[spectre] ten mediaprojects selected for the final of Prix Möbius Nordica

[geert]

From: anne.tapanainen at lume.fi

PRIX MÖBIUS NORDICA 2005
Interactive Media Culture Competition

Press Release January 12th 2005

FINALISTS OF PRIX MÖBIUS NORDICA HAVE BEEN SELECTED

This year, the Prix Möbius Nordica received 55 entries, out of which 27 are
from Finland, 15 from Iceland, 6 from Sweden, 5 from Denmark, and 2 from
Norway.

The entries include on-line games, DVDs, mobile/on-line installations, and
interactive films, and offer a current overview of nordic productions. Ten
projects have been selected for the final.

The finalists will present their works at a fast paced pitching event on
Saturday, January 29th, 2005 (12am) at Media Centre Lume of the University
of Art and Design, Helsinki. The Nordic Jury will pronounce the winners of
the Prizes the same evening. The event is free, and open to the public.
Prix Möbius Nordica is part of the Anniversary Week of Media Centre Lume.

The Prix Möbius finalist selection aims at promoting creativity and
innovation especially in the field of interactivity. High quality in
aesthetic and technical realisation, the relation of the chosen
expressional means to the content, and the target group were also
meaningful criteria for the selection. We also took into consideration the
status of the work in the context of already published productions in the
same area, and the potential for international distribution.

Special guest presenter 2005: Jean-Jacques Birgé, France

Prix Möbius Nordica has invited the French multimedia artist and composer
Jean-Jacques Birgé to present his recent awarded work during the jury’s
deliberation. For additional information on the artist:
http://www.drame.org/BirgeBio/zbirgeaccueil.html

The director and founder of the Prix Möbius International, professor
Ghislaine Azémard will also attend the Nordic final.

The winners of the Prix Möbius Nordica will participate in the
international competition PRIX MÖBIUS INTERNATIONAL in France on the Ile de
la Réunion, in March 2005.

The finalists 2005:

Tilanteita (SITUATIONS)
(Mobile & Internet)
Heidi Tikka, Finland
http://mlab.uiah.fi/~htikka/

Tilanteita (Situations) is an ongoing series of experiments of
participatory online and mobile media. The objective of the project is to
develop concepts and prototypes for MMS-based communication, particularly
for families with small children.

iFLOOR
(Mobile & Installation)
Aarhus Municipal Library, and the Interactive Spaces Team, University of
Aarhus, Denmark
www.interactivespaces.net

iFloor is an interactive floor aiming at encouraging users to communicate
with each other. Users can ask and answer questions through SMS or email
and have them shown in a public space. The messages are displayed on the
floor as boxes with replies attached like a deck of cards.

IDENTITY
(Cd-rom & Internet)
Inna Kazakova, Sergey Bezruchko, Hilde-Merete Methi
Norway, Russia
http://www.kaltio.fi/identity/

Identity is a playful speculation on the relation between identity,
culture, place and photography.

MAKING OF A NATION: HERITAGE AND HISTORY IN ICELAND
(Interactive kiosk)
National Museum of Iceland, Gagarin LTD, Iceland
www.gagarin.is

The aim of Making of a Nation is to communicate, in an interesting and
compelling way, information on Iceland’s cultural heritage from the time of
its pioneering settlement to the present day. This interactive multimedia
title consists of 15 individual presentations, containing both media rich
content and detailed information, text and photos.

SUOMEN SODAT
(DVD-rom & DVD video)
Kärkijoukkue Oy, Finland
www.suomensodat.com

Finland at War - The Continuation War 1941-44 is a large multimedia work
which includes a PC DVD-rom and DVD video. The aim of the product is to
tell why The Continuation War was fought, what the objectives of Finland
and Soviet Union were, what really happened at the decisive battles, and
how Finland survived as an independent country.

SWITCHING
(Interactive film)
Morten Schjodt, Denmark
www.switching.dk

Switching is a different type of film that paves the way for new
storytelling methods. Switching is a love story. It can be changed any time
by the user. The narrative is structured around a circular system. It has
no ending. The film is the clickable object. The interface is transparent.

