In order to foster and promote art and its most innovative aspects, Associazione Culturale Acquamarina organised the first edition of the international digital visual art competition “The Brain Project”. The aim of the competition, whose subject matter was “Borders”, was to provide encouragement for artists using graphics and computers to create their works.
The different stages of “The Brain Project” competition entirely took place on the competition website www.thebrainproject.eu: from access to the notice of competition, to the application procedure, the posting of pictures, the choice of the best pictures by the jury and the publication of final results. A virtual gallery has been specially created on the website containing the thirty best pictures selected by the jury together with all the other pictures posted on the website. “The Brain Project” was thought up by a group of people including Riccardo Baldassarri, founder of the competition and graphic editor of the competition website, the present writer, Annamaria Castellan, who coordinated all the different stages of the competition, Maurizio Bekar, irreplaceable collaborator at the press office, Paolo Trento, Riccardo Siccardi and Marco Rojac, who devised and created the competition website and published the competition notice on the internet and Silvia Agostini, in charge of translating texts for both the catalogue and the website.
Essential to the positive outcome of the competition were Ugo Pierri’s advice, Adriano Fabiani’s page layout, Luciano Zucca’s typographical supervision and Maria Angela Fantini’s collaboration. Art critic Giulio Montenero’s guidance and collaboration contributing to making this experience really special.
A particularly relevant aspect of “The Brain Project” 2006 competition was the jury, chaired by Edward Zajec, university professor and area coordinator at the Computer Art Programme at the Transmedia Center at Syracuse University, USA, and a worldwide forerunner of digital art. The jury also included Alda Balestra von Stauffenberg, talent scout working in Berlin, Giulio Montenero, art critic, Riccardo Baldassarri, graphic designer and photographer, and the present writer, photographer and president of the Associazione Culturale Acquamarina.
An important support was provided by local authorities that gave a significant contribution to “The Brain Project”: the Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Regional Committee for Culture, Education, Sport and Peace, the Ministry for Cultural Heritage, the State Library in Trieste and the Karst Cooperative Credit Bank.
The response to the competition was amazing: 309 artists applied from 42 different countries worldwide. Through their works they offered an up-to-date view of digital visual art representations.
Two opposite approaches, both in terms of artistic expression and interpretation of the subject matter, stood out after analysing the pictures. The first one was traditional and perhaps somehow conservative in both the use of a particular technique (e.g. photography) and in the eloquent representation of borders; the second approach was instead characterized by a completely unconventional research in experimenting a new technique, often associated with symbols and completely eluding borders. Between these two opposite attitudes there is a wide range of nuances, symbols and contradictions. Artists from countries where an armed conflict is ongoing or has recently finished deserve particular attention: the pictures they posted depict war, but with no reference to violence. They are rather angry denunciations showing feelings of complete powerlessness deriving from the suffering they underwent.
The final stage of “The Brain Project” consists of the exhibition of the thirty best works and the presentation of the catalogue. On this occasion, I should like to thank all those who contributed to the success of this event: local authorities, artists, the people I mentioned above and many more.
On behalf of the Municipality I wish to welcome the organisers of “The Brain Project – 2006”, the first edition of the international digital visual art competition, and Prof. Edward Zajec, a pioneer in computer art and university professor teaching Computer Graphics for the Fine Arts at Syracuse University, USA.
The Associazione Culturale Acquamarina is to be credited with the organisation of a competition of such topical interest. The subject matter chosen, “Borders”, the considerable ambition in promoting art and its most innovative and constantly evolving aspects, as well as the ability to present the current nature of digital visual art and match it with the activity of a master, Edward Zajec, who is the absolute forerunner of this new form of art, cannot but be an honour for Acquamarina.
Digital art is a recent form of art indeed, but has already proved to be fruitful: it offers the possibility to increase the potentials of traditional photography and painting, even through mutual influences. The participation of so many artists from all over the world bears witness to the value and success of this initiative. I wish the organisers to fully succeed, over the next years, in making this event a recurring one in the region.
