animation is more than mere illustration, it is integrated as the very essence of its narrative; the documentary could not exist without it, and it is an exemplar for the New Animation Art category of Prix Ars Electronica. The film opens with a simple, single-color animation illustrating the process of segmentation, introducing viewers to the unseen individuals who label training data for AI vision systems. As the story delves deeper into the complexity of their work, social dynamics, and the discrimination faced by these workers, the animated visuals evolve in complexity as well. The narrative crescendos with a city-scale 3D data visualization, revealing the staggering amount of invisible human labor that goes into training our AI systems. The documentary navigates complex themes with clarity and empathy, elevating the discourse on AI ethics and globalization.
Critical Imaginaries for Animate Futures
Kalina Borkiewicz, Fanni Fazakas, Ari Melenciano, Georgy Molodtsov, Chris Salter
The etymology of the word animation derives from the late 16th century Latin animatio—“the action of imparting life to”. Indeed, this concept of imparting life to images through new technological tools and thinking provides the basis for the winning selections in New Animation Art for the 2024 Prix Ars Electronica. Given the explosion of new forms of animation and the sheer number of entries (some 893), the jury faced a formidable task. Submitted projects ran the gamut from static and moving images using generative AI, to short films produced with game engines such as Unity 3D or Unreal, scientific data visualizations, performance projects employing motion capture, and VR/AR works. At the same time, the jury detected a range of emerging critical socio-political themes: climate transformation, dataveillance, decolonization, gender discrimination, and political oppression, as well as playful commentaries on the nature of the moving image itself. Such works all operate in an age not only of technical reproduction but also of technical simulation, which is successfully erasing the boundary between reality and its digital double. In grappling with these heterogeneous submissions, the jury’s deliberations oscillated between one of the oldest debates in aesthetics: that of form vs. content/expression. For example, in the context of numerous “generative AI” works, the jury was struck by the unresolved tension between creators using emerging applications like Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, DALL-E, Runway, or ChatGPT as tools (akin to the early use of commercial software such as Photoshop) versus those using such models to produce critical commentary on the socio-technical nature of these systems themselves. This tension led to intense discussion about the role of AI in enabling new forms of animation, particularly when motion—a key characteristic—is generated by the technical specificity of a mathematical model like a neural network. The jury grappled with whether works produced with/by AI tools relied primarily on the unedited output of these tools versus creators who attempted to integrate these outputs into larger ideas that were not purely reliant on AI capabilities.
A similar debate arose around the increasing use of game engines to produce new kinds of CGI-based short films. Such tools allow for an unprecedented level of visual production that just a few years ago was only available to the likes of animators working at ILM or Disney. Yet the jury was interested in how creators could go beyond existing forms in order to transcend traditional Hollywood-driven storytelling. The jury was focused on how well creatives were able to use these technologies to tell captivating stories and how successful they were in utilizing the most appropriate technology to tell the story effectively. At the same time, many works submitted under the “hybrid form” label brought up long standing debates in media studies and art history such as the mediating power of technical images, whether scientific visualization should be “true to nature” or artistically autonomous in regards to its original data sets as well as the role of human authorship in what Joanna Zylinska terms “non-human photography”—images that are increasingly produced by algorithmically driven processes outside of human comprehension.
Given the social, technical, and ethical complexity of understanding how similar sets of tools could yield vastly different genres and forms of artistic expression, the jury developed a set of criteria to allow comparison between the different submitted works. Chief among these criteria involved balancing technical innovation with artistic impact together with the possibility of works transcending our particular technological moment—just as pioneering animators like Mary Ellen Bute or John Whitney had done with the tools of their time. Another key criterion was explicitly demonstrated novelty arising through the merging or mixing of different genres and forms. Extra credit was given to projects that explicitly used new technological possibilities to create compelling socio-political commentary while points were deducted for works that ignored the ethical concerns around the technologies being deployed. This was particularly relevant in the context of some generative AI submissions that used datasets containing the images of other creators without acknowledging the larger legal and ethical issues involved. Finally, in narrowing its selection down to the top 15 works, the jury unanimously agreed that the winning projects had to reflect diverse viewpoints in all manner of the word, from thematic and medium to cultural, racial, gender, and geographic contexts, including age (emerging, mid and senior career), and whether the project was developed by a single creator or produced with a large team. Overall, the Golden Nica, Awards of Distinction and Honorary Mentions met many (if not all) of these criteria. The three winners (Smoke and Mirrors, I’m Feeling Lucky, and Stained) also demonstrate ways of using new technologies to make acute observations on the core wicked problems of our time: climate emergency, data capture in surveillance capitalism, and new visions of culture, nature, and space. These works thus prove that new animation as a creative form is not only a product of the technical times in which they are produced but also serve as critical imaginaries for futures that have not yet come to pass.
Golden Nica
Smoke and Mirrors
Beatie Wolfe
Smoke and Mirrors is a scientific visualization that confronts us with the ever-increasing tension between scientific facts about global warming and ideological positions denying such science. An emissions clock at the top of the screen rapidly counts the amount of methane in parts per billion as the 3D globe image starts to emit a pinkish smoke: a data visualization of methane density since 1970. As the Earth slowly turns and fills up with smoke, a series of still-to-this-day shocking headlines unfurls across the screen: “Oil pumps Life,” “Unsettled Science,” and “Doomsday is Cancelled.” These headlines demonstrate six decades of climate denialism and misinformation in the public sphere from Big Oil corporations. Smoke and Mirrors is inspired by the path-breaking work of Harvard historians of science Naomi Oreskes and Geoffrey Supran, who have extensively examined how fossil fuel companies have long strategized to shift responsibility for global warming away from the fossil fuel industry and onto consumers while also depicting climate change as a “risk,” rather than a reality. Smoke and Mirrors impressed the jury not only through its stark message but also in its reimagining of scientific data visualization. Visualization pioneer Edward Tufte popularized the notion that data should speak for itself, minimizing the influence of the designer. Smoke and Mirrors takes a deliberate departure from this traditional approach. Instead of letting the data stand alone, it boldly incorporates historical headlines that are in direct opposition of scientific facts, inviting the viewer to question prevailing narratives about environmental responsibility and accountability. This deliberate strategy compels the audience to confront the misalignment between scientific data and advertisement-driven public perception, emphasizing the magnitude of the climate crisis in a thought-provoking manner. Rather than being just a pure data visualization, this piece is a data “visceralization”, intentionally evoking feelings of discomfort and awe. In Data Feminism, Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren Klein highlight the importance of acknowledging subjectivity and emotion in data work, arguing that data practices should engage with complexity and challenge existing power structures. In this vein, Smoke and Mirrors exemplifies how data can be wielded not just to inform but to disrupt narratives, urging viewers to reconsider their perspectives on urgent societal issues.
Awards of Distinction
I’m Feeling Lucky
Timothy Thomasson
In I’m Feeling Lucky by Canadian artist Timothy Thomasson, a historically and geographically ambiguous 3D virtual landscape is generated in real-time with game engine technology and populated with figures from Google Street View. Processed by a deep neural network, thousands of anonymous figures taken from all over the world are randomly selected to inhabit the landscape. The work is based on 19th century panoramas: all-encompassing circular paintings that featured spectacular natural landscapes or battle scenes that completely surrounded the viewer. The panoramas’ immersive scale aimed to condition and mediate perception, thus linking the spectacle and scale of the time with the contemporary scales of imaging and data collection undertaken by Google. Images in the work are continually produced in run time as a virtual camera rotates around the space endlessly and at times almost imperceptibly, thus creating a disjunction between the stillness of landscape painting and the expectation of high frame rate digital images. The jury was impressed with how I’m Feeling Luck subtly links histories of geography and historical media technology with current issues around mass data collection.
Stained
Jeremy Kamal
Stained is a CGI short film created by American trained landscape architect, Jeremy Kamal. The film is one of a series of 3D animations depicting a future where America’s landscapes are transformed by Black culture. The film follows a sensitive tea master named Demetrius, a member of the Crimson Needles gang that uses colored flora to mark territory. Haunted by the voice of his elder, O.G. Bump, Demetrius relives the memory of being reprimanded for his fascination with a blue plant; forbidden by the red gang to which he belongs. Based in a world where symbiotic relationships with technology allow Black Americans to transform “natural” and synthetic environments, the film is a small glimpse into the intimate life of one of its many inhabitants. Stained imagines an alternative ecology that foregrounds under-explored narratives. It re-frames gang culture as a landscape phenomenon and recasts those affiliated as environmental caretakers and tea makers. Beyond its unique and captivating story, Kamal beautifully renders and acoustically designs a world experienced concisely yet incredibly viscerally.
Honorary Mentions
ATUA
FAFSWAG
ATUA is an XR (extended reality) installation created by FAFSWAG, a queer Indigenous art collective based in New Zealand. The main goal of this project is to revive stories of indigenous cultures by bringing AR (augmented reality) sculptures to life. These sculptures are designed based on the pan-Pacific deities of the Moana and can only be accessed through a digital portal. One notable deity, Tekore, is reimagined in human form, a departure from its conventional representation as space itself. This unconventional choice not only challenges cultural norms but also highlights the limitations of available digital assets, as the character’s body mesh was custom-created due to the absence of non-binary representation. Through this, ATUA offers commentary on the binary nature of technology in art, advocating for greater inclusivity and representation.
Chuly? Chuly / Чули? Чули
Letta Shtohyrn
This work is an artistic exploration between gaming and live performance that brings us to new frontiers of visual art. Centering the story around the body swap of the two faceless characters, the work gives both participants and outside viewers a change of perspective, raising critical questions around issues of embodiment and agency. The hybridization between game engine aesthetics and mechanics, live performance with motion capture and the exchanging of roles of performers on stage suggests new possibilities for live performance incorporating the techniques of virtual production.
DUCK
Rachel Maclean
DUCK is a daring deepfake short film, set in the instantly recognizable world of a famous British Spy Thriller. Like many of Maclean’s films, DUCK explores the fragility and malleability of identity, the slipperiness of reality, and the ramifications of gender-based power dynamics. Society is entering an increasingly more powerful inflection point through the role and impact of more AI. Through this, DUCK satirically reflects on such a moment with a time-bending cultural resonance, reminding us that the issues we fear are also issues we have dealt with in other forms.
EMPEROR
Ilan J. Cohen, Marion Burger
EMPEROR is a personal experience that leverages the imperfections of VR technology to emphasize the struggles of the main protagonist of the story. Using analog, pencil-style technique in the 3D space, the work creates a unique combination of the well-optimized experience which perfectly fits the narrative. This approach brilliantly guides us through the narrative, enabling us to feel the story rather than merely being told about the family’s struggles. The artistic style of the work, where objects suddenly appear or images jump from one scene to another seamlessly, aligns with the theme of fading memories, directing our focus towards the most poignant aspects of this journey.
F*ckai? (Famous)
Jordan Clarke
This ironic animation project uses a simple base idea of creating the most generic story by ChatGPT itself, but quickly turns into a magnificent journey of the struggling artist. Playing around meme culture and the most predictable evolution of the character together with clever comments on the appropriation of art historical images, Clarke shows his own excellence in animation and filmmaking.
I stitch my skin to the ground
Naomi Usami
Usami’s work transcends traditional game design by using interactivity to spotlight the serious problem of sexual harassment in Japan’s public spaces and its effect on the survivors. It uniquely portrays survivors’ disconnection from their bodies, rendering visceral imagery of characters leaving their own skin. By defying conventional gameplay norms, users symbolically rebuild their avatars, evoking ‘reparative play’—a psychoanalytic concept of empowerment amid trauma. The experience prompts users to confront uncomfortable truths and fosters collective understanding, healing, and renewal through its blend of unconventional gameplay and narrative.
ITERATIVE BODY SYNTHESIS
Michael Wallinger
ITERATIVE BODY SYNTHESIS is a technical project, a social experiment, and a work of art in itself. It explores the human form and what it means for a body to not only be beautiful, but even to be acceptable in our modern digital world, filled with photoshopped images of picture-perfect bodies. The project offers a critical commentary on the invisibility of certain body types in digital spaces, perpetuated by invisible black box algorithmic decisions that shape our media realities and, in turn, our perceptions of ourselves and those around us.
Mid Tide #3
Ryu Furusawa
Mid Tide #3 is a captivating installation that reimagines the concept of spacetime through an innovative visual lens, offering a meditative and visually striking exploration of temporal dimensions. This work challenges traditional linear narratives by presenting multiple cross-sections of time, continuously evolving and looping in a mesmerizing three-dimensional space. It is aesthetically beautiful and conceptually thought-provoking, encouraging viewers to consider how we navigate and understand the fabric of time. Mid Tide #3 stands as a testament to the power of art to reshape our understanding of fundamental concepts.
No Se Van Los Que Se Aman
Matar a un Panda
This live performance project by the Chilean artist collective Matar a un Panda (Carla Redlich and Jean Didier) examines issues of individual and collective memory. It explores the experience of more than 1,200 detainees who passed through the Chacabuco concentration camp (a former mining town) in the Northern Chilean desert between 1973 and 1975 in the first years of the military dictatorship. Combining live movement, recorded bodies that are projection mapped onto architectural structures in the actual town with narrative testimonies of survivors, No Se Van Los Que Se Aman successfully employs minimal means to reflect on the brutality of political oppression in Pinochet-era Chile and its continued resonances within the next generation.
Random Acts of Flyness—Season 2, Episode 4—Fourth Dimension: Spacetime/bodyspirit
Kordae Henry
Fourth Dimension: Spacetime/bodyspirit is the fourth episode in the second season of the groundbreaking and unparalleled Random Acts of Flyness TV series. Created by renowned writer, director, and producer Terence Nance, we witness a poignant exploration into the beauty and complexities of contemporary American life. Leveraging advanced visual storytelling techniques, VFX-artist Kordae Henry (aka Tafa) creates captivating and surreal computer animations that reflect the nar ratives exploring space, time, and ancestral remedies. Within this animated segment, characters traverse life stages as water, vines, and the sea, connecting us through layers of dimensions.
Thank you for your souvenir, UK!
Los
The film explores the experience of a Chinese international student who spends a year in the UK and sheds light on the challenges of identity, belonging, and cultural displacement. The artist behind this personal film raises a crucial question of whether international students are being exploited as resources or are genuinely benefiting from the system. Although the film focuses on a specific narrative, it delves into broader themes of immigration and outsiderhood. By showcasing the struggle of identical closed-eyed ragdolls pushed through the system, the film urges viewers to examine the complexities of the system and its implications. The film’s raw and honest portrayal will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.
Unknown Label
Nicolas Gourault
Unknown Label captivated the jury with its innovative approach to documentary storytelling, seamlessly integrating animation as the core narrative medium and redefining the documentary film format. The animation is more than mere illustration, it is integrated as the very essence of its narrative; the documentary could not exist without it, and it is an exemplar for the New Animation Art category of Prix Ars Electronica. The film opens with a simple, single-color animation illustrating the process of segmentation, introducing viewers to the unseen individuals who label training data for AI vision systems. As the story delves deeper into the complexity of their work, social dynamics, and the discrimination faced by these workers, the animated visuals evolve in complexity as well. The narrative crescendos with a city-scale 3D data visualization, revealing the staggering amount of invisible human labor that goes into training our AI systems. The documentary navigates complex themes with clarity and empathy, elevating the discourse on AI ethics and globalization.
AI in ART Award
Capturing a Turning Point
Statement by the Jury: Jürgen Hagler, Vanessa Hannesschläger, Veronika Liebl, Emiko Ogawa, Gerfried Stocker
Several times already in the history of Prix Ars Electronica, Special Golden Nicas have been awarded to highlight important developments that were equally impactful across the areas of art, technology, and society.
For instance, in 1992, the Honorary Golden Nica which was awarded to Marc Dippé and his team at ILM for their groundbreaking liquid-metal-man animation in Terminator 2. This visual effect was unprecedented, marking a significant milestone in computer animation for many, and it clearly demonstrated how the continuous improvements in this field would impact all areas of visual design, both in art and entertainment. Although the term “Creative Industries” was not yet in vogue, it was evident that a new era of the fusion of art, creativity, and technology was emerging.
The impact of Alias|Wavefront and RenderMan back then is comparable with the impact of today’s generative text-to-image and text-to-video systems like Runway and Sora. These systems are not only new tools for creatives and artists, they have also begun to fundamentally change many of the conditions for artistic creation.
Artistic work with generative AI was therefore a primary focus in the search for suitable projects. The intention was not so much to define ‘legacy artworks’ (as we are still at the very beginning of these developments), but to mark turning points and highlight the important role that artists play in this process. These are turning points where not only new technological developments become visible, but also new questions arise about the role of art and artists, questions that are highly relevant to society as a whole. It is ultimately not very surprising that the impact of AI on art and creativity is being discussed with as much excitement and intensity as its effects on the economy, the job market, and democracy are.
While all these projects would not be possible in their respective form without the remarkable technological advancements in AI, the awards are fully and solely awards for the artists and their creative innovations.
The AI in ART award-winning projects have been selected from among all the submissions from the Prix Ars Electronica, the S+T+ARTS Prize, and the European Union Prize for Citizen Science. For example, within the category “New Animation Art,” AI-based works (those that explicitly mention the use of AI in the work) accounted for 25% of the total submissions in this category. Of these, 91% used generative AI Image, 89% used generative AI Video or Animation, 24% used Chat Bot or LLM, and 14% used generative Sound/Music.
Within the Prix Ars Electronica “Interactive Art+” category, AI-based works (those in which the use of AI is explicitly stated within the work) also accounted for 21% of the total entries in the category. Of these, 70% used materials created with generative AI, 19% pursued the critical social impact of AI, and 11% dealt with AI in an academic context, such as Research & Development.
Special Golden Nica
Washed Out “The Hardest Part”
Paul Trillo
The breathtaking advancements in text-to-video systems represent one of the most significant and impactful developments in contemporary AI, particularly within the artistic realm. Paul Trillo, an esteemed and visionary artist and experimental filmmaker, is being honored with the Golden Nica for his early and innovative artistic exploration of generative AI systems and the possibilities it opens up for artists.
His recent works, The Hardest Part and Noted to my Future Self, showcase his exceptional ability to leverage technology to enhance storytelling and filmmaking—a quality he has already demonstrated in earlier pieces, such as Thank you for not Answering and Absolve, where he highlights the profound aesthetic and narrative opportunities that AI offers to the arts.
In his most recent music video, a kind of infinite dolly shot and fly-through following a couple through episodes of their life—Trillo seized the opportunity to be one of the first artists to gain access to Sora. He generated approximately 700 clips with very extensive prompts, selected 55, stitching them together for the final video. While the high degree of character consistency achieved with Sora is impressive, it is Paul Trillo’s narrative and storytelling that truly stand out. As in his earlier short films created with Runway Gen2, he skillfully harnesses the unique characteristics of these systems, including their hallucinations and artifacts, for his artistic work.
“This was an idea I had almost 10 years ago and then abandoned. Finally I was able to bring it to life,” Trillo is quoted in several articles about his work. He further states:
“I really wanted to do something that was both unique to the hallucinations of Sora while also attempting to create something that felt timeless and works regardless of what technology was being used. Sora presents unique challenges and opportunities to artists. I think fundamentally, what works as a story, what works on an audience, will never change. But our process to get to that finish line is different. What is unique about AI is that it’s this more fluid, organic process where you’re ideating. You have your idea, it feeds into the final product, and then the final product gives you a new idea to go back into the writing phase and rewrite.” Anticipating that many more remarkable works will emerge by the time of the award ceremony in September, the prize is not limited to the latest production by Paul Trillo, mentioned here as an example. It honors his ongoing work with AI and is an acknowledgment of his creative curiosity and the courage required to embark on new paths.
The same applies to the two Awards of Distinctions, which will be presented alongside the Golden Nica, recognizing outstanding projects that showcase the breadth and diversity of current artistic work with AI.
Awards of Distinction
Intelligent Instruments in Citizen Science: Understanding Contemporary AI through Creative Practice
Thor Magnusson, Intelligent Instruments Lab The Award of Distinction for the research group led by Thor Magnusson from the Intelligent Instruments Lab located at Iceland University of the Arts demonstrates another area where artistic exploration and research are of great relevance: interfaces and tools that enable intuitive creation, live performance, and improvisation with AI systems. Here, the focus is not on AI itself, but rather on what can be achieved artistically and creatively with it. The technical system is not the focus of this research; instead, emphasis is placed on humans and new ideas for musical instruments that can be played live to harness the possibilities offered by AI.
