Yesterday in Köln, The BLOOOM Award by WARSTEINER came to its climax, with Joko Winterscheidt presenting the winners with their Awards. Lukas Franciszkiewicz was chosen as the overall winner - his videoart piece 'beta' beat off fierce competition from over 450 other contestants. The Dutch winner was Alex Winters who hails from The Netherlands. Both winners will be mentored for a year and will travel to Art Basel in Miami.
At just 24 years old, Lukas is the youngest ever winner of the BLOOOM Award. His thought provoking video piece shows the kind of influence that the modern media has on people. The work was part of his industrial design studies and demonstrates the use of a fictional prototype the size of a shoebox. Circular, square and triangle shapes can be plugged in and show different processes within a social network. The idea sprang from the conceptual analysis of social and technological relations. "The real value of the project lies in the dialogue to be initiated. An exhibition like BLOOOM is an ideal place to take an idea and run with it ", explains the design student.
The international jury, consisting of Walter Gehlen, director of ART.FAIR, Yasha Young, director of BLOOOM, Catharina Cramer, Managing director shareholder of Warsteiner Brewery, Joko Winterscheidt the TV presenter and Edo Dijksterhuis, director of Art Amsterdam, have good reason for their decision: "The work of Luke Franciszkiewicz Atter reflects the current society, questions potential technologies and takes a critical look at technological progress - this is exactly sort of enquiring mind at BLOOOM that we like to see "says Catharina Cramer, of the jury's decision.
Alex Winters was chosen from about 130 Dutch submissions, impressing the jury with his work, "Ride the Drawing Utensil" - a bicycle with tires made of graphite, which leaves behind driving line-like tracks.
In the second place came Katrin Rodegast with her work "Soft Cover". The work linked modern computer technology with traditional quilt art. This interaction was a tapestry of cotton with a striking design - almost 270 illustrations can reflect almost the entire tenor of an everyday newscast: consumption, society, gender roles, the environment, war, politics, life and death. Inspired by the aesthetics of historic quilts, she used their many symbols such as flowers and animals as structuring elements. For her prize, Katrin gets to fly to the Paris Art Fair and participate in an exhibition in a gallery.
Benedict Brown came third place, (his was Bang Bang Berlin's favourite actually) with his brilliant and very curent piece, "Jackpot". It deals with the financial crisis and the relating social decline. Two moving factory-style bands transport 50,000 coins in a perpetual cycle. The proverbial "melting away of money between the fingers", can be seen right before the viewers eyes. Even the smell of money, he can perceive through the abrasion of the coins. Benedict wins special coaching form a Jury member as part of his prize.
Congratulations again to winners Lukas and Alex and worthy runners-up, Katrin and Benedict!
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