| University of Westminster’s School of Media, Art and Design & The Musion Academy have held the MAMAs
2009 - Musion Academy Media Awards on 15 November at the Old Cinema,
Regent Street.
MAMAs 2009 are the first ever Award ceremony
in holographic projection art - presenting artworks in an entirely
new medium to the wider public. Artists have been competing in 5
categories: Music, Performance, Open Source Distance Learning, Endangered
Species and Narrative Shorts. The Grand Award is the overall prize
awarded to the best of all 5 categories. A jury comprised of creative
professionals, industry leaders and directors of - Musion
Systems – have announced the winners in 6 categories. The winner
of this Award has been chosen via a combination of audience participation
and the vote of the grand jury. The Awards have been attended by
leading figures from the media, art and marketing worlds.
1st prize consists of a free loan
of a fully fledged Musion System with Eyeliner TM foil, support
and technical advice for the showcase of the winning piece. The winning installation will be exhibited in a venue chosen by the
winning artist for the duration of up to 10 days. 
As MAMAs gala has a charitable nature,
with our nominated charities Opportunity International and ZSL London
Zoo – a percentage of ticket sales and the donations made during
the event will go to both charities. London Zoo, one of the
most established charities in UK, is endorsing the project and was
hosting the Endangered Species category for the competition, as
well as offering space and time for filming actual species in the
Zoo. This as a unique opportunity of raising public awareness of
the importance of protecting endangered species by means of outstanding
artistic creations. Opportunity International is a micro-financing
charity that has gained international reputation for its effective
way of enabling the poor to help themselves.
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Musion Academy is proud to announce that the Grand Award Winner of MAMAs 2009
is Stuart Warren Hill with his music and video performance
Holotronica. Stuart Warren Hill hitherto performed
as part of the critically acclaimed UK music duo – Hexstatic at
the Paris Centre Pompidou or the Bilbao Guggenheim. Stuart Warren
Hill has gained reputation as one of the first artists to ever produce
a complete audio visual album. With his new project Holotronica,
Stuart pushes the boundaries of 3D interactivity.
Stuart Warren Hill live performance
For the MAMAs, Stuart Warren Hill created an audio-visual performance
on the Eigenharp, an entirely new instrument. Tones created on the
Eigenharp were depicted as live visual feeds – superimposed over
the performance. Stuart not only won the Music Category with his
ground-breaking performance, but moreover the Grand Award and hence
the winning installation.
The Winner of the Open Source Distance Learning category is
Gayle Berton with “Wii Remote”
The Open Source Category, supported and presented by the BBC Learning, aimed
at opening new technology up to education. Gayle Berton, the winning
artist developed open source software, by definition open to everyone
that can be used in various different contexts: From teaching in
geography, history, biology to various forms of performative learning
such as role plays, or interactive games. On stage,
a Performer interacts with video projections through a Wii Control.
This simple hand held device can be used as live control for the
spinning of a globe, to motion tracking of words, to live drawing
into the 3D space around the performer. The generated graphics can
be used as response system to her movements. The projections involve
successively abstract graphics, text, iconic imagery such as the
globe - corresponding to the performer’s input. The result may vary
from expressing ideas to be purely aesthetic, exploring the possibilities
of the interactive holographic medium. Gaelle Berton was collaborating
with the artist Lady C – Christine Lockhart.
 Gaelle Berton “Wii Remote”,
2009
Two runners up in the Open Source Distance Learning category
are Tracey Tsang with “Elements” and Carl Smith with “Church”.
Carl Smith “Church”, 2009
The Winner of the Endangered Species category is Madi Boyd “(Dis) Appearance
of Bees”
The
“(Dis)Appearance of Bees” looks at the appearance of bees from the
inside out - as in the MRI scans which show as precise a representation
of a single bee as is possible at this time, and close filming of
a hive of bees. It then looks at the strange and currently inexplicable
disappearance of bees and questions what a future without any bees
would hold. Madi was collaborating with Jon Cleary and Dr Mark Lythgoe
at The Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, UCL.
Madi Boyd “(Dis) Appearance of Bees”, 2009
Four runners up in the Endangered Species category are: Selina
Birnie with “Bluebird”, Captain Captain with “Rainforest”, Madi
Boyd with “Animal Vision” and Kira Zhigalina with “Partula Snail”.
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The Winner of the Corporate Category is Squarezero
for “Speedo”
Squarezero “Speedo”, 2008
Four runners up in the Corporate category are: “Toyota”, “Agfa”,
“Target” and “Girls Aloud”
Squarezero “Toyota”, 2007
The Winner of the Music category is Stuart Warren Hill. Stuart
Warren Hill is from the critically acclaimed UK music duo – Hexstatic.
Stuart WarrenHill has hitherto performed for the Paris Centre Pompidou
or the Bilbao Guggenheim and is generally speaking one of the first
artists to ever produce a complete audio visual album.
The two runners up are Sancho Plan and Max Maxwell with
“Electro”.
The Winner of the Narrative Category is Brendan Murphy with
“Not I” – after a screen play by Samuel Beckett. Brendan Murphy
is a painter, sculptor and now holographic artist.
This three minute holographic art projection stems from a full
length - 17 min -version of Samuel Beckett’s play ‘Not I’ adapted
for the Musion Screen by Brendan Murphy. Brendan Murphy is an artist,
curator and graduate of Central Saint Martins M.A Fine Art Programme.
Remaining faithful to the minimal stage direction and dislocated
nature of the play makes ‘Not I’ ideally suited to the Musion System
with the ambition of introducing the play to a new audience. The
piece is performed by Jill Cardo. ‘Not I’ features a set of dislocated
lips suspended eight feet in the air, articulating disjointed memories
and moments of lucidity from the narrator’s life in the third person.
Brendan Murphy, Not I, 2009
Two runners up in the Narrative Category are: Sonia Vera with
“Mutant Love” and Alexandra Unger with “Beginning”.
The Winner of the Performance category is Rachel Garrard.
The artist graduated with a First from Central Saint Martins and
has an MFA from Byam Shaw. Having previously worked with sculpture
and light installation, the holographic screen makes it possible
to bring together both these elements in a more dynamic and visceral
way.
Rachel Garrard “Circuition”, 2009
The two runners up are Birgitta Hosea with “White Lines” and
Kinga Malisz with “Venus”.
Kinga Malisz “Venus”, 2009
The MAMAs 2009 has been supported by:
Main partner of the MAMAs 2009: 
Partners of the MAMAs
 
 
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