While all these projects would not be possible in their respective form without the remarkable technological advancements in AI, the awards are not accolades for companies and their excellent technical development teams—they are fully and solely awards for the artists and their creative innovations.
REPETAE
Sasha Stiles
REPETAE by Sasha Stiles utilizes text-generating AI models, delving into the realm of co-creation with AI systems and seamlessly integrating the AI component into a multimedia configuration that captivates with its high degree of independence and artistic authenticity. Merging poetry with algorithmic art and generative AI, REPETAE explores the new possibilities as well as the consequences of extensive immersion into technological realities, not only for the creation of art but also for its perception and the agency of the audience.
Capturing a Turning Point
Statement by the Jury: Jürgen Hagler, Vanessa Hannesschläger, Veronika Liebl, Emiko Ogawa, Gerfried Stocker
Several times already in the history of Prix Ars Electronica, Special Golden Nicas have been awarded to highlight important developments that were equally impactful across the areas of art, technology, and society.
For instance, in 1992, the Honorary Golden Nica which was awarded to Marc Dippé and his team at ILM for their groundbreaking liquid-metal-man animation in Terminator 2. This visual effect was unprecedented, marking a significant milestone in computer animation for many, and it clearly demonstrated how the continuous improvements in this field would impact all areas of visual design, both in art and entertainment. Although the term “Creative Industries” was not yet in vogue, it was evident that a new era of the fusion of art, creativity, and technology was emerging.
The impact of Alias|Wavefront and RenderMan back then is comparable with the impact of today’s generative text-to-image and text-to-video systems like Runway and Sora. These systems are not only new tools for creatives and artists, they have also begun to fundamentally change many of the conditions for artistic creation.
Artistic work with generative AI was therefore a primary focus in the search for suitable projects. The intention was not so much to define ‘legacy artworks’ (as we are still at the very beginning of these developments), but to mark turning points and highlight the important role that artists play in this process. These are turning points where not only new technological developments become visible, but also new questions arise about the role of art and artists, questions that are highly relevant to society as a whole. It is ultimately not very surprising that the impact of AI on art and creativity is being discussed with as much excitement and intensity as its effects on the economy, the job market, and democracy are.
While all these projects would not be possible in their respective form without the remarkable technological advancements in AI, the awards are fully and solely awards for the artists and their creative innovations.
The AI in ART award-winning projects have been selected from among all the submissions from the Prix Ars Electronica, the S+T+ARTS Prize, and the European Union Prize for Citizen Science. For example, within the category “New Animation Art,” AI-based works (those that explicitly mention the use of AI in the work) accounted for 25% of the total submissions in this category. Of these, 91% used generative AI Image, 89% used generative AI Video or Animation, 24% used Chat Bot or LLM, and 14% used generative Sound/Music.
Within the Prix Ars Electronica “Interactive Art+” category, AI-based works (those in which the use of AI is explicitly stated within the work) also accounted for 21% of the total entries in the category. Of these, 70% used materials created with generative AI, 19% pursued the critical social impact of AI, and 11% dealt with AI in an academic context, such as Research & Development.
Special Golden Nica
Washed Out “The Hardest Part”
Paul Trillo
The breathtaking advancements in text-to-video systems represent one of the most significant and impactful developments in contemporary AI, particularly within the artistic realm. Paul Trillo, an esteemed and visionary artist and experimental filmmaker, is being honored with the Golden Nica for his early and innovative artistic exploration of generative AI systems and the possibilities it opens up for artists.
His recent works, The Hardest Part and Noted to my Future Self, showcase his exceptional ability to leverage technology to enhance storytelling and filmmaking—a quality he has already demonstrated in earlier pieces, such as Thank you for not Answering and Absolve, where he highlights the profound aesthetic and narrative opportunities that AI offers to the arts.
In his most recent music video, a kind of infinite dolly shot and fly-through following a couple through episodes of their life—Trillo seized the opportunity to be one of the first artists to gain access to Sora. He generated approximately 700 clips with very extensive prompts, selected 55, stitching them together for the final video. While the high degree of character consistency achieved with Sora is impressive, it is Paul Trillo’s narrative and storytelling that truly stand out. As in his earlier short films created with Runway Gen2, he skillfully harnesses the unique characteristics of these systems, including their hallucinations and artifacts, for his artistic work.
“This was an idea I had almost 10 years ago and then abandoned. Finally I was able to bring it to life,” Trillo is quoted in several articles about his work. He further states:
“I really wanted to do something that was both unique to the hallucinations of Sora while also attempting to create something that felt timeless and works regardless of what technology was being used. Sora presents unique challenges and opportunities to artists. I think fundamentally, what works as a story, what works on an audience, will never change. But our process to get to that finish line is different. What is unique about AI is that it’s this more fluid, organic process where you’re ideating. You have your idea, it feeds into the final product, and then the final product gives you a new idea to go back into the writing phase and rewrite.” Anticipating that many more remarkable works will emerge by the time of the award ceremony in September, the prize is not limited to the latest production by Paul Trillo, mentioned here as an example. It honors his ongoing work with AI and is an acknowledgment of his creative curiosity and the courage required to embark on new paths.
The same applies to the two Awards of Distinctions, which will be presented alongside the Golden Nica, recognizing outstanding projects that showcase the breadth and diversity of current artistic work with AI.
Awards of Distinction
Intelligent Instruments in Citizen Science: Understanding Contemporary AI through Creative Practice
Thor Magnusson, Intelligent Instruments Lab The Award of Distinction for the research group led by Thor Magnusson from the Intelligent Instruments Lab located at Iceland University of the Arts demonstrates another area where artistic exploration and research are of great relevance: interfaces and tools that enable intuitive creation, live performance, and improvisation with AI systems. Here, the focus is not on AI itself, but rather on what can be achieved artistically and creatively with it. The technical system is not the focus of this research; instead, emphasis is placed on humans and new ideas for musical instruments that can be played live to harness the possibilities offered by AI.
While all these projects would not be possible in their respective form without the remarkable technological advancements in AI, the awards are not accolades for companies and their excellent technical development teams—they are fully and solely awards for the artists and their creative innovations.
REPETAE
Sasha Stiles
REPETAE by Sasha Stiles utilizes text-generating AI models, delving into the realm of co-creation with AI systems and seamlessly integrating the AI component into a multimedia configuration that captivates with its high degree of independence and artistic authenticity. Merging poetry with algorithmic art and generative AI, REPETAE explores the new possibilities as well as the consequences of extensive immersion into technological realities, not only for the creation of art but also for its perception and the agency of the audience.
u19 create your world
This Fish has no Idea!
Sirikit Amann, Emil Klostermann, Conny Lee, Anahita Neghabat, Anna Wielander
As the jury for the u19–create your world category of the Prix Ars Electronica, we have reviewed a multitude of fascinating works by young people from Austria this year. These works not only reflect creative diversity and technological innovation but also provide deep insights into the mindset and current societal challenges of our time.
The selection of the winning works was based on various criteria. In addition to artistic quality and originality, the level of innovation, technical execution, and societal relevance were also important. We chose works that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also convey a clear message and provoke thought. Furthermore, the diversity of perspectives and approaches of the participants was important to us in order to appropriately recognize the range of young creativity.
In numerous works, we have observed an intense engagement with the climate crisis. Young artists, as in previous years, are again addressing the consequences of climate change and seeking new solutions for a sustainable future. Other urgent contemporary issues reflected in the projects of the young entrants include war, flight, and desertion. The short film Zemlyanka tackles a topic that is being addressed for the first time in the u19 category and is highly relevant in the context of current conflicts: desertion. This work by the Zemlyanka team (Justin Casta, Maximilian Größ, Jonathan Pacher, Georgy Snegur, Christina Zsalacz), like the Golden Nica, represents the desire to survive, but also expresses the desperation that can drive people into seemingly hopeless situations.
The Golden Nica goes to Fluten der Freiheit (Floods of Freedom) by Jakob Gruber. Despite its brevity of just ten seconds, the animation impressively conveys strong emotions and an urgent message without any spoken words, using only sound effects. With right-wing parties and autocrats on the rise and the high number of deaths in the Mediterranean often relegated to mere footnotes in media coverage, it is crucial for other voices to be heard loud and clear. This short video evokes emotion without showcasing the personal tragedies of refugees. Jakob Gruber effectively portrays the ongoing tragedy of Mediterranean crossings with a few compelling images. The keywords “Peace, Democracy, Security,” essential pillars of European identity, are often inadequately upheld in the context of migration and flight. His animation leaves a lasting impression, reminding us that art has the power to distill complex societal issues and motivate us to take action. It also brings hope: hope for peace, democracy, and security—principles that should be afforded to all people, not just those born in the right country.
Animations have always been a cornerstone of u19. They vary in style, themes, and length as much as the entrants themselves. Whether stop-motion, 2D or 3D animations, drawn, modeled, made from natural materials, clay, or building blocks, these small artworks delight us every year. Last, a stop-motion film by Anna Bubenicek and Flora Kirnbauer, receives an Award of Distinction. It touches viewers in a special way. By using natural materials, it creates not only aesthetically pleasing images but also conveys a profound message about climate protection, friendship, and hope. The work also reflects on loneliness and failure, yet it exudes an unwavering hope that can inspire us all.
Engagement with life in the digital world was also a recurring theme in the submitted works. Many participants reflected on the significance of social media, the changing ways we communicate, and the challenges of maintaining genuine connections in an increasingly digital world.
This theme is explored in to the friends I’ll never meet by artist Selma Yassin, who receives an Award of Distinction for this piece. Her exploration of online relationships is a fascinating multimedia art project that delves into the complexity and beauty of online friendships. The work combines performative elements with installation, digital renderings of analog spaces, and a zine featuring real chat transcripts. Through her adept use of various media, the artist sensitively and intricately approaches themes of online time, friendship, and intimacy. The analogy of threads being woven yet easily cut symbolizes both the fragility and strength of friendships. Translating this performance into a virtual space adds an extra dimension to the project, making it an inspiring reflection on connection and community across transnational boundaries. Tatsanan Tang addresses the inherent opportunities and dangers of social media in a unique way with Verpackt und vernetzt (Packaged and connected). The idea of portraying social media consumption as pills is both simple and complex. Clearly, a lot of thought went into the design. The text of the package insert, which informs about the usage and side effects of the “medication” (social media), is well-researched and includes both scientific facts and humorous moments.
Nostalgia and longing for the past and one’s often idealized childhood were reflected in numerous works. Memories contrast with the harsh reality of the present, marked by personal performance pressure and global crises. The theme of death and the transience of life was explored in several pieces. The Honorary Mention for Canon Events in the Young Professionals category plays with memories and a self-reflective examination of one’s youth while still experiencing it. In this artistic project, formative youth moments were placed in laboratory glasses and preserved. Paula Boyer, Lisa Marie Diessner, and Alena Milcic impressively navigated the fine line between nostalgia and the present, where nothing is idealized but instead examined critically and soberly through a scientific lens.
In the video game Everlasting End, Honorary Mention in the Young Professionals category, characters repeatedly experience the last six minutes of their lives. The player must decide which characters to listen to in the remaining moments. By incorporating this interactive concept, viewers are compelled to engage directly with the theme of impermanence. It’s more than just a game; it’s an experience facilitated by Keno Czompo, Aaron Hager, and Tobias Kogler.
Some works have convinced through their excellence and elaborate use of technical and artistic skills. The brick film A Normal Day in Jurassic World by Maximilian Peinhaupt received an Honorary Mention in the Young Professionals category. Not only does this film excel in animation with nearly 6,000 frames and meticulous attention to detail, but it is also filled with many humorous details and expertly crafted sound design. It takes viewers into the daily life of a frustrated park ranger, who struggles to get through his day in a Sisyphean manner.
The highly complex multimedia sound performance Synergia received an Honorary Mention in the Young Professionals category and impresses with its successful fusion of text, electroacoustic sounds, and professional presentation. The young Synergia Ensemble demonstrates remarkable maturity in the execution of musical performance and textual accompaniment. Leonhard Gaigg’s compositions are skillfully realized with pre-recorded and liveplayed sounds. The interweaving of text, silence, light, and sound creates a captivating auditory experience, transporting the audience into a unique world. An impressive concert for enthusiasts of experimental contemporary music and anyone who appreciates new sonic experiences.
The jury also noted in several works various forms of artistic exploration of abstract embodied experiences, such as projects dealing with the tangible manifestation or visualization of music.
With Was heißt es alleine zu sein? (What does it mean to be alone?), an Honorary Mention in the Young Professionals category was awarded to Ida Onzek, Rosa Peschina, Sina Tödling, and Lara Tomasic. The clip visualizes a song by the Graz singer Roxana. Impressively precise staging allows for the success of this one-cut music video. Throughout, visually stunning images and lovingly crafted details emerge, beautifully accentuating the atmosphere. The expressive, unpretentious performance of the actress reinforces the question without overinterpreting it. It’s impressive.
The integration of Artificial Intelligence into creative processes was also a recurring theme. We witnessed impressive works exploring the potentials and challenges of AI in various fields such as art, music, and design.
Peter, Paul und Panini. Klimabuch und Theaterstück (Peter, Paul and Panini. Climate book and play) is a fairy tale story created with the help of AI, reminding both children and adults to care for the environment. The text for the play was developed by the young artist Lina Roth in co-creation with Artificial Intelligence, allowing her to combine her ideas with those of her friends’ children while still producing a coherent text. The next step planned is to turn the story into a children’s book.
In some works addressing climate policy, creative satire was used to provide a humorous perspective on serious issues such as climate change. For example, in the cleverly crafted short film Die Klimakonferenz (The climate conference) by the COM group of PTS Schwanenstadt, an animated fish warns political leaders about the real consequences of the climate crisis but is silenced with the words “This fish has no idea!”
There is still much work ahead of us regarding the issue of climate change, and to tackle this work, we should start by listening to each other and developing ideas, as seen in Meine grüne Stadt der Zukunft (My green city of the future). This submission features designs for green skyscrapers. The young artist Jonas Stöttinger has delved deeply into urban planning and architecture against the backdrop of climate change, creating sketches and designs for green and cooling architecture based on his research.
The initiative at BRG/BORG Landeck, AEROQ—dicke Luft im Klassenzimmer (AEROQ—Thick air in the classroom), takes a proactive approach to the discussion about indoor air quality in schools during and after the pandemic. Their self-developed CO₂ monitors for classrooms not only impress with their appealing design but also with their technical sophistication. Particularly commendable is their plan to make the documentation and source codes available as open-source, allowing schools with limited resources to benefit from them as well.
Nea Geršak’s short animation Na2r_3lumen (na2r_ flow3rs) is a deserving winner of the Young Creatives u10 Prize. The combination of painted images and flower animation effectively conveys the beauty and transience of nature. At just seven years old, she creatively realizes the idea of recreating time-lapses through multiple smaller videos and then animating them. She uses self-painted acrylic paintings as the background. This work artistically addresses questions about the world in 50 years and whether there will still be flowers there. The title, consisting of letters and numbers, also seems to anticipate the language of the future—are they natural flowers or just images of flowers? Who knows?
This year, the Young Creatives u14 Prize goes to the multimedia project WarpCity. Students from the 6th grade of BRG Pichelmayergasse assembled a sculpture from electronic waste for this project. Resembling a futuristic building, a mountain-shaped skyscraper, this architectural sculpture towers upward. Through projection mapping, it comes to life, with words like “heat” or “climate change” projected onto the tower. People walk around the green area surrounding the sculpture, which they see from a bird’s-eye view. However, as one approaches the artwork and makes noise, more and more vehicles start driving through the green spaces, leaving less room for pedestrians. This extensive project straightforwardly and creatively conveys the relevance of issues such as soil sealing and urban planning.
The short film Lights Out, created by the Young Filmmakers, takes a cinematic approach to the theme of the city. The nearly ten-minute film impresses with its meticulous attention to detail and showcases the beauty of darkness contrasted with artificial light, as experienced during a drive through a city illuminated by lights. The darkness in all its shades—essential for the film’s atmosphere— is wonderfully captured.
Among the younger participants, discussions on structural issues such as war and redistribution were observed. Another major theme was the treatment of seniors in society and how caregiving might look in the future. Sustainability was also a prevalent theme in several submissions.
The initial idea behind the drawing Aus Waffen werden Werkzeuge (From weapons to tools) stemmed from the theme of sustainability, which most people associate with environmental protection. Environmental protection is deeply humanistic, as it concerns the survival of humanity on this planet. In this project, sustainability and humanism are linked in a different way, namely through a pacifist demand to repurpose war machines such as tanks into something that no longer destroys but is instead useful, such as a tractor. For this beautiful concept, presented in a colorful, vibrant image, David Gaulhofer receives an Honorary Mention from the jury in the u10 category.
As part of the project Nachhaltigkeitsziele und Stopmotion (Sustainability Goals and Stop-Motion), a series of short animated films delve into the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The result is twelve stop-motion films that creatively and poignantly illustrate what we need to do to protect the environment, and more importantly, why we need to do it. For this achievement, this year’s Award of Distinction in the u14 category goes to the students of the 3rd grade of Frohnleiten Middle School.
The pressure to achieve and societal expectations placed on young people were also critically examined. Many works delve into the psychological stress and challenges associated with high academic expectations. One negative manifestation is bullying, which many students face.
With betterTogether, the five-member team from GRG 15—Auf der Schmelz submitted an app for violence and bullying prevention and intervention. The app, still in the development phase, aims to enable students to seek support easily and report observed cases of bullying and violence (including anonymously). This community project, which received the Young Creatives u12 Prize, demonstrates that when working together as a team, one can advocate for the weaker members of a community.
A positive form of self-help comes from Sarah Hölzl. Her e-book Book to Go – das sprechende Buch (Book to go—The talking book) is a valuable resource for teaching children to read (in English). It is lovingly illustrated and turns learning animal names into a multisensory experience. By Sarah’s decision to offer the book online and for free, she also enables children with limited access to (English-language) books to participate in a reading community. For the sustainable mindset and user-friendliness of the e-book, she rightfully receives the u12 Award of Distinction.
To welcome new students to school, students from Telfs Weissenbach Middle School have baked cookies. Here, too, the desire for the school to be a place for togetherness is understandable.
The Future Cookies project really sparks excitement for school—and for cookies! The detailed process of producing cookie cutters with a 3D printer is documented, making it very understandable. Also impressive is the handling of mistakes, which were neither ignored nor discouraged but rather spurred further action.
It’s always a pleasure for us in the u19 category when video game projects are submitted. Some years, these submissions are quite numerous, while in other years, there are hardly any games among all the entries. This year, there were a few games that dealt with very different themes in very different forms—which is natural, given that the medium of games offers nearly unlimited narrative and formal possibilities. However, sometimes an important point is overlooked: that video games can simply be fun. Yet, it’s not easy to produce a video game that is genuinely enjoyable. To achieve this, the controls must work flawlessly, the objective must be clear, and the visuals must be cohesive. A sound track also contributes to a good video game. The game designers Benjamin Jurina, Benjamin Schäfer, and Emily Schiestek of Synth Cycles can check all these boxes and receive a Young Professionals Honorary Mention. In this auto arena battler, players compete locally against each other and must, like in an autodrome, bounce against the opponent’s car to push it off the platform.
It’s evident from the examples above that fun and more serious topics can coexist or even go hand in hand in the u19 category. However, a topic that often plays a significant role for young people was surprisingly addressed in relatively few projects this year: the exploration of gender identity. We would like to see more engagement with this topic in the future.
Finally, we would like to thank all participants for their inspiring contributions. Your dedication and creativity are a source of hope and inspiration for us all. We look forward to seeing your work in the future and working together to shape the world of tomorrow.
