AWARD WINNERS 2008"Involving the public in critical analysis is a great experience, which opens up and gives us the desire to propose such meetings more often" says Michele Moutashar, director and chief curator of the Museum of Fine Arts of Arles. "
"The defense of our ears pleasure was beautifully shared. A fine vintage is out in 2008." president Daniel Deshays.
The Phonurgia Nova competition is a land of acoustic discovery: an international event which rallies sound and radio artists from all over the world. In 2008, 289 productions from 21 different countries were entered, and 36 of those were selected for an award. The jury was open, for the very first time, to the general public, and its president, producer Daniel Deshays, underlined that this competition became “a genuine sound art observatory and not a conservatory”.
An environment that left no room for those formulated recipes that categorize sounds, no prefabricated assessments, just attentive ears and thought provoking debates. As usual, many called but few chosen…
Andreas BICK (Germany),
win the first radio and sound art prize with Fire Pattern - Frost Pattern. Produced by Deutschlandradio Kultur 2007 (2 x 26 min.) (Endowment: 3 000 euros awarded by the SACD)
Andreas Bick’s work distinguishes itself by the remarkable sound recording quality. Coming within reach of the phenomenon’s he wants to evoke (sublimation of water, fire, frost, the crackling of ice), he derives from it a powerful acoustic substance. These two works place the listener in the position of a serene observer mesmerized by all these natural processes.
Bernadette JOHNSON (Switzerland),
win the second radio and sound art prize with Summer Fragments (5 min.) (Endowment: 1 500 euros, awarded by the SACEM)
Bernadette Johnson has had multiple nominations at the Phonurgia Nova Competition but this is the first time she wins a prize. Her work is characterized by an exploration -and a successful articulation- of interiority. The sophisticated and bold editing work, the choice of sounds and their treatment, enable the author to flesh out an echo-form, a magnificent metaphor of the memory, an instable assembly of recollections.
No prize awarded in the “New media/ interdisciplinary media” category, but the jury was unanimous in awarding 2 distinctions:
Christoph KORN and Lasse-Marc RIEK (Germany) for their album of chosen silences...
This small book is a conceptual proposal, pointing pages after pages, towards a location, an event, enabling the reader to reflect and imagine the sounds “that are taking place”. The silence as a void, as a manifestation, as a pointer to a disappearance, as an “apparition”.
Laura MALACART (UK/Italy), for her film, Voicings.
By asking English-speaking actors to read immigrants testimonies about their language learning process, Voicings manages to generate a whole array of interpretations in a very short time span and with very simple means. This illustration from which the scar (the limited command of the language) has been expunged is an invitation to tolerance and compassion.3 residencies have been given to Erick Bullot, Allessandro Bosetti and Nicole Marmet. The 3 authors will have the opportunity to developp new sound projects in 2009 in our 3 studios partners INA-GRM (Paris), IMEB (Bourges) and GMVL (Lyon).
We warmely thank the 289 candidates for their attending !
FOLLOWINGS OF THE FESTIVAL OF LISTENING IN 2009
The two winners have been invited by RADIO CAMPUS PARIS during 2 nights of free broadcasting. You can discover their program on the website of our radio partner http://www.radiocampusparis.orgAs last year's, the Week of Sound is presenting the winners Phonurgia Nova at IRCAM - Paris - in january.
