Discussion
The Future of Light Art
International Light Art Award
The evening opens with a discussion round dealing with central questions on the significance of light art and light from an artistic, art historical, scientific and sociological perspective.
On January 22, 2014 the International Light Art Award (ILAA) will be awarded for the first time. This award celebrates promising artists whose work has forged new paths in the development of the medium. A seven-person jury selected the three finalists — the Cologne artist duo Martin Hesselmeier & Andreas Muxel (DE/A), the Chilean contemporary artist Iván Navarro (USA/CHL) and sculptor Dirk Vollenbroich (DE) — who will be recognized in this evening ceremony. The finalists will exhibit their prize-winning works from January 25 to June 28, 2015 at the Centre for International Light Art, Unna.
The ILAA 2015 Award Ceremony takes place at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele and will be accompanied by a panel discussion presented in cooperation with Monopol magazine. Coinciding with the International Year of Light announced by UNESCO, the evening is dedicated to the theme of light and light art. Prof. Dr. Peter Sloterdijk will hold the opening speech. Through the prize the Centre for International Light Art Unna and the RWE Foundation wish to inspire an active and engaged debate about the future of light art.
The lightning for the evening event is designed by the RaumZeitPiraten, consisting of Tobias Daemgen, Jan Ehlen, and Moritz Ellerich, with the support of Prof. Mischa Kuball of the Academy of Media Arts Cologne.
The ILAA
The winner of the ILAA will be awarded a sum of 10,000 euros. In addition, the winning artist and those placing second and third will receive financial support for the realisation of their submitted concepts for a five-month exhibition at the Centre for International Light Art Unna from January to June 2015.
“The Future of Light Art”
25 January – 28 June 2015
Centre for International Light Art Unna
The Centre for International Light Art Unna
The Centre for International Light Art Unna — the world’s first and only museum specialised in presenting light art — was founded in 2001. The museum is housed in the cooling and storage rooms of a former brewery, ten metres underground, where the most important international positions in light art have been assembled. All the exhibited light installations were created specifically for the museum. The collection includes works by James Turrell, Christian Boltanski, Ólafur Elíasson, Rebecca Horn, Li Hui, Joseph Kosuth, Brigitte Kowanz, Mischa Kuball, Christina Kubisch, Mario Merz, François Morellet, Jan van Munster, Stefan Reusse und Keith Sonnier.
www.lichtkunst-unna.de
The RWE Foundation
The RWE Foundation brings together the RWE company’s wide range of civic engagement projects. At the core of its sponsoring activities is the issue of energy use and its social implications. As a partner for the Centre for International Light Art, the foundation has consistently made possible such outstanding exhibition James Turrell’s Skyspace in 2009.
www.rwestiftung.com
Participants:
Prof. Mischa Kuball, artist and lecturer at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne
Dr. Gregor Jansen, Director, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf and editor of the book Lichtkunst aus Kunstlicht (Light Art from Artificial Light)
Prof. Dr. Karin Zachmann, Head of the Department of the History of Technology at the TU München, specialised in research on energy and society
Prof. Dr. Oliver Benson, experimental physicist at the HU Berlin, specialised in research on light and matter
Moderation: Holger Liebs, Editor-in-Chief, Monopol
Organizer
The Centre for International Light Art Unna and the RWE Foundation