Text written with some input from ChatGPT
Young Professionals age 14 – 19
Golden Nica
Fluten der Freiheit (Floods of freedom)
Jakob Gruber
Awards of Distinction
Last
Anna Bubenicek, Flora Kirnbauer
to the friends i’ll never meet
Selma Yassin
Honorary Mentions
A Normal Day in Jurassic World
Maximilian Peinhaupt
AEROQ—dicke Luft im Klassenzimmer (AEROQ—Thick air in the classroom)
Valentin Glück, Thomas Jochum, Max Kneringer, Nina Thöni, Noah Walser
Canon Events
Paula Boyer, Lisa Marie Diessner, Alena Milcic
Die Klimakonferenz (The climate conference)
COM 2023/24 – PTS Schwanenstadt
Everlasting End
Keno Czompo, Aaron Hager, Tobias Kogler
Synergia
Synergia Ensemble
Synth Cycles
Benjamin Jurina, Benjamin Schäfer, Emily Schiestek
Verpackt und Vernetzt (Packaged and connected)
Tatsanan Tang
Was heißt es alleine zu sein? (Musikvideo) (What does it mean to be alone? music video)
Ida Onzek, Rosa Peschina, Sina Tödling, Lara Tomasic
Zemlyanka
Justin Casta, Maximilian Größ, Jonathan Pacher, Georgy Snegur, Christina Zsalacz
Young Creatives up to 14 years
u14 Prize
WarpCity
Class 2a, BRG Pichelmayergasse, Vienna
u14 Award of Distinction
Lights Out
Young Filmmakers 2023
Nachhaltigkeitsziele und Stopmotion (Sustainability Goals and Stop-Motion)
12 students from class 3b, MS Frohnleiten
u14 Honorary Mention
Meine grüne Stadt der Zukunft (My green city of the future)
Jonas Stöttinger
u12 Prize
betterTogether
Antonia Hofstadler, Moritz Fink, Marc Umile, GRG15 – Auf der Schmelz
u12 Award of Distinction
Book To Go—das sprechende Buch (Book to go—The talking book)
Sarah Hölzl
u12 Honorary Mention
Future Cookies
Seher Ödemis, Lorenz Schennach, Gülderen Tanriseven, Manojlo Tanzer
u10 Prize
Na2r_3lumen
Nea Geršak
u10 Award of Distinction
Peter, Paula und Panini Klimabuch und Theaterstück (Climate book and play)
Lina Roth
u10 Honorary Mention
Aus Waffen werden Werkzeuge (From weapons to tools)
David Gaulhofer
This Fish has no Idea!
Sirikit Amann, Emil Klostermann, Conny Lee, Anahita Neghabat, Anna Wielander
As the jury for the u19–create your world category of the Prix Ars Electronica, we have reviewed a multitude of fascinating works by young people from Austria this year. These works not only reflect creative diversity and technological innovation but also provide deep insights into the mindset and current societal challenges of our time.
The selection of the winning works was based on various criteria. In addition to artistic quality and originality, the level of innovation, technical execution, and societal relevance were also important. We chose works that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also convey a clear message and provoke thought. Furthermore, the diversity of perspectives and approaches of the participants was important to us in order to appropriately recognize the range of young creativity.
In numerous works, we have observed an intense engagement with the climate crisis. Young artists, as in previous years, are again addressing the consequences of climate change and seeking new solutions for a sustainable future. Other urgent contemporary issues reflected in the projects of the young entrants include war, flight, and desertion. The short film Zemlyanka tackles a topic that is being addressed for the first time in the u19 category and is highly relevant in the context of current conflicts: desertion. This work by the Zemlyanka team (Justin Casta, Maximilian Größ, Jonathan Pacher, Georgy Snegur, Christina Zsalacz), like the Golden Nica, represents the desire to survive, but also expresses the desperation that can drive people into seemingly hopeless situations.
The Golden Nica goes to Fluten der Freiheit (Floods of Freedom) by Jakob Gruber. Despite its brevity of just ten seconds, the animation impressively conveys strong emotions and an urgent message without any spoken words, using only sound effects. With right-wing parties and autocrats on the rise and the high number of deaths in the Mediterranean often relegated to mere footnotes in media coverage, it is crucial for other voices to be heard loud and clear. This short video evokes emotion without showcasing the personal tragedies of refugees. Jakob Gruber effectively portrays the ongoing tragedy of Mediterranean crossings with a few compelling images. The keywords “Peace, Democracy, Security,” essential pillars of European identity, are often inadequately upheld in the context of migration and flight. His animation leaves a lasting impression, reminding us that art has the power to distill complex societal issues and motivate us to take action. It also brings hope: hope for peace, democracy, and security—principles that should be afforded to all people, not just those born in the right country.
Animations have always been a cornerstone of u19. They vary in style, themes, and length as much as the entrants themselves. Whether stop-motion, 2D or 3D animations, drawn, modeled, made from natural materials, clay, or building blocks, these small artworks delight us every year. Last, a stop-motion film by Anna Bubenicek and Flora Kirnbauer, receives an Award of Distinction. It touches viewers in a special way. By using natural materials, it creates not only aesthetically pleasing images but also conveys a profound message about climate protection, friendship, and hope. The work also reflects on loneliness and failure, yet it exudes an unwavering hope that can inspire us all.
Engagement with life in the digital world was also a recurring theme in the submitted works. Many participants reflected on the significance of social media, the changing ways we communicate, and the challenges of maintaining genuine connections in an increasingly digital world.
This theme is explored in to the friends I’ll never meet by artist Selma Yassin, who receives an Award of Distinction for this piece. Her exploration of online relationships is a fascinating multimedia art project that delves into the complexity and beauty of online friendships. The work combines performative elements with installation, digital renderings of analog spaces, and a zine featuring real chat transcripts. Through her adept use of various media, the artist sensitively and intricately approaches themes of online time, friendship, and intimacy. The analogy of threads being woven yet easily cut symbolizes both the fragility and strength of friendships. Translating this performance into a virtual space adds an extra dimension to the project, making it an inspiring reflection on connection and community across transnational boundaries. Tatsanan Tang addresses the inherent opportunities and dangers of social media in a unique way with Verpackt und vernetzt (Packaged and connected). The idea of portraying social media consumption as pills is both simple and complex. Clearly, a lot of thought went into the design. The text of the package insert, which informs about the usage and side effects of the “medication” (social media), is well-researched and includes both scientific facts and humorous moments.
Nostalgia and longing for the past and one’s often idealized childhood were reflected in numerous works. Memories contrast with the harsh reality of the present, marked by personal performance pressure and global crises. The theme of death and the transience of life was explored in several pieces. The Honorary Mention for Canon Events in the Young Professionals category plays with memories and a self-reflective examination of one’s youth while still experiencing it. In this artistic project, formative youth moments were placed in laboratory glasses and preserved. Paula Boyer, Lisa Marie Diessner, and Alena Milcic impressively navigated the fine line between nostalgia and the present, where nothing is idealized but instead examined critically and soberly through a scientific lens.
In the video game Everlasting End, Honorary Mention in the Young Professionals category, characters repeatedly experience the last six minutes of their lives. The player must decide which characters to listen to in the remaining moments. By incorporating this interactive concept, viewers are compelled to engage directly with the theme of impermanence. It’s more than just a game; it’s an experience facilitated by Keno Czompo, Aaron Hager, and Tobias Kogler.
Some works have convinced through their excellence and elaborate use of technical and artistic skills. The brick film A Normal Day in Jurassic World by Maximilian Peinhaupt received an Honorary Mention in the Young Professionals category. Not only does this film excel in animation with nearly 6,000 frames and meticulous attention to detail, but it is also filled with many humorous details and expertly crafted sound design. It takes viewers into the daily life of a frustrated park ranger, who struggles to get through his day in a Sisyphean manner.
The highly complex multimedia sound performance Synergia received an Honorary Mention in the Young Professionals category and impresses with its successful fusion of text, electroacoustic sounds, and professional presentation. The young Synergia Ensemble demonstrates remarkable maturity in the execution of musical performance and textual accompaniment. Leonhard Gaigg’s compositions are skillfully realized with pre-recorded and liveplayed sounds. The interweaving of text, silence, light, and sound creates a captivating auditory experience, transporting the audience into a unique world. An impressive concert for enthusiasts of experimental contemporary music and anyone who appreciates new sonic experiences.
The jury also noted in several works various forms of artistic exploration of abstract embodied experiences, such as projects dealing with the tangible manifestation or visualization of music.
With Was heißt es alleine zu sein? (What does it mean to be alone?), an Honorary Mention in the Young Professionals category was awarded to Ida Onzek, Rosa Peschina, Sina Tödling, and Lara Tomasic. The clip visualizes a song by the Graz singer Roxana. Impressively precise staging allows for the success of this one-cut music video. Throughout, visually stunning images and lovingly crafted details emerge, beautifully accentuating the atmosphere. The expressive, unpretentious performance of the actress reinforces the question without overinterpreting it. It’s impressive.
The integration of Artificial Intelligence into creative processes was also a recurring theme. We witnessed impressive works exploring the potentials and challenges of AI in various fields such as art, music, and design.
Peter, Paul und Panini. Klimabuch und Theaterstück (Peter, Paul and Panini. Climate book and play) is a fairy tale story created with the help of AI, reminding both children and adults to care for the environment. The text for the play was developed by the young artist Lina Roth in co-creation with Artificial Intelligence, allowing her to combine her ideas with those of her friends’ children while still producing a coherent text. The next step planned is to turn the story into a children’s book.
In some works addressing climate policy, creative satire was used to provide a humorous perspective on serious issues such as climate change. For example, in the cleverly crafted short film Die Klimakonferenz (The climate conference) by the COM group of PTS Schwanenstadt, an animated fish warns political leaders about the real consequences of the climate crisis but is silenced with the words “This fish has no idea!”
There is still much work ahead of us regarding the issue of climate change, and to tackle this work, we should start by listening to each other and developing ideas, as seen in Meine grüne Stadt der Zukunft (My green city of the future). This submission features designs for green skyscrapers. The young artist Jonas Stöttinger has delved deeply into urban planning and architecture against the backdrop of climate change, creating sketches and designs for green and cooling architecture based on his research.
The initiative at BRG/BORG Landeck, AEROQ—dicke Luft im Klassenzimmer (AEROQ—Thick air in the classroom), takes a proactive approach to the discussion about indoor air quality in schools during and after the pandemic. Their self-developed CO₂ monitors for classrooms not only impress with their appealing design but also with their technical sophistication. Particularly commendable is their plan to make the documentation and source codes available as open-source, allowing schools with limited resources to benefit from them as well.
Nea Geršak’s short animation Na2r_3lumen (na2r_ flow3rs) is a deserving winner of the Young Creatives u10 Prize. The combination of painted images and flower animation effectively conveys the beauty and transience of nature. At just seven years old, she creatively realizes the idea of recreating time-lapses through multiple smaller videos and then animating them. She uses self-painted acrylic paintings as the background. This work artistically addresses questions about the world in 50 years and whether there will still be flowers there. The title, consisting of letters and numbers, also seems to anticipate the language of the future—are they natural flowers or just images of flowers? Who knows?
This year, the Young Creatives u14 Prize goes to the multimedia project WarpCity. Students from the 6th grade of BRG Pichelmayergasse assembled a sculpture from electronic waste for this project. Resembling a futuristic building, a mountain-shaped skyscraper, this architectural sculpture towers upward. Through projection mapping, it comes to life, with words like “heat” or “climate change” projected onto the tower. People walk around the green area surrounding the sculpture, which they see from a bird’s-eye view. However, as one approaches the artwork and makes noise, more and more vehicles start driving through the green spaces, leaving less room for pedestrians. This extensive project straightforwardly and creatively conveys the relevance of issues such as soil sealing and urban planning.
The short film Lights Out, created by the Young Filmmakers, takes a cinematic approach to the theme of the city. The nearly ten-minute film impresses with its meticulous attention to detail and showcases the beauty of darkness contrasted with artificial light, as experienced during a drive through a city illuminated by lights. The darkness in all its shades—essential for the film’s atmosphere— is wonderfully captured.
Among the younger participants, discussions on structural issues such as war and redistribution were observed. Another major theme was the treatment of seniors in society and how caregiving might look in the future. Sustainability was also a prevalent theme in several submissions.
The initial idea behind the drawing Aus Waffen werden Werkzeuge (From weapons to tools) stemmed from the theme of sustainability, which most people associate with environmental protection. Environmental protection is deeply humanistic, as it concerns the survival of humanity on this planet. In this project, sustainability and humanism are linked in a different way, namely through a pacifist demand to repurpose war machines such as tanks into something that no longer destroys but is instead useful, such as a tractor. For this beautiful concept, presented in a colorful, vibrant image, David Gaulhofer receives an Honorary Mention from the jury in the u10 category.
As part of the project Nachhaltigkeitsziele und Stopmotion (Sustainability Goals and Stop-Motion), a series of short animated films delve into the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The result is twelve stop-motion films that creatively and poignantly illustrate what we need to do to protect the environment, and more importantly, why we need to do it. For this achievement, this year’s Award of Distinction in the u14 category goes to the students of the 3rd grade of Frohnleiten Middle School.
The pressure to achieve and societal expectations placed on young people were also critically examined. Many works delve into the psychological stress and challenges associated with high academic expectations. One negative manifestation is bullying, which many students face.
With betterTogether, the five-member team from GRG 15—Auf der Schmelz submitted an app for violence and bullying prevention and intervention. The app, still in the development phase, aims to enable students to seek support easily and report observed cases of bullying and violence (including anonymously). This community project, which received the Young Creatives u12 Prize, demonstrates that when working together as a team, one can advocate for the weaker members of a community.
A positive form of self-help comes from Sarah Hölzl. Her e-book Book to Go – das sprechende Buch (Book to go—The talking book) is a valuable resource for teaching children to read (in English). It is lovingly illustrated and turns learning animal names into a multisensory experience. By Sarah’s decision to offer the book online and for free, she also enables children with limited access to (English-language) books to participate in a reading community. For the sustainable mindset and user-friendliness of the e-book, she rightfully receives the u12 Award of Distinction.
To welcome new students to school, students from Telfs Weissenbach Middle School have baked cookies. Here, too, the desire for the school to be a place for togetherness is understandable.
The Future Cookies project really sparks excitement for school—and for cookies! The detailed process of producing cookie cutters with a 3D printer is documented, making it very understandable. Also impressive is the handling of mistakes, which were neither ignored nor discouraged but rather spurred further action.
It’s always a pleasure for us in the u19 category when video game projects are submitted. Some years, these submissions are quite numerous, while in other years, there are hardly any games among all the entries. This year, there were a few games that dealt with very different themes in very different forms—which is natural, given that the medium of games offers nearly unlimited narrative and formal possibilities. However, sometimes an important point is overlooked: that video games can simply be fun. Yet, it’s not easy to produce a video game that is genuinely enjoyable. To achieve this, the controls must work flawlessly, the objective must be clear, and the visuals must be cohesive. A sound track also contributes to a good video game. The game designers Benjamin Jurina, Benjamin Schäfer, and Emily Schiestek of Synth Cycles can check all these boxes and receive a Young Professionals Honorary Mention. In this auto arena battler, players compete locally against each other and must, like in an autodrome, bounce against the opponent’s car to push it off the platform.
It’s evident from the examples above that fun and more serious topics can coexist or even go hand in hand in the u19 category. However, a topic that often plays a significant role for young people was surprisingly addressed in relatively few projects this year: the exploration of gender identity. We would like to see more engagement with this topic in the future.
Finally, we would like to thank all participants for their inspiring contributions. Your dedication and creativity are a source of hope and inspiration for us all. We look forward to seeing your work in the future and working together to shape the world of tomorrow.
Text written with some input from ChatGPT
Young Professionals age 14 – 19
Golden Nica
Fluten der Freiheit (Floods of freedom)
Jakob Gruber
Awards of Distinction
Last
Anna Bubenicek, Flora Kirnbauer
to the friends i’ll never meet
Selma Yassin
Honorary Mentions
A Normal Day in Jurassic World
Maximilian Peinhaupt
AEROQ—dicke Luft im Klassenzimmer (AEROQ—Thick air in the classroom)
Valentin Glück, Thomas Jochum, Max Kneringer, Nina Thöni, Noah Walser
Canon Events
Paula Boyer, Lisa Marie Diessner, Alena Milcic
Die Klimakonferenz (The climate conference)
COM 2023/24 – PTS Schwanenstadt
Everlasting End
Keno Czompo, Aaron Hager, Tobias Kogler
Synergia
Synergia Ensemble
Synth Cycles
Benjamin Jurina, Benjamin Schäfer, Emily Schiestek
Verpackt und Vernetzt (Packaged and connected)
Tatsanan Tang
Was heißt es alleine zu sein? (Musikvideo) (What does it mean to be alone? music video)
Ida Onzek, Rosa Peschina, Sina Tödling, Lara Tomasic
Zemlyanka
Justin Casta, Maximilian Größ, Jonathan Pacher, Georgy Snegur, Christina Zsalacz
Young Creatives up to 14 years
u14 Prize
WarpCity
Class 2a, BRG Pichelmayergasse, Vienna
u14 Award of Distinction
Lights Out
Young Filmmakers 2023
Nachhaltigkeitsziele und Stopmotion (Sustainability Goals and Stop-Motion)
12 students from class 3b, MS Frohnleiten
u14 Honorary Mention
Meine grüne Stadt der Zukunft (My green city of the future)
Jonas Stöttinger
u12 Prize
betterTogether
Antonia Hofstadler, Moritz Fink, Marc Umile, GRG15 – Auf der Schmelz
u12 Award of Distinction
Book To Go—das sprechende Buch (Book to go—The talking book)
Sarah Hölzl
u12 Honorary Mention
Future Cookies
Seher Ödemis, Lorenz Schennach, Gülderen Tanriseven, Manojlo Tanzer
u10 Prize
Na2r_3lumen
Nea Geršak
u10 Award of Distinction
Peter, Paula und Panini Klimabuch und Theaterstück (Climate book and play)
Lina Roth
u10 Honorary Mention
Aus Waffen werden Werkzeuge (From weapons to tools)
David Gaulhofer
Statement of the Jury - Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity
Ambassador Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Director General for International Cultural Relations at BMEIA, Thomas Kloiber, Regina Rusz, Veronika Liebl, Gerfried Stocker
This is the fourth year that Ars Electronica and the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs jointly present the Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity, which champions the profound intersection of art, technology, and human values. As jury members, we recognize the crucial role of artistic reflection in navigating the complexities of our digital transformation. Art and culture, as vital elements shaping our shared reality, offer unique insights into what it means to be human in a digital world.
The importance of this reflection lies in its ability to challenge societal norms, provoke critical thinking, and inspire innovative explorations. In examining the manifold themes represented in this year’s submissions such as gender bias, online exploitation, digital restitution, forensic journalism, and carbon emissions, artistic projects confront the ethical, environmental, and social implications of emerging technologies. These endeavors not only illuminate the potential pitfalls of our digital landscape but also explore ways to use technology to promote inclusivity, diversity, and human dignity.
The jury was searching for artistic reflections encouraging us to move beyond being passive consumers of technology, urging us to actively shape our digital future. By highlighting the experiences of marginalized groups and questioning the biases embedded in data and algorithms, a stunning variety of submitted projects advocated for a digital humanism that places human needs and rights at the forefront of technological progress. A fascinating diversity of artistic forms, expressions, and practices offered new narratives and pathways that prioritize empathy, solidarity, and ethical responsibility.
Through collaborative practices that span disciplines and cultures, many of the submissions demonstrated how art fosters mutual understanding and intercultural dialogue. By reimagining historical narratives and confronting current social issues, artistic projects serve as catalysts for societal change, embodying the spirit of the Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity. In celebrating these artistic endeavors, we affirm the critical role of art in shaping a digital society that reflects our collective values and aspirations.
This year’s jury selected an Award and an Honorary Mention. Both projects exemplify the transformative potential of art and technology to create a more equitable and humane digital world, while reflecting on the risks of an unreflective approach to technology.
While this year’s Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity, Patchwork Girl, embodies both strands in an excellent way, the jury wanted to honor in addition the long lasting and continuous efforts of the winning project’s theatre company de Toneelmakerij. De Toneelmakerij has consistently demonstrated an innovative approach to storytelling, utilizing the intersection of art and technology to address pertinent social issues and foster critical thinking among young audiences.
Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity
Patchwork Girl
Paulien Geerlings, Jantine Jongebloed, Eva Knibbe, Noelía Martin-Montalvo, Nina Van Tongeren, de Toneelmakerij
Patchwork Girl is an exemplary project that addresses pressing issues like sexting, slut-shaming, and online abuse through a powerful blend of performance and technology. Jantine and Cyrina courageously share their experiences of online victimization, confronting societal norms and the lack of accountability in digital spaces. The performance highlights the enduring impact of such trauma, with Jantine revisiting her past with the support of five teenage girls, emphasizing the importance of solidarity.
