Lewis CaliburnPPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips professional displays and dedicated AV software solutions, has announced that British art collective, C-LAB, has been named the inaugural winner of PPDS’ sustainability-driven MUSE Digital Art Award competition, receiving €3,000 in cash and a ‘zero power’, full colour, Philips Tableaux ePaper display.
Launched in August, the MUSE Digital Art Award from PPDS is a new and unique cultural initiative designed to connect the world’s most creative artistic minds with leading sustainable display technology.
Working in partnership with renowned contemporary art curator, Julia Rajacic, and supported by Italy’s National Museum of Digital Art (MNDA), PPDS invited professional and aspiring artists from around the world to use their creative skills to visualise some of the challenges posed by the global ecological and climate crisis faced today and tomorrow, to inspire a better future.
Exceeding all expectations, PPDS received over 200 entries from 44 countries and spanning all continents, with 20 finalists being selected by an esteemed panel of professional judges from throughout the art world. These included Ilaria Bonacossa (director of the MNDA), Domenico Quaranta (writer, curator, and art critic, co-founder of Link Art Center), and Gabriela Galati (art critic and curator, director of the IPERCUBO gallery).
With Milan selected as the host city for MUSE, each finalist – including 17 professional artists and three local art students – had their entries prepared and delivered onto 20 individual Philips Tableaux displays, which were then installed in Milan’s notorious Fabbrica del Vapore cultural venue, for what is being hailed as world’s first, ‘zero power’ digital art exhibition, which opened on November 23 2023, running until December 12 2023.
Sustainability being pivotal to the concept of MUSE, the 25” Philips Tableaux ePaper display was selected due to its capabilities of delivering a vivid image, 24/7, while running entirely unplugged and without using a single kilowatt of electricity.
In addition, MUSE has been conducted under strict carbon neutrality guidelines, with a carbon footprint report also being produced and published, taking into consideration staff transportation, material packaging, shipping, energy consumption and printing, enabling any carbon to be offset by local Italian sustainability company, Ustainable.
In a special public PPDS hosted awards ceremony at the Fabbrica del Vapore on 23 November, the judges gathered to determine an overall winner, with ‘Living Dead — On the Trail of a Female’, a project by Laura Cinti in collaboration with Debbie Jewitt and Howard Boland, scooping the €3,000 cash prize and a Philips Tableaux ePaper display.
Laura is the co-founder and co-director of C-LAB, a London-based transdisciplinary collective that uses unconventional materials and emerging technologies to create unique art experiences. Installations combine the use of software, hardware and biotechnology.
Giacomo Erba, a Milan-born 22-year-old visual artist attending the New Technologies of Art course at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, was named winner of the MUSE Student Award, also receiving a Philips Tableaux and special mention for his work ‘Gneiss/3 ore/°1200°, 2022, Digital photography’.
Ron Cottaar, Director of Global Marketing at PPDS, says: “At PPDS, we are proud to be leading from the front in bringing new, more energy conscious display solutions for businesses everywhere, supporting their journey to operate more sustainably. And as a business we look far beyond simply the sale of products. We want to help influence change, so with the creation of MUSE, along with our Philips Tableaux and their ability to show art without the need for printed paper, we believe, and hope we will inspire the world to be better.”
Stefan van Sabben, Global CSR and Sustainability Manager at PPDS, adds: “The magnitude of challenges posed by the global ecological and climate crisis require urgent and decisive action and commitment, with researching and asserting new ways of thinking and acting crucial to achieving change. Initiatives like MUSE are a perfect opportunity to help provide new ways of illustrating and inspiring transformation – as individuals, organisations, and whole communities, while connecting and showcasing those visions with sustainable technology.”
Luca Guariniello, Marketing Manager Italy at PPDS, concludes: “The response to MUSE has been nothing short of incredible. The concept immediately caught the imagination of the art world, and the entries we received were at a standard we simply couldn’t have imagined. I’d like to thank everyone for their hard work, time, and commitment in making this competition and event such a resounding success. My congratulations to everyone who entered, and of course, to our very worthy winners.”