Every year, the STARTS Prize rewards innovative projects at the nexus of science, technology and the arts, that tackle the social, ecological and economic challenges of contemporary European society. The two main STARTS Prizes reward works of art that either influence or change our perception of technology, or give rise to new collaborations between the private sector and the world of culture. The winners each receive 20,000 euros and are prominently featured at the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, as well as at a series of events organized by partnering organisations (Bozar, Frankfurter Buchmesse...).
This year’s STARTS Prize Open Call for Artists attracted a total of 1.499 entries from 96 countries. The Grand Prize for Artistic Exploration is awarded to artistic exploration and artworks that have a strong potential to influence or alter the use, deployment, or perception of technology. The winner of the Grand Prize ’22 – Artistic Exploration - is Holly Herndon (US). ‘With Holly+, artist Holly Herndon has created her digital twin that anyone can use to make music. Her Holly+ instrument makes it possible to upload polyphonic audio to a website and receive a version of it sung in Holly’s voice – the latest version of Holly+ even works in real time and can thus be used for performances.’, states the jury.
The Grand Prize for Innovative Collaboration is awarded for innovative collaboration between industry or technology and the arts that opens new pathways for innovation.
The Grand Prize ’22 – Innovative Collaboration – goes to Giulia Foscari (IT). ‘Giulia Foscari / UNLESS created Antarctic Resolution to raise awareness of Antarctica as one of our few global commons and to establish advocacy for the only continent without an indigenous population. Their message: protecting Antarctica means protecting our own species. Giulia Foscari’s Antarctic Resolution is a transnational and multidisciplinary collaborative project and was published as a 1000-page volume to mark the bicentennial of the first recorded human arriving on the continent.’, explains the jury.
Belgian artist Valery Vermeulen was awarded an Honorary Mention for his project Mikromedas AdS/CFT 00, a 45-minute piece of music exploring black holes. The music was composed from gravitational wave data, elementary particle trajectory data from near black holes, and observational data from white dwarfs. The piece can be presented as a music concert, live audiovisual show, or audiovisual installation. This piece was presented last year at Bozar in the Order of Operations exhibition in Bozar Lab.
The projects were awarded by the international jury, which included Francesca Bria (IT), Andres Colmenares (CO/ES), Asako Tomura (JP), Lucía García (ES) and Alexander Mankowsky (DE). In addition to the two Grand Prizes, the jury also awarded 10 Honorary Mentions and 18 Nominations.
Full press release (EN)
The STARTS Prize ’22 is supported by Bozar, Waag, INOVA+, T6 Ecosystems, French Tech Grande Provence and the Frankfurt Book Fair. The prestigious STARTS Prize is part of the long-term STARTS initiative of the European Commission.