Innovatively, the project experiments with AI-generated apologies and creates an avatar, Patchwork Girl, to reclaim agency over their narratives. This technological integration not only adds depth to their storytelling but also explores the ethical complexities of digital tools in online abuse. The symbolic act of Jantine capturing a new nude photo underscores the reclaiming of her body and autonomy, a defiant statement against online exploitation.
Patchwork Girl excels in promoting human-centered, collaborative practices and cross-disciplinary engagement, aligning perfectly with the Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity’s objectives. It transcends mere reflection on technology’s effects, advocates for systemic change in digital spaces, and opens new pathways towards the protection of human dignity. The jury unanimously decided to honor this project to amplify the creator’s efforts and raise awareness about the need for continued advocacy against online abuse, aiming to extend its impact beyond the stage to combat expose groups and online exploitation effectively.
Honorary Mention
AI and the Art of Historical Reinterpretation— Filling Gender Bias Gaps
Claudia Larcher
AI and the Art of Historical Reinterpretation — Filling Gender Bias Gaps is a groundbreaking project aimed at eliminating gender-specific biases in historical datasets used by AI. Recognizing the heavy reliance of AI models on historical data, the project critically examines the ethical implications of using AI to predict societal changes and proposes innovative methods to complement, rewrite, and reinterpret historical data. By employing AI-generated “historical images”, the project seeks to fill gaps in historical records and provide a more inclusive understanding of the past.
The project highlights the exclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals from official historical narratives, bringing their overlooked contributions to the forefront. Through meticulous examination of archives and historical texts, the project has created a fictional image archive that reinterprets history with a focus on inclusivity and diversity. Until now, the project has generated a dataset of over 140 images, with 80 specifically addressing gender biases in art history.
AI and the Art of Historical Reinterpretation exemplifies the award’s vision by addressing social, cultural, and humanitarian issues through innovative use of technology. This project stands as a powerful example of how AI can be harnessed to empower marginalized groups and reshape our understanding of history. The jury was impressed by the project’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and ethical considerations, as it depicts a future that celebrates digital humanism and inclusivity.
Ambassador Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Director General for International Cultural Relations at BMEIA, Thomas Kloiber, Regina Rusz, Veronika Liebl, Gerfried Stocker
This is the fourth year that Ars Electronica and the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs jointly present the Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity, which champions the profound intersection of art, technology, and human values. As jury members, we recognize the crucial role of artistic reflection in navigating the complexities of our digital transformation. Art and culture, as vital elements shaping our shared reality, offer unique insights into what it means to be human in a digital world.
The importance of this reflection lies in its ability to challenge societal norms, provoke critical thinking, and inspire innovative explorations. In examining the manifold themes represented in this year’s submissions such as gender bias, online exploitation, digital restitution, forensic journalism, and carbon emissions, artistic projects confront the ethical, environmental, and social implications of emerging technologies. These endeavors not only illuminate the potential pitfalls of our digital landscape but also explore ways to use technology to promote inclusivity, diversity, and human dignity.
The jury was searching for artistic reflections encouraging us to move beyond being passive consumers of technology, urging us to actively shape our digital future. By highlighting the experiences of marginalized groups and questioning the biases embedded in data and algorithms, a stunning variety of submitted projects advocated for a digital humanism that places human needs and rights at the forefront of technological progress. A fascinating diversity of artistic forms, expressions, and practices offered new narratives and pathways that prioritize empathy, solidarity, and ethical responsibility.
Through collaborative practices that span disciplines and cultures, many of the submissions demonstrated how art fosters mutual understanding and intercultural dialogue. By reimagining historical narratives and confronting current social issues, artistic projects serve as catalysts for societal change, embodying the spirit of the Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity. In celebrating these artistic endeavors, we affirm the critical role of art in shaping a digital society that reflects our collective values and aspirations.
This year’s jury selected an Award and an Honorary Mention. Both projects exemplify the transformative potential of art and technology to create a more equitable and humane digital world, while reflecting on the risks of an unreflective approach to technology.
While this year’s Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity, Patchwork Girl, embodies both strands in an excellent way, the jury wanted to honor in addition the long lasting and continuous efforts of the winning project’s theatre company de Toneelmakerij. De Toneelmakerij has consistently demonstrated an innovative approach to storytelling, utilizing the intersection of art and technology to address pertinent social issues and foster critical thinking among young audiences.
Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity
Patchwork Girl
Paulien Geerlings, Jantine Jongebloed, Eva Knibbe, Noelía Martin-Montalvo, Nina Van Tongeren, de Toneelmakerij
Patchwork Girl is an exemplary project that addresses pressing issues like sexting, slut-shaming, and online abuse through a powerful blend of performance and technology. Jantine and Cyrina courageously share their experiences of online victimization, confronting societal norms and the lack of accountability in digital spaces. The performance highlights the enduring impact of such trauma, with Jantine revisiting her past with the support of five teenage girls, emphasizing the importance of solidarity.
Innovatively, the project experiments with AI-generated apologies and creates an avatar, Patchwork Girl, to reclaim agency over their narratives. This technological integration not only adds depth to their storytelling but also explores the ethical complexities of digital tools in online abuse. The symbolic act of Jantine capturing a new nude photo underscores the reclaiming of her body and autonomy, a defiant statement against online exploitation.
Patchwork Girl excels in promoting human-centered, collaborative practices and cross-disciplinary engagement, aligning perfectly with the Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity’s objectives. It transcends mere reflection on technology’s effects, advocates for systemic change in digital spaces, and opens new pathways towards the protection of human dignity. The jury unanimously decided to honor this project to amplify the creator’s efforts and raise awareness about the need for continued advocacy against online abuse, aiming to extend its impact beyond the stage to combat expose groups and online exploitation effectively.
Honorary Mention
AI and the Art of Historical Reinterpretation— Filling Gender Bias Gaps
Claudia Larcher
AI and the Art of Historical Reinterpretation — Filling Gender Bias Gaps is a groundbreaking project aimed at eliminating gender-specific biases in historical datasets used by AI. Recognizing the heavy reliance of AI models on historical data, the project critically examines the ethical implications of using AI to predict societal changes and proposes innovative methods to complement, rewrite, and reinterpret historical data. By employing AI-generated “historical images”, the project seeks to fill gaps in historical records and provide a more inclusive understanding of the past.
The project highlights the exclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals from official historical narratives, bringing their overlooked contributions to the forefront. Through meticulous examination of archives and historical texts, the project has created a fictional image archive that reinterprets history with a focus on inclusivity and diversity. Until now, the project has generated a dataset of over 140 images, with 80 specifically addressing gender biases in art history.
AI and the Art of Historical Reinterpretation exemplifies the award’s vision by addressing social, cultural, and humanitarian issues through innovative use of technology. This project stands as a powerful example of how AI can be harnessed to empower marginalized groups and reshape our understanding of history. The jury was impressed by the project’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and ethical considerations, as it depicts a future that celebrates digital humanism and inclusivity.
Jury Statement S+T+ARTS Prize 2024
Infrastructures of Power and Care
Francesca Bria, Fumi Hirota, Manuela Naveau, Katja Schechtner, Miha Turšič
We are writing this jury statement at a very special time, as important elections and political challenges are coming up in the next few months, at both European and global level. These are uncertain times, heated up with dystopian visions of the future of a polycrisis and aggressive promises of salvation through the elimination of constructed enemy images. Political participation is becoming more than emotionalized and the space for the formation and promotion of participation mechanisms, democratic attitudes, and discourse for the purpose of open knowledge is dwindling. Europe is struggling and the number of critical voices is diminishing at the same time as political opinion-forming and expression are being taken over and cemented by artificially intelligent social media platforms.
A look at this year’s submissions for the STARTS Prize showed many voices and actions that stand out and strive to create counter-images and counterreactions, engaging with ideas in order to bring about change. In addition to socio-politically motivated artistic/scientific debates such as: How will we learn in the future?, How will we work or love in the coming decades? How will we cure ourselves and How will we take care of and live with other living beings?, this year’s focus was once again on the examination of technology in the sense of big tech and internet giants, and above all related to the debate on the exploitation of our planet, questions on extractivism, and embodied situated knowledge. How important is locally anchored knowledge? How does AI reinforce the power structures inherent in technology and what impact does this have on a constantly changing and evolving knowledge environment? Who shapes technology in Europe and who offers space for reflection and co-design? And how can technological progress and innovation be reconciled with taking care of all forms of living organisms?
All these questions that we as a jury have been confronted with culminated in reflections on existing technical and social infrastructures and on infrastructures needed in order to achieve transnational size and visibility on the one hand and to enable co-design and discourse on the other. Topics such as ‘alternative infrastructures’, ‘real-world’ infrastructures, or infrastructures that enable an ecosystem of experimentation and research were discussed. The many approaches in the Honorary Mentions and Nominations show that there is a living tradition of alternative infrastructures in Europe that must continue to be promoted and supported. The fact that we need more best practice examples of large-scale European infrastructures of sci-tech brings us directly to the Grand Prizes and our selection.
Perhaps never before has a jury been as unanimous as this year, as it was quickly decided that the Grand Prize for Innovative Collaboration would go to Arts at CERN, the art program of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva. The program, which has been involved in Art/Science debates and developments for 12 years now, deserves the prize, which not only goes to the organization, but also to the people behind the organization: the scientists, artists, creative technologists, and cultural managers in an extraordinary interplay and long-lived inter- and transdisciplinarity. Above all, this program is an example of how science, technology, and art can interact as equals. Methods from research meet methods from the arts and cross-fertilize each other cyclically. It goes without saying that an infrastructure like CERN conducts research in the field of physics, such as the structure of matter and the movement of light or sound waves. But the research findings are also reflected in very topical issues e.g. relating to climate change, and Arts at CERN creates and showcases common space for critical thinking by researchers from physics and the arts.
The Grand Prize for Artistic Exploration goes to Calculating Empires: A Genealogy of Power and Technology, 1500–2025 by Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler. The artists spent four years working on this large-scale research project, which is presented in the form of a map room. It is a visual manifesto on technology and power relations throughout the last five centuries and contains an overwhelming amount of information that was translated and localized as graphics in an extremely appealing way. The starting point of Joler and Crawford’s research is the 1500s, when empires started to use technology to centralize and consolidate their power—a phenomenon that persists to the present day—and to ask: What kind of world do we want to live in? As a jury we continue to ask: How can an infrastructure in Europe be created that allows society to influence technological developments, i.e. technology for the sake of society and the environment we live in? Infrastructures of power and care?
It was interesting to observe that critical cartographies, the mapping of power structures in technology or finance or the graphic recording of changes in landscapes and bodies were reflected in some of the works submitted. But topics such as memory and contested history, critical tech and feminist tech, female bodies and the questions of care, multispecies care and power, as well as the topics of low carbon food and community activities were also discussed and ended up in the ten Honorary Mentions and eighteen Nominations. We looked at visually stunning installations, sound experiences, (lecture) performances, games, VR/AR settings, brain computing works, and smart and alternative robotic manufacturing tools, but the final selection underlines the possibility of scalability, which we recognized as an important parameter for the future.
These considerations ultimately led us into a phase of critical S+T+ARTS reflection: What infrastructures will we need in Europe in the future, and how can we use them? How can we maintain the authentic speed of do-it-yourself while at the same time making the work scalable? What is missing in this ecosystem—e.g. the role of mediators, facilitators, or catalysts—and what can be done to change this? How can large but also smaller companies and policy makers benefit from working with artists, and how can S+T+ARTS mediate better between its disciplines? We urgently hope that S+T+ARTS will continue to recognize projects that demonstrate a successful integration of science, technology, and art and even evolve into a platform for further discourse, support, and networking, which is of great importance in times when technological developments go hand in hand with social and economic innovation.
S+T+ARTS Prize ’24
Grand Prize Innovative Collaboration
Awarded for innovative collaboration between industry or technology and the arts (and the cultural and creative sectors in general) that opens new pathways for innovation.
Arts at CERN
Arts at CERN is a pioneering cultural initiative, reflecting CERN’s exceptional openness and experimental spirit. Established in 2011, the program started as a comprehensive arts residency scheme with significant international influence under the vision of former Director-General Rolf Dieter Heuer and cultural specialist and curator Ariane Koek. After this founding period, the program was fully endorsed as the arts program of the Laboratory by current Director-General Fabiola Gianotti and led by head and curator of Arts at CERN Mónica Bello. The program started with the Collide residencies, as a two-month residency with two annual calls and is active now with three strands of programs: residencies, as Collide and Connect, art commissions, and exhibitions and events. Furthermore, the activities of Arts at CERN comprise a full range of collaborations with cultural institutions, and scientific organisations worldwide.
What makes Arts at CERN exceptional is the unique space. Located just outside Geneva, CERN is home to the world’s largest particle physics laboratory and the Large Hadron Collider, a 27-km machine that recreates conditions from the universe’s inception 13.7 billion years ago. With approximately 17,000 scientists, technologists, and engineers from 680 institutions in 120 countries, CERN is a hub of imagination and inspiration. Arts at CERN has inspired numerous exhibitions, performances, and events, showcasing the mutual benefits of collaboration between artists and scientists. Artists gain new perspectives on their work, while scientists explore different approaches to their research, considering the broader implications for humanity, society, and nature. The Collide Residency program has partnered with cities like Linz, Liverpool, Barcelona, and Copenhagen to support artistic research and exploration. This collaboration between CERN and major cultural institutions has established a model for integrating arts, science, and technology. Arts at CERN has set a global benchmark for arts-science initiatives, influencing programs all around the world, in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia and Africa. It has inspired major initiatives such as the European Commission’s STARTS program and the Joint Research Centre’s sci-art program. In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, including advancements in AI, quantum computing, and chip technology, the integration of arts, science, and technology is crucial. Arts at CERN exemplifies how leveraging key scientific and technological infrastructures, multidisciplinary talent, and capacity in Europe can drive innovation and foster a collaborative innovation that truly serve the public interest.
S+T+ARTS Prize ’24
Grand Prize Artistic Exploration
Awarded for artistic exploration and art works where appropriation by the arts has a strong potential to influence or alter the use, deployment, or perception of technology.
Calculating Empires: A Genealogy of Power and Technology, 1500-2025
Kate Crawford, Vladan Joler
How can we understand the entanglement between technology and power today? The technological systems, from AI chatbots to international border controls, are increasingly automated and opaque. If the world is to address the current challenges of the climate crisis, hallucinating AI systems, and war, we need to understand how these processes are interwoven.
Calculating Empires charts the technological present by depicting how power and technology have been intertwined since 1500. It is a codex of technology and power that shows how echoes of empires past resonate in today’s technology companies. With thousands of individual drawings and texts, Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler visualize these major shifts in an intricate visual manifesto about the way empires have used technology to centralize and consolidate their power. The vast diagrammatic diptych draws audiences into a dark passage to study on one wall the histories of communication and computation, while the opposite wall addresses systems of classification and control. Read together, these maps illuminate technical and social structures that co-evolved over centuries. By seeing how past powers have calculated, we can begin to calculate the costs of contemporary empires. Calculating Empires thus gives audiences a detailed visual narrative about the relationship between humans, ecologies, and technologies. It traces the ways that technology and power have been entwined over five centuries, through industrialization, imperialism, and automation. It shows how practices of colonialism, militarization, and enclosure operate today and how they might be unwound. It establishes itself as a necessary corrective to the current short-termism in technology criticism and art, which is frequently focused on the most recent spectacles and devices, at the expense of deeper historical and political shifts. Calculating Empires challenges us to redefine our relationship with current socio-technical structures. By asking how we got where we are today, we can (re-)consider where we might be going.
S+T+ARTS Prize ’24
Honorary Mentions
The Echinoidea Future—Adriatic Sensing
Robertina Šebjanič
While the majority of Europeans have no direct experience with the oceans and seas, ocean life knows far more about us than we do about it. According to scientific studies, there is an understanding that humans are having an extremely negative impact on the oceans, from direct sound and chemical pollution to indirect influence through climate change. While some of these insights stem from the use of organisms such as sea urchins as pollution indicators, they primarily manifest as scientific data too abstract for the general public. The Echinoidea Future—Adriatic Sensing project was developed even further in the STARTS4Water collaboration between the artist, ecologists, cultural organizations, and sea urchins—not as bioindicators but as actual commentators. Such collaboration overcame anthropocentric and domain-based research practices and brings the agency of an organism that inhabits a human-impacted environment directly to the public. Artwork, therefore, provides not only a medium for sea urchins to tell their story, but is an actual catalyst for our environmental empathy, which is an essential element of future environmental literacy.
How (not) to get hit by a self-driving car
Tomo Kihara, Daniel Coppen
The ever-accelerating development of AI and the expansion of its services are making our lives more convenient. However, they also make the use of data and technology in our society and culture invisible to us. How (not) to get hit by a selfdriving car makes the vision system in cars visible, and even reveals the way the vision system’s data is trained and generated. Designed as a game, it is accessible to small children and wheelchair users, and reveals how this AI model is not always able to differentiate between its players. It also offers a wide range of users the opportunity to teach the AI model as well. The exhibition of this project at various venues will offer opportunities for new collaborations between ‘citizens to improve their literacy where AI has become ubiquitous’ and ‘AI models to learn diversity in the world.’ And, in turn, this could be a catalyst that inspires citizens to propose and establish the rules of digital rights in AI for the future.
Korallysis
Gilberto Esparza
For millions of years coral reefs have adapted to and survived in their environments due to their autonomous systems, and they serve as important ecosystems for surrounding organisms. Humans, on the other hand, are known for putting these systems in danger. So what approach is needed for us to jump into the umwelt of coral reefs? Korallysis is a hybrid organism and technological device which, through electrolysis of the minerals in seawater, creates calcium carbonate that helps the growth of coral. This device is equipped with motion elements that generate electricity from the ocean’s currents and waves. Furthermore, Korallysis proposed an interdisciplinary space for oceanographers, biologists, material engineers, and biotechnologists, where they may create opportunities for local community-building and cultural events including artists, and citizen dialogues and engagement in the arts. This project itself serves as the infrastructure that encourages coexistence and mutually supportive relationships among coral reefs. Korallysis, as a hybrid organism, can be considered a new inhabitant of the coral umwelt that also invites humans to participate in their ecosystem.
Mapping Uncertain Landscape: The Satellite
Sofia Isupova
It matters what is mapped, how it is mapped, and why. While the majority of satellite and environmental data is today used for remote land use and governance, here the artist explores the opposite— placing herself into the unaccusable land devastated by war. Mapping Uncertain Landscape: The Satellite is critical cartographic work, directing its gaze to the land change caused by war, documenting changes in forests, fields, cities, and infrastructures in a way they matter to the artist as an affected individual. Such critical cartographic practice helps individuals as well as whole displaced communities to deal with ongoing trauma, while also remembering and healing their relation to the land. Satellite technologies here become an infrastructure of care, and not of power, demonstrating the societal relevance of earth observation science and technologies.
Maria CHOIR
Maria Arnal Dimas
Music has historically been an integral part of our societies, shaping one another in the most creative ways. As we are today confronted with one of the most ambiguous technologies, AI, music provides an opportunity to culturalize its influence on society. Maria CHOIR musical installation is an example of a human-AI built as a shared experience of 11,000 participants contributing their voice to one of the largest choirs performing at a single event. Such a process demonstrated an AI model-learning process as a public event, providing insight into otherwise mystifying processes, with researchers often claiming that even they don’t understand how AI learns and functions. Carrying out research and the development of new technologies in public enhances the societal relevance of these technologies. And though this project sets a new standard for innovative collaborations, it also spotlights the resources required, such as a supercomputing center, a creative coding collective, and a cultural platform.
METABOLICA
Thomas Feuerstein
With METABOLICA, the Austrian artist Thomas Feuerstein tells a story about life cycles that truly involve transdisciplinary processes in nature, economy, politics, art, and science. The core theme and artistic research is about metabolic processes, made from cultivated algae using bacteria and a 3D printer. Feuerstein, who describes himself as a theorizing media artist, generally uses the method of “conceptual narration” in his works, which combines art, architecture, philosophy, and literature with economics, politics, and technology. In five chapters, these complex installation settings tell a story of change from the industrial revolution to the present and future, from whaling and petromodernity to current and future scenarios of biochemistry and wastewater research. The metabolism of microorganisms is a central theme, as not only is a new material for sculptures produced and partially degraded, but new forms and aesthetics are created.