DON’T PEE ON MY SNEAKERS
(Interactive short movies disguised as computer games)
Robert Brecevic, Simon Zeeck, Sweden
www.banananose.se

A series of short movies, disguised as three computer games, takes place in
front of the urinals. Featuring: illegal substances, (almost) unprovoked
violence, pick-pocketing and of course... peeing. The project was
originally financed by InitialCut/SACD (French Association of Authors and
Composers) and MEDIA II as a strategy to develop syntaxes for game-like
movies that consist of video rather than graphics. Complex film montage
routines for fiction movies have been developed, as well as a tailor-made
video technology – a game engine called VOS PLAY.

EVE Online, the Second Genesis
(massive multiplayer online game)
CCP, Iceland
www.eve-online.com

EVE Online is the next generation in massive multiplayer online games. Set
in a world of galactic magnitude, your aim is to establish yourself as a
major mover and shaker, trusted by your friends and respected by your
enemies. Your main tools to accomplish this, apart from the whole panoply
of sophisticated equipment, space ships and corporations will be your
business acumen and social skills, Machiavellian thinking and cunning
combat strategies.

TIMEDREAMS
(software / internet art)
Miikka Poutiainen, Finland
www.timedreams.net

TimeDreams is an interactive software / internet artwork. The work deals
with the user's personal time in the mediated and technology-driven
everyday life. The user travels through a “surrealistic” visual and
auditive world by completing tasks and experiencing flowing animations. In
the end the user gets results on his/her relation to time. The user can
also watch other people’s results.

MusX
(Internet)
Piccolo, DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation); DR Classical (department),
Denmark
www.dr.dk/piccolo

MusX (Shortened of The Musical EXperimentation) is an online, interactive
site for children (target group: 6-12 years old) that offers a multitude of
play and experiments with music, primarily classical music and jazz. The
purpose of the site is to communicate joy, sense and knowledge of the basic
elements of music, and to represent an alternative to the mainstream music
genres that most children are exposed to on a daily basis.


Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

Prix de la Création – Award for Creation
Prix de l'Innovation – Award for Innovation
Prix de la Scénarisation interactive  – Award for Interactive Storytelling

In addition, the jury may give the following awards:

Le Grand Prix – Main Award
Le Prix Spécial du Jury – Special Award of the Jury

PRIX MÖBIUS NORDICA JURY 2005

Marita Liulia, artist, director, chair of the jury
Pia Reunala, M.A., producer of the competition, secretary of the jury
Pia Vigh, advisor, Nordic Council of Ministers, Denmark
Peter Hagdahl, professor, Kungliga Konsthögskolan, Stockholm, Sweden
Skulina Kjartansdottir, director, Iceland Center of Musicethnology, Iceland
Raine Koskimaa, professor, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Elukka Eskelinen, director, Media Centre Lume, Finland
Philip Dean, director, Media Lab, University of Art and Design, Finland
Antonella Sbrilli-Eletti, professor, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

Partners: Ministry of Education, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, The Nordic
Culture Fund, AVEK - The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture, FRAME -
Finnish Fund for Art Exchange, The French Cultural Center in Helsinki.
Media Centre Lume and Media Lab of the University of Art and Design
Helsinki

Prix Möbius Nordica is organized in co-operation with Media Centre Lume and
Media Lab of the University of Art and Design Helsinki. Medeia Oy is
responsible for practical organization work.

Additional information:
www.prixmobiusnordica.org
info at prixmobiusnordica.org

Pia Reunala, Producer
gsm +358 50 330 69 74
pr318 at nyu.edu

Marita Liulia, Director of Prix Möbius Nordica,
Member of International Jury
gsm +358 40 833 89 44
liulia at medeia.com

Venue: Media Centre Lume, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Hämeentie
135 C
00560 Helsinki, www.lume.fi