CERN and Ars Electronica first digital art resident
The first Prix Ars Electronica Collide@CERN was awarded to Julius Von Bismarck, the noted German artist, at CERN, Geneva, on 6 December 2011. Winning 3 months as artist in residence at CERN and Ars Electronica, along with 10,000 Euros in prize money, Von Bismarck – a growing name in the artistic community – is known for taking inspiration for his from philosophic and scientific ideas.
The jury reportedly chose him for his ability to playfully combine the arts and the sciences, and “his proposal and work which manipulates and criticises our notions of reality in unpredictable ways, often with inventive use of video, objects and public interventions”.
The Prix Ars Electronica Collide@CERN is the digital arts strand of the Collide@CERN programme, which was launched by CERN earlier this year. Von Bismarck will take up residency at CERN in March next year, for 2 months. During a preliminary visit in January, Von Bismarck will also select a scientific partner; it is hoped that this relationship will provide inspiration for both parties involved. In a similar manner, a mentor from the Ars Electronica Futurelab will assist with technical development and artistic production.
Following this, Von Bismarck will spend a month at Ars Electronica, Linz where he will create his work. The public will be able to follow the creative process on a creative blog, which will be authored by the artist and his two mentors.
In addition, Von Bismarck will be providing lunchtime art laboratories, once a fortnight, to the CERN community, and will give joint lectures – accompanied by his science inspiration partner – at the beginning and end of his residency, in the Globe of Science and Innovation.
The work created through the residency programme – which is funded courtesy of two private donors – will be showcased at the Ars Electronica Festival in 2012.
“We’re very much looking forward to welcoming Julius Von Bismarck as our first artist in residence to CERN next year,” said Rolf Heuer, CERN’s Director General. “This is an important step forward in our growing engagement with the arts.”
Examples of Von Bismarck’s work can be found on his website. For more information, please visit the Collide@CERN website.