P2P
Eva & Franco Mattes
P2P redefines art by creating an artist-run server distributing artworks via Torrents through a peerto-peer network. Housed in a sculpture resembling a data center, it highlights the physicality of the internet, often obscured by metaphors like “the cloud.” This democratizes access to data and art by using the museum’s infrastructure to seed and download artworks, turning the exhibition space into a functional peer-to-peer network. Despite its minimalistic presence, the installation facilitates widespread access to art in the digital and AI-driven era. Inspired by the book Server Manifesto, edited by architecture critic Niklas Maak, and ideas from architect Rem Koolhaas and digital pioneer Francesca Bria, data centers are understood as democratic architectures and data as digital commons. It challenges the hidden nature of digital infrastructures, emphasizing their environmental impact and energy consumption. P2P invites people to join the network and experience a virtual exhibition featuring works from artists and collectives like Olia Lialina, Jon Rafman, and Do Not Research, exploring different models of online networking—artist-run, distributed, DIY. P2P highlights the potential of art to reflect on the need to democratize technology, experimenting with community owned infrastructures for artistic expression and collaborative digital production. P2P is a case study in alternative models of networking and in rethinking the current centralized and extractive internet.
SELF-CARE
Lyndsey Walsh
As genetic testing and diagnosis is made readily available, what can we do to overcome the gaze and surveillance of medicine, and care for the fears and bonds that families experience in the face of bodily trauma? SELF-CARE is based on the artist’s personal experiences and physical exploration after learning of their mother’s breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent diagnosis of the hereditary BRCA1 gene. The wearable chest binder is specifically designed to house living BRCA1 cancer cell lines and allows the wearer to care and treat it before it turns malignant in the body. Consisting of this original device, developed with the aid of experimental biophysics, and conversations with the artist’s family, the work reexamines the politics surrounding the identity of the so-called “female body” under advanced medical surveillance. It could be said that SELF-CARE allows us to liberate our bodies from social, sexual, and reproductive expectations and, instead, encourages us to take care of our bodies.
The Waterworks of Money
Carlijn Kingma
Although money plays a key role in everyone’s lives, the inner workings of the monetary and financial system are a mystery to most. The Waterworks of Money visualizes the flow of money through society through metaphors, maps, and animations, and explores options for improving the money system in the digital age. Today, Europe is facing the challenge of inequality. Many Europeans are dealing with a cost of living crisis while financial instability remains an ongoing threat. At the same time, the European economy needs to become more sustainable and resilient. Meanwhile, the digitalization of our economy has created new opportunities to redesign the current money system. These challenges can, however, not be seen in isolation from the architecture of the monetary system. Designing this system—and the laws and institutions that govern it—is ultimately a democratic task. In practice, however, there is a major obstacle impeding the democratic process: financial illiteracy. By making the world of money understandable, The Waterworks of Money assists citizens in developing their own vocabulary to participate in the debate about the future of money.
VRJ Palestine
Nisreen Zahda
The VRJ Palestine (Virtual Reality Journey to preNakba Palestine) project, initiated by Nisreen Zahda in 2020, represents a groundbreaking endeavor in the virtual reconstruction of Palestinian villages destroyed during the Nakba in 1948. This project employs advanced 3D modeling and real-time rendering software to recreate the spatial structures and memories of these villages, offering an engaging and immersive experience for the public. Among the notable works of VRJ Palestine are the “Nakba Timeline Map,” a digital map that documents the systematic depopulation, ethnic cleansing, and destruction of cities and villages during the Nakba, and “A Virtual Return Journey to Destroyed Villages of Tantura, Hittin, and Zir’in.” Through detailed photographic and archival research, these reconstructions bring new life to erased places. The fishing village of Zir’in and the historic village of Hittin, where Saladin famously defeated the Crusaders in 1187, are vividly recreated, preserving their rich histories. Additionally, VRJ Palestine pays homage to the victims of the Tantura massacre, a tragic event that the Israeli state continues to deny despite compelling evidence presented in the documentary Tantura by Israeli director Alon Schwartz. VRJ Palestine is a vital and innovative tool for documenting and presenting the Palestinian narrative. By virtually reconstructing over 400 destroyed or depopulated villages from the 1948 war, the project ensures that the memories and histories of these places are preserved and accessible. It allows people to engage with and become part of these reconstructed spaces, fostering a deeper understanding and connection to Palestinian heritage. The VRJ Palestine project presents a visionary approach and dedication to preserving Palestinian history through the powerful medium of virtual reality. Its contributions are invaluable in the ongoing effort to document and share the rich cultural heritage of Palestine with the world.
S+T+ARTS Prize ’24
Nominations
AUTOPOIESIS
ATELIER-E (DE)
Bibliokepos
Nomad Garden (ES)
Botto Botto
Project (The internet)
Clay PCB Eco-Feminist Decolonial Hardware
Patrícia J. Reis (PT/AT), Stefanie Wuschitz (AT)
Destination Earth
Salomé Bazin (FR)
FORMATA
PЯОТO-ALIEИ PЯOJECT (JP)
Godmode Epochs
dmstfctn (UK)
GR-AI-N
Marielena Papandreou (GR)
Low Carbon Chinatown
Ling Tan (SG/UK)
Narrative Futures: Panchatantra Fables meet Personal Primer
Daniel Devatman Hromada (SK), DigiEduBerlin (M)
Nishikigoi NFT
Toshi (JP)
Prometheus Firebringer
Annie Dorsen (US)
Revolution Refridge
Rojava Center for Democratic Technologies (SY) and Dani Ploeger (NL)
The Russian Airstrike on the Mariupol Drama Theater
The Center for Spatial Technologies (UA)
Sentient Clit: the Pussification of BioTech
Jiabao Li (CN), WhiteFeather Hunter (CA)
Soft Collision
Anna Schaeffner (FR)
Solar Protocol
Tega Brain, Alex Nathanson, and Benedetta Piantella (M)
The Urban Biotope
Vasily Sitnikov (RU)
Infrastructures of Power and Care
Francesca Bria, Fumi Hirota, Manuela Naveau, Katja Schechtner, Miha Turšič
We are writing this jury statement at a very special time, as important elections and political challenges are coming up in the next few months, at both European and global level. These are uncertain times, heated up with dystopian visions of the future of a polycrisis and aggressive promises of salvation through the elimination of constructed enemy images. Political participation is becoming more than emotionalized and the space for the formation and promotion of participation mechanisms, democratic attitudes, and discourse for the purpose of open knowledge is dwindling. Europe is struggling and the number of critical voices is diminishing at the same time as political opinion-forming and expression are being taken over and cemented by artificially intelligent social media platforms.
A look at this year’s submissions for the STARTS Prize showed many voices and actions that stand out and strive to create counter-images and counterreactions, engaging with ideas in order to bring about change. In addition to socio-politically motivated artistic/scientific debates such as: How will we learn in the future?, How will we work or love in the coming decades? How will we cure ourselves and How will we take care of and live with other living beings?, this year’s focus was once again on the examination of technology in the sense of big tech and internet giants, and above all related to the debate on the exploitation of our planet, questions on extractivism, and embodied situated knowledge. How important is locally anchored knowledge? How does AI reinforce the power structures inherent in technology and what impact does this have on a constantly changing and evolving knowledge environment? Who shapes technology in Europe and who offers space for reflection and co-design? And how can technological progress and innovation be reconciled with taking care of all forms of living organisms?
All these questions that we as a jury have been confronted with culminated in reflections on existing technical and social infrastructures and on infrastructures needed in order to achieve transnational size and visibility on the one hand and to enable co-design and discourse on the other. Topics such as ‘alternative infrastructures’, ‘real-world’ infrastructures, or infrastructures that enable an ecosystem of experimentation and research were discussed. The many approaches in the Honorary Mentions and Nominations show that there is a living tradition of alternative infrastructures in Europe that must continue to be promoted and supported. The fact that we need more best practice examples of large-scale European infrastructures of sci-tech brings us directly to the Grand Prizes and our selection.
Perhaps never before has a jury been as unanimous as this year, as it was quickly decided that the Grand Prize for Innovative Collaboration would go to Arts at CERN, the art program of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva. The program, which has been involved in Art/Science debates and developments for 12 years now, deserves the prize, which not only goes to the organization, but also to the people behind the organization: the scientists, artists, creative technologists, and cultural managers in an extraordinary interplay and long-lived inter- and transdisciplinarity. Above all, this program is an example of how science, technology, and art can interact as equals. Methods from research meet methods from the arts and cross-fertilize each other cyclically. It goes without saying that an infrastructure like CERN conducts research in the field of physics, such as the structure of matter and the movement of light or sound waves. But the research findings are also reflected in very topical issues e.g. relating to climate change, and Arts at CERN creates and showcases common space for critical thinking by researchers from physics and the arts.
The Grand Prize for Artistic Exploration goes to Calculating Empires: A Genealogy of Power and Technology, 1500–2025 by Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler. The artists spent four years working on this large-scale research project, which is presented in the form of a map room. It is a visual manifesto on technology and power relations throughout the last five centuries and contains an overwhelming amount of information that was translated and localized as graphics in an extremely appealing way. The starting point of Joler and Crawford’s research is the 1500s, when empires started to use technology to centralize and consolidate their power—a phenomenon that persists to the present day—and to ask: What kind of world do we want to live in? As a jury we continue to ask: How can an infrastructure in Europe be created that allows society to influence technological developments, i.e. technology for the sake of society and the environment we live in? Infrastructures of power and care?
It was interesting to observe that critical cartographies, the mapping of power structures in technology or finance or the graphic recording of changes in landscapes and bodies were reflected in some of the works submitted. But topics such as memory and contested history, critical tech and feminist tech, female bodies and the questions of care, multispecies care and power, as well as the topics of low carbon food and community activities were also discussed and ended up in the ten Honorary Mentions and eighteen Nominations. We looked at visually stunning installations, sound experiences, (lecture) performances, games, VR/AR settings, brain computing works, and smart and alternative robotic manufacturing tools, but the final selection underlines the possibility of scalability, which we recognized as an important parameter for the future.
These considerations ultimately led us into a phase of critical S+T+ARTS reflection: What infrastructures will we need in Europe in the future, and how can we use them? How can we maintain the authentic speed of do-it-yourself while at the same time making the work scalable? What is missing in this ecosystem—e.g. the role of mediators, facilitators, or catalysts—and what can be done to change this? How can large but also smaller companies and policy makers benefit from working with artists, and how can S+T+ARTS mediate better between its disciplines? We urgently hope that S+T+ARTS will continue to recognize projects that demonstrate a successful integration of science, technology, and art and even evolve into a platform for further discourse, support, and networking, which is of great importance in times when technological developments go hand in hand with social and economic innovation.
S+T+ARTS Prize ’24
Grand Prize Innovative Collaboration
Awarded for innovative collaboration between industry or technology and the arts (and the cultural and creative sectors in general) that opens new pathways for innovation.
Arts at CERN
Arts at CERN is a pioneering cultural initiative, reflecting CERN’s exceptional openness and experimental spirit. Established in 2011, the program started as a comprehensive arts residency scheme with significant international influence under the vision of former Director-General Rolf Dieter Heuer and cultural specialist and curator Ariane Koek. After this founding period, the program was fully endorsed as the arts program of the Laboratory by current Director-General Fabiola Gianotti and led by head and curator of Arts at CERN Mónica Bello. The program started with the Collide residencies, as a two-month residency with two annual calls and is active now with three strands of programs: residencies, as Collide and Connect, art commissions, and exhibitions and events. Furthermore, the activities of Arts at CERN comprise a full range of collaborations with cultural institutions, and scientific organisations worldwide.
What makes Arts at CERN exceptional is the unique space. Located just outside Geneva, CERN is home to the world’s largest particle physics laboratory and the Large Hadron Collider, a 27-km machine that recreates conditions from the universe’s inception 13.7 billion years ago. With approximately 17,000 scientists, technologists, and engineers from 680 institutions in 120 countries, CERN is a hub of imagination and inspiration. Arts at CERN has inspired numerous exhibitions, performances, and events, showcasing the mutual benefits of collaboration between artists and scientists. Artists gain new perspectives on their work, while scientists explore different approaches to their research, considering the broader implications for humanity, society, and nature. The Collide Residency program has partnered with cities like Linz, Liverpool, Barcelona, and Copenhagen to support artistic research and exploration. This collaboration between CERN and major cultural institutions has established a model for integrating arts, science, and technology. Arts at CERN has set a global benchmark for arts-science initiatives, influencing programs all around the world, in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia and Africa. It has inspired major initiatives such as the European Commission’s STARTS program and the Joint Research Centre’s sci-art program. In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, including advancements in AI, quantum computing, and chip technology, the integration of arts, science, and technology is crucial. Arts at CERN exemplifies how leveraging key scientific and technological infrastructures, multidisciplinary talent, and capacity in Europe can drive innovation and foster a collaborative innovation that truly serve the public interest.
S+T+ARTS Prize ’24
Grand Prize Artistic Exploration
Awarded for artistic exploration and art works where appropriation by the arts has a strong potential to influence or alter the use, deployment, or perception of technology.
Calculating Empires: A Genealogy of Power and Technology, 1500-2025
Kate Crawford, Vladan Joler
How can we understand the entanglement between technology and power today? The technological systems, from AI chatbots to international border controls, are increasingly automated and opaque. If the world is to address the current challenges of the climate crisis, hallucinating AI systems, and war, we need to understand how these processes are interwoven.
Calculating Empires charts the technological present by depicting how power and technology have been intertwined since 1500. It is a codex of technology and power that shows how echoes of empires past resonate in today’s technology companies. With thousands of individual drawings and texts, Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler visualize these major shifts in an intricate visual manifesto about the way empires have used technology to centralize and consolidate their power. The vast diagrammatic diptych draws audiences into a dark passage to study on one wall the histories of communication and computation, while the opposite wall addresses systems of classification and control. Read together, these maps illuminate technical and social structures that co-evolved over centuries. By seeing how past powers have calculated, we can begin to calculate the costs of contemporary empires. Calculating Empires thus gives audiences a detailed visual narrative about the relationship between humans, ecologies, and technologies. It traces the ways that technology and power have been entwined over five centuries, through industrialization, imperialism, and automation. It shows how practices of colonialism, militarization, and enclosure operate today and how they might be unwound. It establishes itself as a necessary corrective to the current short-termism in technology criticism and art, which is frequently focused on the most recent spectacles and devices, at the expense of deeper historical and political shifts. Calculating Empires challenges us to redefine our relationship with current socio-technical structures. By asking how we got where we are today, we can (re-)consider where we might be going.
S+T+ARTS Prize ’24
Honorary Mentions
The Echinoidea Future—Adriatic Sensing
Robertina Šebjanič
While the majority of Europeans have no direct experience with the oceans and seas, ocean life knows far more about us than we do about it. According to scientific studies, there is an understanding that humans are having an extremely negative impact on the oceans, from direct sound and chemical pollution to indirect influence through climate change. While some of these insights stem from the use of organisms such as sea urchins as pollution indicators, they primarily manifest as scientific data too abstract for the general public. The Echinoidea Future—Adriatic Sensing project was developed even further in the STARTS4Water collaboration between the artist, ecologists, cultural organizations, and sea urchins—not as bioindicators but as actual commentators. Such collaboration overcame anthropocentric and domain-based research practices and brings the agency of an organism that inhabits a human-impacted environment directly to the public. Artwork, therefore, provides not only a medium for sea urchins to tell their story, but is an actual catalyst for our environmental empathy, which is an essential element of future environmental literacy.
How (not) to get hit by a self-driving car
Tomo Kihara, Daniel Coppen
The ever-accelerating development of AI and the expansion of its services are making our lives more convenient. However, they also make the use of data and technology in our society and culture invisible to us. How (not) to get hit by a selfdriving car makes the vision system in cars visible, and even reveals the way the vision system’s data is trained and generated. Designed as a game, it is accessible to small children and wheelchair users, and reveals how this AI model is not always able to differentiate between its players. It also offers a wide range of users the opportunity to teach the AI model as well. The exhibition of this project at various venues will offer opportunities for new collaborations between ‘citizens to improve their literacy where AI has become ubiquitous’ and ‘AI models to learn diversity in the world.’ And, in turn, this could be a catalyst that inspires citizens to propose and establish the rules of digital rights in AI for the future.
Korallysis
Gilberto Esparza
For millions of years coral reefs have adapted to and survived in their environments due to their autonomous systems, and they serve as important ecosystems for surrounding organisms. Humans, on the other hand, are known for putting these systems in danger. So what approach is needed for us to jump into the umwelt of coral reefs? Korallysis is a hybrid organism and technological device which, through electrolysis of the minerals in seawater, creates calcium carbonate that helps the growth of coral. This device is equipped with motion elements that generate electricity from the ocean’s currents and waves. Furthermore, Korallysis proposed an interdisciplinary space for oceanographers, biologists, material engineers, and biotechnologists, where they may create opportunities for local community-building and cultural events including artists, and citizen dialogues and engagement in the arts. This project itself serves as the infrastructure that encourages coexistence and mutually supportive relationships among coral reefs. Korallysis, as a hybrid organism, can be considered a new inhabitant of the coral umwelt that also invites humans to participate in their ecosystem.
Mapping Uncertain Landscape: The Satellite
Sofia Isupova
It matters what is mapped, how it is mapped, and why. While the majority of satellite and environmental data is today used for remote land use and governance, here the artist explores the opposite— placing herself into the unaccusable land devastated by war. Mapping Uncertain Landscape: The Satellite is critical cartographic work, directing its gaze to the land change caused by war, documenting changes in forests, fields, cities, and infrastructures in a way they matter to the artist as an affected individual. Such critical cartographic practice helps individuals as well as whole displaced communities to deal with ongoing trauma, while also remembering and healing their relation to the land. Satellite technologies here become an infrastructure of care, and not of power, demonstrating the societal relevance of earth observation science and technologies.
Maria CHOIR
Maria Arnal Dimas
Music has historically been an integral part of our societies, shaping one another in the most creative ways. As we are today confronted with one of the most ambiguous technologies, AI, music provides an opportunity to culturalize its influence on society. Maria CHOIR musical installation is an example of a human-AI built as a shared experience of 11,000 participants contributing their voice to one of the largest choirs performing at a single event. Such a process demonstrated an AI model-learning process as a public event, providing insight into otherwise mystifying processes, with researchers often claiming that even they don’t understand how AI learns and functions. Carrying out research and the development of new technologies in public enhances the societal relevance of these technologies. And though this project sets a new standard for innovative collaborations, it also spotlights the resources required, such as a supercomputing center, a creative coding collective, and a cultural platform.
METABOLICA
Thomas Feuerstein
With METABOLICA, the Austrian artist Thomas Feuerstein tells a story about life cycles that truly involve transdisciplinary processes in nature, economy, politics, art, and science. The core theme and artistic research is about metabolic processes, made from cultivated algae using bacteria and a 3D printer. Feuerstein, who describes himself as a theorizing media artist, generally uses the method of “conceptual narration” in his works, which combines art, architecture, philosophy, and literature with economics, politics, and technology. In five chapters, these complex installation settings tell a story of change from the industrial revolution to the present and future, from whaling and petromodernity to current and future scenarios of biochemistry and wastewater research. The metabolism of microorganisms is a central theme, as not only is a new material for sculptures produced and partially degraded, but new forms and aesthetics are created.
P2P
Eva & Franco Mattes
P2P redefines art by creating an artist-run server distributing artworks via Torrents through a peerto-peer network. Housed in a sculpture resembling a data center, it highlights the physicality of the internet, often obscured by metaphors like “the cloud.” This democratizes access to data and art by using the museum’s infrastructure to seed and download artworks, turning the exhibition space into a functional peer-to-peer network. Despite its minimalistic presence, the installation facilitates widespread access to art in the digital and AI-driven era. Inspired by the book Server Manifesto, edited by architecture critic Niklas Maak, and ideas from architect Rem Koolhaas and digital pioneer Francesca Bria, data centers are understood as democratic architectures and data as digital commons. It challenges the hidden nature of digital infrastructures, emphasizing their environmental impact and energy consumption. P2P invites people to join the network and experience a virtual exhibition featuring works from artists and collectives like Olia Lialina, Jon Rafman, and Do Not Research, exploring different models of online networking—artist-run, distributed, DIY. P2P highlights the potential of art to reflect on the need to democratize technology, experimenting with community owned infrastructures for artistic expression and collaborative digital production. P2P is a case study in alternative models of networking and in rethinking the current centralized and extractive internet.
SELF-CARE
Lyndsey Walsh
As genetic testing and diagnosis is made readily available, what can we do to overcome the gaze and surveillance of medicine, and care for the fears and bonds that families experience in the face of bodily trauma? SELF-CARE is based on the artist’s personal experiences and physical exploration after learning of their mother’s breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent diagnosis of the hereditary BRCA1 gene. The wearable chest binder is specifically designed to house living BRCA1 cancer cell lines and allows the wearer to care and treat it before it turns malignant in the body. Consisting of this original device, developed with the aid of experimental biophysics, and conversations with the artist’s family, the work reexamines the politics surrounding the identity of the so-called “female body” under advanced medical surveillance. It could be said that SELF-CARE allows us to liberate our bodies from social, sexual, and reproductive expectations and, instead, encourages us to take care of our bodies.
The Waterworks of Money
Carlijn Kingma
Although money plays a key role in everyone’s lives, the inner workings of the monetary and financial system are a mystery to most. The Waterworks of Money visualizes the flow of money through society through metaphors, maps, and animations, and explores options for improving the money system in the digital age. Today, Europe is facing the challenge of inequality. Many Europeans are dealing with a cost of living crisis while financial instability remains an ongoing threat. At the same time, the European economy needs to become more sustainable and resilient. Meanwhile, the digitalization of our economy has created new opportunities to redesign the current money system. These challenges can, however, not be seen in isolation from the architecture of the monetary system. Designing this system—and the laws and institutions that govern it—is ultimately a democratic task. In practice, however, there is a major obstacle impeding the democratic process: financial illiteracy. By making the world of money understandable, The Waterworks of Money assists citizens in developing their own vocabulary to participate in the debate about the future of money.
VRJ Palestine
Nisreen Zahda
The VRJ Palestine (Virtual Reality Journey to preNakba Palestine) project, initiated by Nisreen Zahda in 2020, represents a groundbreaking endeavor in the virtual reconstruction of Palestinian villages destroyed during the Nakba in 1948. This project employs advanced 3D modeling and real-time rendering software to recreate the spatial structures and memories of these villages, offering an engaging and immersive experience for the public. Among the notable works of VRJ Palestine are the “Nakba Timeline Map,” a digital map that documents the systematic depopulation, ethnic cleansing, and destruction of cities and villages during the Nakba, and “A Virtual Return Journey to Destroyed Villages of Tantura, Hittin, and Zir’in.” Through detailed photographic and archival research, these reconstructions bring new life to erased places. The fishing village of Zir’in and the historic village of Hittin, where Saladin famously defeated the Crusaders in 1187, are vividly recreated, preserving their rich histories. Additionally, VRJ Palestine pays homage to the victims of the Tantura massacre, a tragic event that the Israeli state continues to deny despite compelling evidence presented in the documentary Tantura by Israeli director Alon Schwartz. VRJ Palestine is a vital and innovative tool for documenting and presenting the Palestinian narrative. By virtually reconstructing over 400 destroyed or depopulated villages from the 1948 war, the project ensures that the memories and histories of these places are preserved and accessible. It allows people to engage with and become part of these reconstructed spaces, fostering a deeper understanding and connection to Palestinian heritage. The VRJ Palestine project presents a visionary approach and dedication to preserving Palestinian history through the powerful medium of virtual reality. Its contributions are invaluable in the ongoing effort to document and share the rich cultural heritage of Palestine with the world.
S+T+ARTS Prize ’24
Nominations
AUTOPOIESIS
ATELIER-E (DE)
Bibliokepos
Nomad Garden (ES)
Botto Botto
Project (The internet)
Clay PCB Eco-Feminist Decolonial Hardware
Patrícia J. Reis (PT/AT), Stefanie Wuschitz (AT)
Destination Earth
Salomé Bazin (FR)
FORMATA
PЯОТO-ALIEИ PЯOJECT (JP)
Godmode Epochs
dmstfctn (UK)
GR-AI-N
Marielena Papandreou (GR)
Low Carbon Chinatown
Ling Tan (SG/UK)
Narrative Futures: Panchatantra Fables meet Personal Primer
Daniel Devatman Hromada (SK), DigiEduBerlin (M)
Nishikigoi NFT
Toshi (JP)
Prometheus Firebringer
Annie Dorsen (US)
Revolution Refridge
Rojava Center for Democratic Technologies (SY) and Dani Ploeger (NL)
The Russian Airstrike on the Mariupol Drama Theater
The Center for Spatial Technologies (UA)
Sentient Clit: the Pussification of BioTech
Jiabao Li (CN), WhiteFeather Hunter (CA)
Soft Collision
Anna Schaeffner (FR)
Solar Protocol
Tega Brain, Alex Nathanson, and Benedetta Piantella (M)
The Urban Biotope
Vasily Sitnikov (RU)
Jury Statement S+T+ARTS Prize 2024
Infrastructures of Power and Care for Africa and the World— A Way Forward
Andrea Barschdorf-Hager, Mónica Bello, Oscar Ekponimo, Judith Okonkwo, Kathleen Siminyu
The STARTS Prize Africa is the first foray into other geographical regions for the STARTS initiative. In this first edition we welcomed 405 entries from 35 countries across the African continent. By its very nature the prize is intended to foster the knowledge sharing and collaboration between Europe and Africa—a previously undeveloped potential. The pre-selection session left the jury with 90 submissions to review and deliberate on. As you will see in the winning cohort, we explored a range of topical issues presented in artistic, provocative, and powerful forms. The diversity of this continent of 54 nations was striking, but through it all a number of themes emerged, in many ways mirroring recent global movements and popular sentiment. What does it mean to be African? To remain separated from the artefacts of your ancestors and the blessings they contain? To be aware of the history of physical exploitation? To be unbound by the present, reveling in what might have been our past, in our present, and in the future we want? To connect to both the natural and the built environment? To be repositories of knowledge handed down from one generation to the next?
As the jury for this first edition of the STARTS Prize Africa, awarded by the European Union, we are delighted to be able to highlight the exceptional works that have emerged from this collaboration. This Prize serves as a beacon, illuminating the path towards increased collaboration between European and African artists and scholars, and fostering dynamic forms of exchange across borders and disciplines.
The works presented in this competition exemplify exceptional artistic quality. They demonstrate innovative techniques, meticulous attention to detail, and boundless creative expression. Artists seamlessly weave elements of traditional craftsmanship with digital technology, engaging in interdisciplinary collaboration to produce visually stunning and conceptually rich works. From immersive installations to interactive experiences, these works demonstrate a mastery of technical skill. They utilize cutting-edge tools and technologies to engage audiences and provoke thought.
In addition, the themes of these works resonate deeply with the African context. They address issues such as the return of looted African art, social and environmental challenges, inequality, and cultural preservation. Each work serves as a catalyst for dialogue and collective action, urging viewers to confront pressing African and global issues with empathy and determination.
A striking aspect of these artworks is their speculative exploration of the future. They offer visionary glimpses into the potential trajectories of African societies. Artists envision vibrant futures marked by innovation, sustainability, and social justice through mediums ranging from sculpture to virtual reality. These speculative narratives inspire hope and aspiration. They empower communities to actively shape their destinies.
Urban planning and environmental stewardship emerge as central themes in this artistic discourse. They reflect the urgent need for sustainable development in Africa’s rapidly growing cities. Artists reimagine urban landscapes as dynamic ecosystems, integrating green spaces, renewable energy sources, and inclusive design principles to promote resilience and well-being.
In addition, these works confront the complex intersections of identity and representation, particularly as they relate to Black bodies in contemporary society. Artists challenge stereotypes and amplify marginalized voices, fostering a more inclusive and equitable cultural landscape through nuanced representation and critical inquiry.
Indigenous knowledge systems also feature prominently in this artistic dialogue, serving as reservoirs of wisdom and resilience in the face of modern challenges. While honoring ancestral wisdom and exploring innovative approaches to social transformation, artists draw on indigenous traditions and practices.
The issue of restitution looms large in this creative discourse. It calls attention to historical injustices and the need for reconciliation. Artists advocate for the return of looted artifacts and the restoration of cultural sovereignty, and address issues of ownership and heritage.
The STARTS Prize Africa celebrates creativity, collaboration, and resilience across continents and disciplines. These artworks not only push the boundaries of artistic expression, but also serve as catalysts for social change, inspiring collective action towards a more just and sustainable future for Africa and beyond.
As we welcome you to explore the being of Africa through myriad lenses that represent connections forged by geography, time, and kinship, we appreciate that the African discourse—whether it be revealed through story or invention, through sound or theorem, is one that we are all the more richer for engaging with.
S+T+ARTS Prize Africa
Grand Prize
Balot NFT
Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise—CATPC Collective ownership has always been part of the fabric of African cultures and traditionally there have been mechanisms to claim and maintain this ownership and to pass it on from one generation to the next. In some tribes, there may have been one clan from which the medicine men would hail, and even though their in-depth knowledge of indigenous herbs and medicines would only be passed down within the clan, the use of this knowledge would be in the service of the entire community. The Balot NFT project is a model for collective ownership—especially that of indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage—in the digital world.
As the prevalence of digital platforms in gaining access to services such as education and healthcare grows, it becomes increasingly urgent that we are all represented on these platforms. Part of representation is ensuring that different languages and belief systems are included and equally valued. While there are now increased efforts in building technology, and specifically artificial intelligence resources such as datasets that are representative of contexts that are typically on the margins, like Africa, these communities approach the digitization of their languages and cultures with great trepidation.
The question of ownership, and especially the ownership of cultural artifacts, is of great importance for the African continent. One big question for us is, “How can we both digitize our cultures as well as ensure that we can maintain ownership of these artifacts?” The project is also a new spin on restitution, one that is proactive. CATPC shows that while we should continue to demand that what is ours be returned to us, we can and perhaps should do more than just wait. They have taken back what is theirs by minting the digital art version, and owning it. Yet this ownership is not the end game, neither is simply amassing monetary wealth. The cost of each individual NFT is priced equivalent to a hectare of land that will be reclaimed with the intention of restoring sacred forests that belonged to the Pende people.
Finally, the fact that the CATPC collective is based on the African continent, in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be specific, is something that was important for us to highlight and celebrate. The DRC is probably the richest part of the African continent as well as the most exploited and ravaged. This is definitely not “yet another NFT project.”
S+T+ARTS Prize Africa
Awards of Distinction
Black Body Radiation: Rescripting Data Bodies
Ama BE, Ameera Kawash
The Black Body Radiation project has two powerful lessons from the experiences of Africa, but which also have global relevance, as we grapple with technological advancements. These two lessons are on consent and memory.
On consent.
We see that using the devices placed on the artist’s body, some biometric data is being collected. The artist has given explicit consent for this data to be collected as she labors. She is unambiguously consensual.
On memory.
As the data is collected from the artist’s body, we see that an immutable record is created of every single metric of data. These are stored on a blockchain, in the cloud. So a precise account of how much effort the body has exerted exists.
The work tackles the reality of non-consent where our interaction with technology is concerned. Through wearable devices and as we navigate our smartphones, data pertaining to our movement and activity is recorded. We do not view this as work because we are simply going about our daily lives, but we are in fact engaged in extremely valuable work, that of creating data. A lot of this is non-consenting, sometimes completely veiled so that you may not be aware that you are doing it. Of course it may be ambiguously consensual, in that we are prompted to agree to various terms and conditions, but these are intentionally dense to veil the true intentions in the collection and use of data.
This work is unvalued despite the fact that it goes on to create great value for those who aggregate the plethora of our invisible efforts. As the value is realized, the input of the many is downplayed. There is no remembrance or acknowledgement.
Black bodies have been used, misused, abused. They have always been the least valued. As our world evolves, so do the ways in which bodies can be used, misused, and abused.
Dzata: The Institute of Technological Consciousness
Russel Hlongwane, Francois Knoetze and Amy Louise Wilson—Lo-Def Film Factory
Technological innovation practices long existed prior to colonization in Africa. Dzata effectively counters the view of Africa as a mere consumer of technology in an immersive and fun way. Ancient Africans were skilled in metalworking, particularly in the production of iron. For example, iron smelting was practiced in Nok culture in Nigeria as early as 1500 BCE. The Bantu people spread ironworking techniques across much of sub-Saharan Africa, leading to significant advancements in agriculture, warfare, and trade.
Dzata uses film for storytelling to reimagine Africa’s technological past through the lens of a theoretical “fictional Institute of Technological Consciousness” that investigates the idea of invention and innovation as a component of a continuous, interconnected process of accumulated knowledge. The visually striking imagery, which is driven by an innovative application of generative AI, boldly asserts that African technological innovation has advanced over time.
It also showcases the diversity and sophistication of ancient African technologies, which were instrumental in forming the history and cultural legacy of the continent.
I.AM.ISIGO Digital Mystery System
Bubu Ogisi
The I.AM.ISIGO Digital Mystery System is an innovative project designed to bridge the physical-digital divide and safeguard the ancient and endangered weaving techniques of Africa. This comprehensive digital tool, grounded in I.AM.ISIGO’s extensive research within remote African artisanal communities, aims to map and preserve these significant cultural practices for future generations. By creating a digital archive, the project aims to preserve intricate knowledge systems as well as to provide an interactive platform for audiences to learn and explore traditional weaving patterns.
The significance of this project lies in its ability to bring ancient weaving practices into the present, seamlessly connecting these archives to the digital network. It serves as a bridge between science, spirituality, and creative practice, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of African weaving techniques. The project spans both urban and rural scopes, documenting material cultures in a decolonized manner across West African cities such as Dakar, Abidjan, Lagos, Accra, Lomé, and Cotonou, as well as secondary sites of fiber growing, production, and consumption. Through meticulous documentation of previously inaccessible weaving practices, the I.AM.ISIGO Digital Mystery System provides a critical understanding of how these materials are processed and used. This digital archive ensures that the knowledge of these techniques is preserved and is made accessible globally. By doing so, it challenges conventional concepts of “finished” goods and gives a voice to the traditional fabrics of Africa. This project is groundbreaking in its scope and methodology, as it aims to make weaving more approachable and bring this rich cultural knowledge to the forefront of the global stage. By unearthing ancient systems of governance and researching the entire supply chain, the The I.AM. ISIGO Digital Mystery System offers a holistic view of these material knowledge systems. By documenting and digitizing these ancient weaving techniques, the I.AM.ISIGO Digital Mystery System serves as a beacon of cultural preservation and innovation. It embodies a unique blend of technology and tradition, ensuring that the rich tapestry of African weaving practices continues to flourish.
Sand Gardens
Mohamed Sleiman Labat
The Sahrawi people, once nomadic, now reside in refugee camps in southern Algeria, having been driven from their homeland due to colonial exploitation of phosphate resources in Western Sahara. Despite their displacement, the Sahrawi community has demonstrated remarkable resilience and innovation, as depicted in the film DESERT PHOSfate, which highlights their efforts to cultivate family gardens in the harsh conditions of the Hamada Desert.
These refugee camps, previously devoid of agricultural activity, now feature thriving gardens nurtured by the Sahrawi people, who possess no traditional farming background. Instead, they have developed localized, adaptive farming techniques to overcome the desert’s formidable challenges. Agricultural engineers and local farmers collaborate, sharing knowledge and devising innovative solutions to grow food without relying on processed phosphorus. They enrich the sandy soil using locally sourced nutrients and fertilizers made from animal manure and food leftovers. The transformation of these gardens is not merely about agriculture; it is a profound narrative of community resilience. These small patches of greenery symbolize hope and self-sufficiency, providing fresh produce and a semblance of normalcy in an otherwise harsh environment. Sand Gardens tells us about the essence of the life in the desert and the process of the Sahrawi people to adapt their way of life within the desert camp conditions, emphasizing their significance as strong expressions of community resilience.
Awarding this community project recognizes the Sahrawi people’s determination and resilience. It sheds light on their adaptive strategies and the innovative spirit that enables them to cultivate life in one of the most inhospitable places on earth. The project serves as a powerful reminder of the human capacity to persevere and innovate, even in the face of extreme adversity. By showcasing their story, the film DESERT PHOSfate both honors the Sahrawi people’s resistance and inspires others to find creative solutions in the face of the current planetary challenges.
The Metadata Memoir
Minne Atairu
Restitution as a concept requires that the process of returning stolen items to African governments and organizations be conducted in an open and transparent manner. Governments, museums, and other cultural institutions work together in the current movement to repatriate looted artifacts. The Metadata Memoir sheds light on the importance of community ownership and public trust for both the restitution procedure and the returned objects.
A decentralized archive of artifact repatriation metadata is established through the astute application of blockchain technology, which inevitably promotes accountability and shared communal ownership of the restitution process. This enables any inquisitive mind to follow the path and return of artifacts using the corresponding meta-data it produces.
In addition, the looting of artifacts are often times discussed in the realm of an occurrence in a distant past. However, contrary to popular belief, the unethical pillage of cultural property happened in an era of organized society, with comprehensive documentation of auctions and profiteering off these cultural artifacts. This is highlighted through the project’s ability to place both present and historic eras in real time, bringing the past into the future and thereby making it tangible while transporting the present into the essence and palpability of colonial times.
Infrastructures of Power and Care for Africa and the World— A Way Forward
Andrea Barschdorf-Hager, Mónica Bello, Oscar Ekponimo, Judith Okonkwo, Kathleen Siminyu
The STARTS Prize Africa is the first foray into other geographical regions for the STARTS initiative. In this first edition we welcomed 405 entries from 35 countries across the African continent. By its very nature the prize is intended to foster the knowledge sharing and collaboration between Europe and Africa—a previously undeveloped potential. The pre-selection session left the jury with 90 submissions to review and deliberate on. As you will see in the winning cohort, we explored a range of topical issues presented in artistic, provocative, and powerful forms. The diversity of this continent of 54 nations was striking, but through it all a number of themes emerged, in many ways mirroring recent global movements and popular sentiment. What does it mean to be African? To remain separated from the artefacts of your ancestors and the blessings they contain? To be aware of the history of physical exploitation? To be unbound by the present, reveling in what might have been our past, in our present, and in the future we want? To connect to both the natural and the built environment? To be repositories of knowledge handed down from one generation to the next?
As the jury for this first edition of the STARTS Prize Africa, awarded by the European Union, we are delighted to be able to highlight the exceptional works that have emerged from this collaboration. This Prize serves as a beacon, illuminating the path towards increased collaboration between European and African artists and scholars, and fostering dynamic forms of exchange across borders and disciplines.
The works presented in this competition exemplify exceptional artistic quality. They demonstrate innovative techniques, meticulous attention to detail, and boundless creative expression. Artists seamlessly weave elements of traditional craftsmanship with digital technology, engaging in interdisciplinary collaboration to produce visually stunning and conceptually rich works. From immersive installations to interactive experiences, these works demonstrate a mastery of technical skill. They utilize cutting-edge tools and technologies to engage audiences and provoke thought.
In addition, the themes of these works resonate deeply with the African context. They address issues such as the return of looted African art, social and environmental challenges, inequality, and cultural preservation. Each work serves as a catalyst for dialogue and collective action, urging viewers to confront pressing African and global issues with empathy and determination.
A striking aspect of these artworks is their speculative exploration of the future. They offer visionary glimpses into the potential trajectories of African societies. Artists envision vibrant futures marked by innovation, sustainability, and social justice through mediums ranging from sculpture to virtual reality. These speculative narratives inspire hope and aspiration. They empower communities to actively shape their destinies.
Urban planning and environmental stewardship emerge as central themes in this artistic discourse. They reflect the urgent need for sustainable development in Africa’s rapidly growing cities. Artists reimagine urban landscapes as dynamic ecosystems, integrating green spaces, renewable energy sources, and inclusive design principles to promote resilience and well-being.
In addition, these works confront the complex intersections of identity and representation, particularly as they relate to Black bodies in contemporary society. Artists challenge stereotypes and amplify marginalized voices, fostering a more inclusive and equitable cultural landscape through nuanced representation and critical inquiry.
Indigenous knowledge systems also feature prominently in this artistic dialogue, serving as reservoirs of wisdom and resilience in the face of modern challenges. While honoring ancestral wisdom and exploring innovative approaches to social transformation, artists draw on indigenous traditions and practices.
The issue of restitution looms large in this creative discourse. It calls attention to historical injustices and the need for reconciliation. Artists advocate for the return of looted artifacts and the restoration of cultural sovereignty, and address issues of ownership and heritage.
The STARTS Prize Africa celebrates creativity, collaboration, and resilience across continents and disciplines. These artworks not only push the boundaries of artistic expression, but also serve as catalysts for social change, inspiring collective action towards a more just and sustainable future for Africa and beyond.
As we welcome you to explore the being of Africa through myriad lenses that represent connections forged by geography, time, and kinship, we appreciate that the African discourse—whether it be revealed through story or invention, through sound or theorem, is one that we are all the more richer for engaging with.
S+T+ARTS Prize Africa
Grand Prize
Balot NFT
Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise—CATPC Collective ownership has always been part of the fabric of African cultures and traditionally there have been mechanisms to claim and maintain this ownership and to pass it on from one generation to the next. In some tribes, there may have been one clan from which the medicine men would hail, and even though their in-depth knowledge of indigenous herbs and medicines would only be passed down within the clan, the use of this knowledge would be in the service of the entire community. The Balot NFT project is a model for collective ownership—especially that of indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage—in the digital world.
As the prevalence of digital platforms in gaining access to services such as education and healthcare grows, it becomes increasingly urgent that we are all represented on these platforms. Part of representation is ensuring that different languages and belief systems are included and equally valued. While there are now increased efforts in building technology, and specifically artificial intelligence resources such as datasets that are representative of contexts that are typically on the margins, like Africa, these communities approach the digitization of their languages and cultures with great trepidation.
The question of ownership, and especially the ownership of cultural artifacts, is of great importance for the African continent. One big question for us is, “How can we both digitize our cultures as well as ensure that we can maintain ownership of these artifacts?” The project is also a new spin on restitution, one that is proactive. CATPC shows that while we should continue to demand that what is ours be returned to us, we can and perhaps should do more than just wait. They have taken back what is theirs by minting the digital art version, and owning it. Yet this ownership is not the end game, neither is simply amassing monetary wealth. The cost of each individual NFT is priced equivalent to a hectare of land that will be reclaimed with the intention of restoring sacred forests that belonged to the Pende people.
Finally, the fact that the CATPC collective is based on the African continent, in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be specific, is something that was important for us to highlight and celebrate. The DRC is probably the richest part of the African continent as well as the most exploited and ravaged. This is definitely not “yet another NFT project.”
S+T+ARTS Prize Africa
Awards of Distinction
Black Body Radiation: Rescripting Data Bodies
Ama BE, Ameera Kawash
The Black Body Radiation project has two powerful lessons from the experiences of Africa, but which also have global relevance, as we grapple with technological advancements. These two lessons are on consent and memory.
On consent.
We see that using the devices placed on the artist’s body, some biometric data is being collected. The artist has given explicit consent for this data to be collected as she labors. She is unambiguously consensual.
On memory.
As the data is collected from the artist’s body, we see that an immutable record is created of every single metric of data. These are stored on a blockchain, in the cloud. So a precise account of how much effort the body has exerted exists.
The work tackles the reality of non-consent where our interaction with technology is concerned. Through wearable devices and as we navigate our smartphones, data pertaining to our movement and activity is recorded. We do not view this as work because we are simply going about our daily lives, but we are in fact engaged in extremely valuable work, that of creating data. A lot of this is non-consenting, sometimes completely veiled so that you may not be aware that you are doing it. Of course it may be ambiguously consensual, in that we are prompted to agree to various terms and conditions, but these are intentionally dense to veil the true intentions in the collection and use of data.
This work is unvalued despite the fact that it goes on to create great value for those who aggregate the plethora of our invisible efforts. As the value is realized, the input of the many is downplayed. There is no remembrance or acknowledgement.
Black bodies have been used, misused, abused. They have always been the least valued. As our world evolves, so do the ways in which bodies can be used, misused, and abused.
Dzata: The Institute of Technological Consciousness
Russel Hlongwane, Francois Knoetze and Amy Louise Wilson—Lo-Def Film Factory
Technological innovation practices long existed prior to colonization in Africa. Dzata effectively counters the view of Africa as a mere consumer of technology in an immersive and fun way. Ancient Africans were skilled in metalworking, particularly in the production of iron. For example, iron smelting was practiced in Nok culture in Nigeria as early as 1500 BCE. The Bantu people spread ironworking techniques across much of sub-Saharan Africa, leading to significant advancements in agriculture, warfare, and trade.
Dzata uses film for storytelling to reimagine Africa’s technological past through the lens of a theoretical “fictional Institute of Technological Consciousness” that investigates the idea of invention and innovation as a component of a continuous, interconnected process of accumulated knowledge. The visually striking imagery, which is driven by an innovative application of generative AI, boldly asserts that African technological innovation has advanced over time.
It also showcases the diversity and sophistication of ancient African technologies, which were instrumental in forming the history and cultural legacy of the continent.
I.AM.ISIGO Digital Mystery System
Bubu Ogisi
The I.AM.ISIGO Digital Mystery System is an innovative project designed to bridge the physical-digital divide and safeguard the ancient and endangered weaving techniques of Africa. This comprehensive digital tool, grounded in I.AM.ISIGO’s extensive research within remote African artisanal communities, aims to map and preserve these significant cultural practices for future generations. By creating a digital archive, the project aims to preserve intricate knowledge systems as well as to provide an interactive platform for audiences to learn and explore traditional weaving patterns.
The significance of this project lies in its ability to bring ancient weaving practices into the present, seamlessly connecting these archives to the digital network. It serves as a bridge between science, spirituality, and creative practice, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of African weaving techniques. The project spans both urban and rural scopes, documenting material cultures in a decolonized manner across West African cities such as Dakar, Abidjan, Lagos, Accra, Lomé, and Cotonou, as well as secondary sites of fiber growing, production, and consumption. Through meticulous documentation of previously inaccessible weaving practices, the I.AM.ISIGO Digital Mystery System provides a critical understanding of how these materials are processed and used. This digital archive ensures that the knowledge of these techniques is preserved and is made accessible globally. By doing so, it challenges conventional concepts of “finished” goods and gives a voice to the traditional fabrics of Africa. This project is groundbreaking in its scope and methodology, as it aims to make weaving more approachable and bring this rich cultural knowledge to the forefront of the global stage. By unearthing ancient systems of governance and researching the entire supply chain, the The I.AM. ISIGO Digital Mystery System offers a holistic view of these material knowledge systems. By documenting and digitizing these ancient weaving techniques, the I.AM.ISIGO Digital Mystery System serves as a beacon of cultural preservation and innovation. It embodies a unique blend of technology and tradition, ensuring that the rich tapestry of African weaving practices continues to flourish.
Sand Gardens
Mohamed Sleiman Labat
The Sahrawi people, once nomadic, now reside in refugee camps in southern Algeria, having been driven from their homeland due to colonial exploitation of phosphate resources in Western Sahara. Despite their displacement, the Sahrawi community has demonstrated remarkable resilience and innovation, as depicted in the film DESERT PHOSfate, which highlights their efforts to cultivate family gardens in the harsh conditions of the Hamada Desert.
These refugee camps, previously devoid of agricultural activity, now feature thriving gardens nurtured by the Sahrawi people, who possess no traditional farming background. Instead, they have developed localized, adaptive farming techniques to overcome the desert’s formidable challenges. Agricultural engineers and local farmers collaborate, sharing knowledge and devising innovative solutions to grow food without relying on processed phosphorus. They enrich the sandy soil using locally sourced nutrients and fertilizers made from animal manure and food leftovers. The transformation of these gardens is not merely about agriculture; it is a profound narrative of community resilience. These small patches of greenery symbolize hope and self-sufficiency, providing fresh produce and a semblance of normalcy in an otherwise harsh environment. Sand Gardens tells us about the essence of the life in the desert and the process of the Sahrawi people to adapt their way of life within the desert camp conditions, emphasizing their significance as strong expressions of community resilience.
Awarding this community project recognizes the Sahrawi people’s determination and resilience. It sheds light on their adaptive strategies and the innovative spirit that enables them to cultivate life in one of the most inhospitable places on earth. The project serves as a powerful reminder of the human capacity to persevere and innovate, even in the face of extreme adversity. By showcasing their story, the film DESERT PHOSfate both honors the Sahrawi people’s resistance and inspires others to find creative solutions in the face of the current planetary challenges.
The Metadata Memoir
Minne Atairu
Restitution as a concept requires that the process of returning stolen items to African governments and organizations be conducted in an open and transparent manner. Governments, museums, and other cultural institutions work together in the current movement to repatriate looted artifacts. The Metadata Memoir sheds light on the importance of community ownership and public trust for both the restitution procedure and the returned objects.
A decentralized archive of artifact repatriation metadata is established through the astute application of blockchain technology, which inevitably promotes accountability and shared communal ownership of the restitution process. This enables any inquisitive mind to follow the path and return of artifacts using the corresponding meta-data it produces.
In addition, the looting of artifacts are often times discussed in the realm of an occurrence in a distant past. However, contrary to popular belief, the unethical pillage of cultural property happened in an era of organized society, with comprehensive documentation of auctions and profiteering off these cultural artifacts. This is highlighted through the project’s ability to place both present and historic eras in real time, bringing the past into the future and thereby making it tangible while transporting the present into the essence and palpability of colonial times.
Interactive Art+
Weaving New Narratives
Clemens Apprich, Salome Asega, Shiho Fukuhara, José-Carlos Mariátegui, Olga Tykhonova
What are the criteria of an artwork that invites the spectator to become part of it? Is the role of the spectator limited to the human actor? Or does the role extend to non-human entities? Are cultural and computational narratives capable of weaving an intergenerational web of meaning? These questions reflect the idea of a technodiverse future, which recognizes the varying ways in which technology is embraced and expressed across a range of cultures and communities.
As members of the jury, we discussed the importance of including artists drawing from alternative or subaltern knowledge systems, as well as projects engaging with localized cultures and histories with the aim of making connections to platforms that can provide wider visibility. These platforms, such as gaming and web browsers, are bringing about structural, economic, and societal changes around the world and can be reimagined as ‘ecosystems’ for propelling a broader, more plural and diverse dialogue. Such ecosystems can further awaken us to alternative or omitted histories, such as the experiences of Black communities under modern forms of colonialism or the deep connection between craft and computation as demonstrated in Indigenous design techniques, and how these histories permeate both physical and digital realities. It is necessary to seek a relational symbiosis between yet-to-be told histories and more ‘established’ ones in order to construct a more complete planetary knowledge.
The winner of this year’s Golden Nica in the Interactive Art+ category emphasizes the contemporary use of visual-tactile-haptic technologies of knowledge production through textiles. As a tradition present in many cultures around the world, textiles entail a memory function that has successfully challenged and withstood hegemonic systems of notation, such as writing. As a technique that preserves and transmits culture, weaving makes it possible to intertwine messages between generations and, in the form of the weaving loom, is a central building block of modern computer technologies.
The jury also reconsidered prosthetic technologies, which have long been present in media arts practice. This year, we saw the way disability and access culture positions prosthetic technologies as mechanisms for enhancing self-expression and building self-confidence, which in turn liberates people from the canons imposed by society. This liberation from societal expectations is consistent with the idea that approaches to assistive technologies should be more flexible and adaptable to individual needs and backgrounds, recognizing that a one-size-fitsall solution may not be appropriate for everyone. Just as aesthetic prosthetics enable individuals to overcome more than physical limitations, a more personalized approach could provide a framework for tailored support and access.
Similarly, gaming platforms, using world-building and storytelling techniques, can also be seen as a means of expression to overcome stalled narratives. The increasing accessibility of game creation tools, beyond the exclusive domain of large studios, further democratizes this form of expression. This resonates with the idea that support systems should be responsive to diverse forms of expression and encourage creativity, rather than adhere to rigid definitions and standards. Just as games allow players to shape their own experiences, approaches should be adaptable enough to accommodate the unique circumstances and aspirations of each individual, recognizing the diversity of storytelling.
During the review of projects, there were several projects using AI in different ways. However, it is fundamental to clarify that what is commonly referred to as AI today is a collection of techniques and technologies aimed at finding statistical correlations by extracting patterns from large data sets which are then applied into systems of meaning and classification. In this sense, AI has no autonomous agency and in many cases serves primarily the interests of the companies behind it, prioritizing profit and efficiency mandates. AI systems are thus sometimes considered as ‘universal’, but in reality they have a very narrow and limited way of understanding the world. It is important to consider that if we want to question AI, we need to understand what the data objects, the technology, and, more importantly, the cultural and cognitive functions behind it, are. Interaction cannot be expressed solely through the application of already existing systems. Instead, a truly interactive engagement with AI requires us to critique its centralized and inherent biases, to actively seek alternative ways of knowing and decision-making, and to create the conditions for new associations to reveal themselves. The task, therefore, is to challenge and destabilize the narratives that underpin the current proliferation of data-driven algorithmic systems by highlighting their techno-solutionism and to use AI to expand and make visible alternative knowledge systems and perspectives.
Golden Nica
Nosukaay
Diane Cescutti
The loom could be envisioned as a programmable machine that encodes knowledge into fabric, serving as a means of preserving and transmitting culture; while the computer processes data, the loom preserves stories and traditions. ‘Nosukaay’ means computer in Wolof, a language spoken by people in much of West Africa; the installation Nosukaay merges textile hapticity with the digital space to produce a hybrid that expands the notion of interactivity. It is based on a modified Manjacque loom, in which the loom‘s frames are replaced by two screens that introduce a video game in which the users interact with the “wisdom of the system” through a deity. Its tactile interface is made of Manjak loincloth, woven by the artist Edimar Rosa in Dakar. If the player makes a choice that does not respect the machine deity and hence the importance of the knowledge transmitted, the user gets ejected from the game and sent back to the beginning. Nosukaay as a textilecomputer hybrid allows us to rethink the concept of the “computer” through a rich tapestry of shared understanding that interweaves craft with computational practices.
Awards of Distinction
If You Have Starry Skies in Your Eyes
Rib
If You Have Starry Skies in Your Eyes powerfully illuminates the marginalized experiences of individuals who have lost a body part, a topic often shrouded in silence. Artist Rib, who lost her right eye due to childhood domestic violence, found her passion for creating exquisite prosthetic eyes through facing discrimination due to her appearance. Her experience sheds light on the societal stigma surrounding the ocular prosthetics industry in Japan, where conformity is prioritized over individual expression. This is compounded by limited insurance coverage for those with vision loss in one eye. Undeterred, Rib’s self-taught expertise led her to craft unique and captivating artificial eyes, exemplifying the power of self-advocacy and resilience. The work explores the profound connection between physical loss, self-discovery, and creative transformation. By embracing her artificial eye, Rib challenges conventional notions of beauty and physical variation. This is a call for a more inclusive society where individuals feel empowered to express their authentic selves, sparking meaningful dialogue, inspiring positive change within the prosthetic eye industry and fostering greater acceptance in society at large.
Third World: The Bottom Dimension
Gabriel Massan
In Third World: The Bottom Dimension, artist Gabriel Massan offers a new pedagogy, a guidebook for resistance. Through a single-player PC game where the player navigates a lush world by way of an insectile protagonist, we are invited to engage in history as we know it and contend with its gaps. Massan is clear in his desire to reveal instead of replicate how systems of power erase and marginalize complicated historical truths. The goal here is not to conquer or extract, but to question colonial notions of expedition and to resist the embedded power structures. Drawing from cultural writer and historian Saidiya Hartman’s use of “critical fabulation”, Massan is keenly aware of the limits of institutional archives and invites you to challenge the record through their use of speculative storytelling techniques, which Massan calls “fictional archaeology”. To repair history’s failure, Massan and their invited collaborators—Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro, Novíssimo Edgar, LYZZA—build a landscape of expressive sound and color that make room for the fullness that is the Black Brazilian experience.
Honorary Mentions
AI Fortuneteller Soonho Kwon, Dong Whi Yoo, Younah Kang
In AI Fortune-Teller interactees engaged with an AI career counselor, unaware that in fact a mudang (Korean shaman) crafted its responses. The video documents reactions, highlighting shifts in perception post-revelation. The project stems from realizing parallels between reliance on AI-based decision systems and pre-scientific agents like religion. These systems serve as coping mechanisms for an uncertain future. By juxtaposing scientific and pre-scientific realms, it explores human autonomy, trust, and motivation dynamics. Interestingly, participants didn‘t alter their decisions or attitudes post-revelation, questioning the importance of AI’s explainability or accuracy. The project critiques blind trust in AI and stimulates discussions on healthy human–AI relationships, and the meaning of human autonomy in the AI era.
All Directions At Once
Luiza Prado
This web-based digital performance or “GIF essay” is based on presenting a number of Brazilian folk herbal contraceptives expressing “radical decolonizing care”, aiming to resist the disasters brought about by colonialism. During those times, the enslaved indigenous and African peoples used birth control plants, such as the Ayoowiri, not only as contraceptive methods but also as acts of resistance and self-determination in the face of brutal oppression during the European occupation of the Americas. The GIF essay performs a specific combination of images that vanish forever each time the user moves the mouse on the browsers’ window, centering these GIF stories on the practices of care that have often been suppressed or erased.
Coincidence
Toprak Firat, Yasin Aribuga
Coincidence is a real-time collage that uses video streams from fifty publicly accessible traffic and tourist live cameras scattered across the city of Istanbul. In contrast to the usual video surveillance, the intention of the work is not to observe, but to produce a social sculpture of Istanbul through a complex composite of moving images, imprinting in its visual density the political and ideological tensions of the city’s multicultural and cosmopolitan neighborhoods. Since the work is based in real time feeds, live cameras are subject to potential delays and errors. Hence, Coincidence uses a computationally efficient workflow and simple modular design using parallel processing, in which video frames are combined to generate a single texture, which is then converted into a movie file and finally transformed into 3D collages. All these processes are segmented and encapsulated into individual scripts to produce seamless 3D visualizations, creating a living urban sculpture. In the installation view of the artwork, cables are laid out with the intention to make evident the feeds of data that are required to make it work.
Cold Call: Time Theft as Avoided Emissions
Sam Lavigne and Tega Brain
The word saboteur comes from the French word “saboter“, which in the early 20th century meant to kick someone with an old-fashioned wooden shoe. Through the architecture of a call center, artists Tega Brain and Sam Lavigne make a cheeky request to disrupt business as usual and engage in time theft, a strategy for slowing worker efficiency. They encourage exhibition visitors of their speculative call center to telephone corporate executives whose companies have ties to the fossil fuel industry and keep them on the line as long as possible. For the artists, the time stolen from these oil and gas executives has carbon benefits and is quantifiable as credits using a carbon offsetting methodology. Using the highest carbon emitting company in the United States, Vistra Energy, as a case study, the artists test a formula that reveals when the more senior oil and gas employees are distracted from working, carbon emissions have the potential to slow. Living in global climate emergency, Tega Brain and Sam Lavigne have put on their metaphorical wooden shoes and have landed a kick.
Consensus Gentium
Karen Palmer
In Karen Palmer’s Consensus Gentium, an iPhone becomes a dynamic storytelling device where you are immersed in an unfolding narrative taking place in the palm of your hands. Through the filmlike narrative, you quickly learn that you exist in a near-future society that is managed through the Global Citizen App, a heightened surveillance technology that determines all features of your city life, including mobility. While you are watching the story play out on your phone, the app’s facial recognition system is closely monitoring your reactions to the events and weighing your threat to their meticulous control. Moving through the city without raising alarm does not come without its challenges. It proves not to be an easy task given the heightened police presence resulting in violence against unarmed citizens and FaceTime calls from your friends understandably upset about the state of racialized violence. The phone watches you back to advance the narrative in response to your facial reactions making each participants’ experience unique. Through a simulated experience, Palmer shows us how AI-driven surveillance tools can make detrimental decisions and yield harmful results with lasting impact.
Conversations Beyond the Ordinary
Jan Zuiderveld
Conversations Beyond the Ordinary deals with the increasing anthropomorphization of our machines in a humorous way. Instead of cute robots, the installation introduces us to mundane appliances with their very own personalities, tics, and idiosyncrasies. It thereby gives us an insight into our immediate future, which will be characterized neither by the extinction nor by the redemption of humans by technology. Rather we will have to argue with AI-empowered machines and hope for their cooperation. A coffee machine won‘t make you a coffee before you show some courtesy, and the microwave keeps a watchful eye on the things you are about to put into it. It is this future, a mundane future that shows our everyday interaction with machines, which is characterized by empathy, misunderstanding, and awkwardness—just as any other conversation is.
G80
Fragmentin
Questioning the technocratic absurdity of historic cybernetic projects, G80 invites the spectator to interact with computational models for solving socio-political and ecological issues. Based on Buckminster Fuller’s World Game, which was created in the 1960s, the installation establishes a connection to current ideas of a perfectly controllable environment. In a playful manner G80 subverts those ideas and illustrates the problem of a pre-categorized world. It thereby reminds us that the idea of a world controlled by computers is far older than current debates on AI and machine learning, and that the problem lies not so much in a data-driven world but in the pre-existing categories used to make sense of that data. This is precisely where a political response to technological solutionism is needed so that social inequalities— expressed in these categories—are not simply automated.
Kazokutchi
So Kanno, Akihiro Kato, Takemi Watanuki
Kazokutchi delves into the persistent questions of life‘s origin, evolution, demise, and legacy in an era where the physical and digital increasingly intertwine. Using blockchain and robotics, the project simulates the life cycle of Kazokutchi NFTs, visualizing their evolution through cellular automaton-like patterns. These digital beings, showcasing diverse traits and interactions, are further manifested as physical robots inhabiting a simulated Tokyo. This interplay mirrors urban life and the city’s post-pandemic adaptation, while also examining the concept of the unique world each being perceives. Kazokutchi is prompting a reevaluation of the concept of life itself and the diverse Umwelten experienced within human society and beyond.
Mixed Signals
kennedy+swan
Mixed Signals consists of a series of watercolors that come to life by means of Augmented Reality. The strange and beautiful images weave a complex narrative that extends into our reality. At a time when museums are struggling to become more interactive, this is an impressive example of how this could happen. In addition to their aesthetic form, the AR paintings also create a level of engagement with new technologies, promising to connect us with non-human beings. They thereby envision a future when we are able to communicate with animals and plants, opening ourselves to the messages of nature. The technological enchantment of the everyday invites us to take on different perspectives of our world.
REPEAT AFTER ME, 2022
Open Group (Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach, and Anton Varga)
The role and impact of experiencing technology, and the forms that knowledge of it can take, undergo a twist in the video installation Repeat After Me, created by the Ukrainian collective Open Group. With full-scale invasion, Ukrainians have become military experts with the ability to distinguish and determine different weapon types— assault rifle fire, artillery shelling, multiple rocket launcher shelling, drone attacks, aerial bombardment—by sound. This new-found knowledge is a reality for Ukrainians and possessing it increases the chances of survival. The video features civilians displaced from various regions of Ukraine, who talk about their personal war experiences, but in a peculiar way. The familiar and seemingly playful format of a karaoke offers to share ‘knowledge‘ in and through sound. REPEAT AFTER ME is an artwork. However, instead of songs and tunes, it presents/offers individual memories and experiences of everyday war violence and its “vehicles”—the sounds of gunfire, missiles, howls, and explosions of deadly firearms and drones. It offers a humanvoiced soundtrack of the war in Ukraine.
Swarming / Swimming
Honey Biba Beckerlee
The information infrastructure, essential yet often hidden, becomes acutely vulnerable when disrupted, highlighting the need for resilient communication and alternative solutions. Swarming / Swimming is a simple installation, interweaving seaweed and optical fiber, which showcases the delicate balance between nature and technology. The seaweed symbolizes interconnected ecosystems and the cascading effects of unchecked proliferation, while the tapestry-like weaving mirrors the interconnectedness of our digital age and historical power structures. A wave-like pattern, inspired by the double-slit experiment, evokes the quantum phenomenon of wave-particle duality. Through the use of swarm intelligence to guide light, this artwork invites contemplation on leveraging complex systems for harmonious coexistence.
ZOE
Noor Stenfert Kroese, Amir Bastan
In ZOE Noor Stenfert Kroese and Amir Bastan create temporary co-existence between reishi mushrooms and a custom-made robotic system. Through sensing technologies an ecosystem that cares for and affects each other acquires visible and visual form: the reishi and their behavior define what the robotic system does and the robotic system influences the shape of the light-sensitive reishi mushrooms. Sculpted through the mutual influence shape of the fruiting bodies of the reishi is a reflection of and a sensory experience to explore this unknown communication. Additionally, artists create tactile data visualizations or “data-carpets” trying to further unveil communication within this coexistence and find further possible correlations. ZOE explores Mycobotics, possibilities of biocomputing with fungi through robotics and more than human-computer interaction. Using industrial robots and their quality of repetition and precision, artists reconsider the dynamics between technology and nature, encompassing both human and non-human aspects.
Weaving New Narratives
Clemens Apprich, Salome Asega, Shiho Fukuhara, José-Carlos Mariátegui, Olga Tykhonova
What are the criteria of an artwork that invites the spectator to become part of it? Is the role of the spectator limited to the human actor? Or does the role extend to non-human entities? Are cultural and computational narratives capable of weaving an intergenerational web of meaning? These questions reflect the idea of a technodiverse future, which recognizes the varying ways in which technology is embraced and expressed across a range of cultures and communities.
As members of the jury, we discussed the importance of including artists drawing from alternative or subaltern knowledge systems, as well as projects engaging with localized cultures and histories with the aim of making connections to platforms that can provide wider visibility. These platforms, such as gaming and web browsers, are bringing about structural, economic, and societal changes around the world and can be reimagined as ‘ecosystems’ for propelling a broader, more plural and diverse dialogue. Such ecosystems can further awaken us to alternative or omitted histories, such as the experiences of Black communities under modern forms of colonialism or the deep connection between craft and computation as demonstrated in Indigenous design techniques, and how these histories permeate both physical and digital realities. It is necessary to seek a relational symbiosis between yet-to-be told histories and more ‘established’ ones in order to construct a more complete planetary knowledge.
The winner of this year’s Golden Nica in the Interactive Art+ category emphasizes the contemporary use of visual-tactile-haptic technologies of knowledge production through textiles. As a tradition present in many cultures around the world, textiles entail a memory function that has successfully challenged and withstood hegemonic systems of notation, such as writing. As a technique that preserves and transmits culture, weaving makes it possible to intertwine messages between generations and, in the form of the weaving loom, is a central building block of modern computer technologies.
The jury also reconsidered prosthetic technologies, which have long been present in media arts practice. This year, we saw the way disability and access culture positions prosthetic technologies as mechanisms for enhancing self-expression and building self-confidence, which in turn liberates people from the canons imposed by society. This liberation from societal expectations is consistent with the idea that approaches to assistive technologies should be more flexible and adaptable to individual needs and backgrounds, recognizing that a one-size-fitsall solution may not be appropriate for everyone. Just as aesthetic prosthetics enable individuals to overcome more than physical limitations, a more personalized approach could provide a framework for tailored support and access.
Similarly, gaming platforms, using world-building and storytelling techniques, can also be seen as a means of expression to overcome stalled narratives. The increasing accessibility of game creation tools, beyond the exclusive domain of large studios, further democratizes this form of expression. This resonates with the idea that support systems should be responsive to diverse forms of expression and encourage creativity, rather than adhere to rigid definitions and standards. Just as games allow players to shape their own experiences, approaches should be adaptable enough to accommodate the unique circumstances and aspirations of each individual, recognizing the diversity of storytelling.
During the review of projects, there were several projects using AI in different ways. However, it is fundamental to clarify that what is commonly referred to as AI today is a collection of techniques and technologies aimed at finding statistical correlations by extracting patterns from large data sets which are then applied into systems of meaning and classification. In this sense, AI has no autonomous agency and in many cases serves primarily the interests of the companies behind it, prioritizing profit and efficiency mandates. AI systems are thus sometimes considered as ‘universal’, but in reality they have a very narrow and limited way of understanding the world. It is important to consider that if we want to question AI, we need to understand what the data objects, the technology, and, more importantly, the cultural and cognitive functions behind it, are. Interaction cannot be expressed solely through the application of already existing systems. Instead, a truly interactive engagement with AI requires us to critique its centralized and inherent biases, to actively seek alternative ways of knowing and decision-making, and to create the conditions for new associations to reveal themselves. The task, therefore, is to challenge and destabilize the narratives that underpin the current proliferation of data-driven algorithmic systems by highlighting their techno-solutionism and to use AI to expand and make visible alternative knowledge systems and perspectives.
Golden Nica
Nosukaay
Diane Cescutti
The loom could be envisioned as a programmable machine that encodes knowledge into fabric, serving as a means of preserving and transmitting culture; while the computer processes data, the loom preserves stories and traditions. ‘Nosukaay’ means computer in Wolof, a language spoken by people in much of West Africa; the installation Nosukaay merges textile hapticity with the digital space to produce a hybrid that expands the notion of interactivity. It is based on a modified Manjacque loom, in which the loom‘s frames are replaced by two screens that introduce a video game in which the users interact with the “wisdom of the system” through a deity. Its tactile interface is made of Manjak loincloth, woven by the artist Edimar Rosa in Dakar. If the player makes a choice that does not respect the machine deity and hence the importance of the knowledge transmitted, the user gets ejected from the game and sent back to the beginning. Nosukaay as a textilecomputer hybrid allows us to rethink the concept of the “computer” through a rich tapestry of shared understanding that interweaves craft with computational practices.
Awards of Distinction
If You Have Starry Skies in Your Eyes
Rib
If You Have Starry Skies in Your Eyes powerfully illuminates the marginalized experiences of individuals who have lost a body part, a topic often shrouded in silence. Artist Rib, who lost her right eye due to childhood domestic violence, found her passion for creating exquisite prosthetic eyes through facing discrimination due to her appearance. Her experience sheds light on the societal stigma surrounding the ocular prosthetics industry in Japan, where conformity is prioritized over individual expression. This is compounded by limited insurance coverage for those with vision loss in one eye. Undeterred, Rib’s self-taught expertise led her to craft unique and captivating artificial eyes, exemplifying the power of self-advocacy and resilience. The work explores the profound connection between physical loss, self-discovery, and creative transformation. By embracing her artificial eye, Rib challenges conventional notions of beauty and physical variation. This is a call for a more inclusive society where individuals feel empowered to express their authentic selves, sparking meaningful dialogue, inspiring positive change within the prosthetic eye industry and fostering greater acceptance in society at large.
Third World: The Bottom Dimension
Gabriel Massan
In Third World: The Bottom Dimension, artist Gabriel Massan offers a new pedagogy, a guidebook for resistance. Through a single-player PC game where the player navigates a lush world by way of an insectile protagonist, we are invited to engage in history as we know it and contend with its gaps. Massan is clear in his desire to reveal instead of replicate how systems of power erase and marginalize complicated historical truths. The goal here is not to conquer or extract, but to question colonial notions of expedition and to resist the embedded power structures. Drawing from cultural writer and historian Saidiya Hartman’s use of “critical fabulation”, Massan is keenly aware of the limits of institutional archives and invites you to challenge the record through their use of speculative storytelling techniques, which Massan calls “fictional archaeology”. To repair history’s failure, Massan and their invited collaborators—Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro, Novíssimo Edgar, LYZZA—build a landscape of expressive sound and color that make room for the fullness that is the Black Brazilian experience.
Honorary Mentions
AI Fortuneteller Soonho Kwon, Dong Whi Yoo, Younah Kang
In AI Fortune-Teller interactees engaged with an AI career counselor, unaware that in fact a mudang (Korean shaman) crafted its responses. The video documents reactions, highlighting shifts in perception post-revelation. The project stems from realizing parallels between reliance on AI-based decision systems and pre-scientific agents like religion. These systems serve as coping mechanisms for an uncertain future. By juxtaposing scientific and pre-scientific realms, it explores human autonomy, trust, and motivation dynamics. Interestingly, participants didn‘t alter their decisions or attitudes post-revelation, questioning the importance of AI’s explainability or accuracy. The project critiques blind trust in AI and stimulates discussions on healthy human–AI relationships, and the meaning of human autonomy in the AI era.
All Directions At Once
Luiza Prado
This web-based digital performance or “GIF essay” is based on presenting a number of Brazilian folk herbal contraceptives expressing “radical decolonizing care”, aiming to resist the disasters brought about by colonialism. During those times, the enslaved indigenous and African peoples used birth control plants, such as the Ayoowiri, not only as contraceptive methods but also as acts of resistance and self-determination in the face of brutal oppression during the European occupation of the Americas. The GIF essay performs a specific combination of images that vanish forever each time the user moves the mouse on the browsers’ window, centering these GIF stories on the practices of care that have often been suppressed or erased.
Coincidence
Toprak Firat, Yasin Aribuga
Coincidence is a real-time collage that uses video streams from fifty publicly accessible traffic and tourist live cameras scattered across the city of Istanbul. In contrast to the usual video surveillance, the intention of the work is not to observe, but to produce a social sculpture of Istanbul through a complex composite of moving images, imprinting in its visual density the political and ideological tensions of the city’s multicultural and cosmopolitan neighborhoods. Since the work is based in real time feeds, live cameras are subject to potential delays and errors. Hence, Coincidence uses a computationally efficient workflow and simple modular design using parallel processing, in which video frames are combined to generate a single texture, which is then converted into a movie file and finally transformed into 3D collages. All these processes are segmented and encapsulated into individual scripts to produce seamless 3D visualizations, creating a living urban sculpture. In the installation view of the artwork, cables are laid out with the intention to make evident the feeds of data that are required to make it work.
Cold Call: Time Theft as Avoided Emissions
Sam Lavigne and Tega Brain
The word saboteur comes from the French word “saboter“, which in the early 20th century meant to kick someone with an old-fashioned wooden shoe. Through the architecture of a call center, artists Tega Brain and Sam Lavigne make a cheeky request to disrupt business as usual and engage in time theft, a strategy for slowing worker efficiency. They encourage exhibition visitors of their speculative call center to telephone corporate executives whose companies have ties to the fossil fuel industry and keep them on the line as long as possible. For the artists, the time stolen from these oil and gas executives has carbon benefits and is quantifiable as credits using a carbon offsetting methodology. Using the highest carbon emitting company in the United States, Vistra Energy, as a case study, the artists test a formula that reveals when the more senior oil and gas employees are distracted from working, carbon emissions have the potential to slow. Living in global climate emergency, Tega Brain and Sam Lavigne have put on their metaphorical wooden shoes and have landed a kick.
Consensus Gentium
Karen Palmer
In Karen Palmer’s Consensus Gentium, an iPhone becomes a dynamic storytelling device where you are immersed in an unfolding narrative taking place in the palm of your hands. Through the filmlike narrative, you quickly learn that you exist in a near-future society that is managed through the Global Citizen App, a heightened surveillance technology that determines all features of your city life, including mobility. While you are watching the story play out on your phone, the app’s facial recognition system is closely monitoring your reactions to the events and weighing your threat to their meticulous control. Moving through the city without raising alarm does not come without its challenges. It proves not to be an easy task given the heightened police presence resulting in violence against unarmed citizens and FaceTime calls from your friends understandably upset about the state of racialized violence. The phone watches you back to advance the narrative in response to your facial reactions making each participants’ experience unique. Through a simulated experience, Palmer shows us how AI-driven surveillance tools can make detrimental decisions and yield harmful results with lasting impact.
Conversations Beyond the Ordinary
Jan Zuiderveld
Conversations Beyond the Ordinary deals with the increasing anthropomorphization of our machines in a humorous way. Instead of cute robots, the installation introduces us to mundane appliances with their very own personalities, tics, and idiosyncrasies. It thereby gives us an insight into our immediate future, which will be characterized neither by the extinction nor by the redemption of humans by technology. Rather we will have to argue with AI-empowered machines and hope for their cooperation. A coffee machine won‘t make you a coffee before you show some courtesy, and the microwave keeps a watchful eye on the things you are about to put into it. It is this future, a mundane future that shows our everyday interaction with machines, which is characterized by empathy, misunderstanding, and awkwardness—just as any other conversation is.
G80
Fragmentin
Questioning the technocratic absurdity of historic cybernetic projects, G80 invites the spectator to interact with computational models for solving socio-political and ecological issues. Based on Buckminster Fuller’s World Game, which was created in the 1960s, the installation establishes a connection to current ideas of a perfectly controllable environment. In a playful manner G80 subverts those ideas and illustrates the problem of a pre-categorized world. It thereby reminds us that the idea of a world controlled by computers is far older than current debates on AI and machine learning, and that the problem lies not so much in a data-driven world but in the pre-existing categories used to make sense of that data. This is precisely where a political response to technological solutionism is needed so that social inequalities— expressed in these categories—are not simply automated.
Kazokutchi
So Kanno, Akihiro Kato, Takemi Watanuki
Kazokutchi delves into the persistent questions of life‘s origin, evolution, demise, and legacy in an era where the physical and digital increasingly intertwine. Using blockchain and robotics, the project simulates the life cycle of Kazokutchi NFTs, visualizing their evolution through cellular automaton-like patterns. These digital beings, showcasing diverse traits and interactions, are further manifested as physical robots inhabiting a simulated Tokyo. This interplay mirrors urban life and the city’s post-pandemic adaptation, while also examining the concept of the unique world each being perceives. Kazokutchi is prompting a reevaluation of the concept of life itself and the diverse Umwelten experienced within human society and beyond.
Mixed Signals
kennedy+swan
Mixed Signals consists of a series of watercolors that come to life by means of Augmented Reality. The strange and beautiful images weave a complex narrative that extends into our reality. At a time when museums are struggling to become more interactive, this is an impressive example of how this could happen. In addition to their aesthetic form, the AR paintings also create a level of engagement with new technologies, promising to connect us with non-human beings. They thereby envision a future when we are able to communicate with animals and plants, opening ourselves to the messages of nature. The technological enchantment of the everyday invites us to take on different perspectives of our world.
REPEAT AFTER ME, 2022
Open Group (Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach, and Anton Varga)
The role and impact of experiencing technology, and the forms that knowledge of it can take, undergo a twist in the video installation Repeat After Me, created by the Ukrainian collective Open Group. With full-scale invasion, Ukrainians have become military experts with the ability to distinguish and determine different weapon types— assault rifle fire, artillery shelling, multiple rocket launcher shelling, drone attacks, aerial bombardment—by sound. This new-found knowledge is a reality for Ukrainians and possessing it increases the chances of survival. The video features civilians displaced from various regions of Ukraine, who talk about their personal war experiences, but in a peculiar way. The familiar and seemingly playful format of a karaoke offers to share ‘knowledge‘ in and through sound. REPEAT AFTER ME is an artwork. However, instead of songs and tunes, it presents/offers individual memories and experiences of everyday war violence and its “vehicles”—the sounds of gunfire, missiles, howls, and explosions of deadly firearms and drones. It offers a humanvoiced soundtrack of the war in Ukraine.
Swarming / Swimming
Honey Biba Beckerlee
The information infrastructure, essential yet often hidden, becomes acutely vulnerable when disrupted, highlighting the need for resilient communication and alternative solutions. Swarming / Swimming is a simple installation, interweaving seaweed and optical fiber, which showcases the delicate balance between nature and technology. The seaweed symbolizes interconnected ecosystems and the cascading effects of unchecked proliferation, while the tapestry-like weaving mirrors the interconnectedness of our digital age and historical power structures. A wave-like pattern, inspired by the double-slit experiment, evokes the quantum phenomenon of wave-particle duality. Through the use of swarm intelligence to guide light, this artwork invites contemplation on leveraging complex systems for harmonious coexistence.
ZOE
Noor Stenfert Kroese, Amir Bastan
In ZOE Noor Stenfert Kroese and Amir Bastan create temporary co-existence between reishi mushrooms and a custom-made robotic system. Through sensing technologies an ecosystem that cares for and affects each other acquires visible and visual form: the reishi and their behavior define what the robotic system does and the robotic system influences the shape of the light-sensitive reishi mushrooms. Sculpted through the mutual influence shape of the fruiting bodies of the reishi is a reflection of and a sensory experience to explore this unknown communication. Additionally, artists create tactile data visualizations or “data-carpets” trying to further unveil communication within this coexistence and find further possible correlations. ZOE explores Mycobotics, possibilities of biocomputing with fungi through robotics and more than human-computer interaction. Using industrial robots and their quality of repetition and precision, artists reconsider the dynamics between technology and nature, encompassing both human and non-human aspects.
Ars Electronica Linz GmbH & Co KG Ars-Electronica-Straße 1 4040 Linz Austria
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