Japanese Outline Winners of BIX Media Competition General information / Features / Organizers / Eligibility / Judges / Awards / Presentation of awards / Application period / Entry format / Entry procedure / Important notes General information Photo by Makoto Sei Watanabe Austria's second-largest city, Graz is a World Heritage-listed area that retains much of the look and atmosphere of medieval times. Since the turn of the twenty-first century, Graz has blossomed into one of the key cultural centers of Central Europe, and was designated the Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003. The Kunsthaus Graz, a new art museum conceptualized as a link between the city's past and future, opened in September 2003. The museum building is renowned in architectural circles for its original design by leading architect Peter Cook together with Colin Fournier, and its striking appearance almost like that of a spaceship that has just touched down in the center of the city. From June 2005, the museum will host "Chikaku: Time and Memory in Japan,"a major exhibition that reconfigures the evolution of Japanese contemporary art in themes such as perception and dimension. The Graz Art Project BIX Media Competition will be held in conjunction with the exhibition. The competition invites artists and creators active in Japan to submit a short QuickTime movie for display on the Kunsthaus Graz's "BIX Facade," a 56-meter-long light-matrix display screen incorporated into the museum's exterior wall. The city of Graz is also known as a hub of international exchange, and since the 1970s has played an active role in introducing Japanese art and culture to Europe, including the activity of Camera Austria. We hope the competition attracts many captivating and thought-provoking works that present new perceptions of the world and contribute to the forging of new relationships between the cities, organizations, and individuals involved. Ito Toshiharu Features Search for new talent The exhibition "CHIKAKU: Perception, Time, and Memory in Japan" features leading artists from and active in, Japan today. One of the aims of the competition is to give the next generation of outstanding Japanese artists an opportunity to exhibit their work in the international context of the exhibition. Ease of entry The only requirement for each entry into the competition is that the submission be a QuickTime movie no longer than three minutes in length. No special or advanced technology is required. The organizers' intention is to keep entrants' practical burdens to a minimum so that they will compete solely on the strength of the creative content of their work. Message to the city of Graz As the city's new municipal art museum, the Kunsthaus Graz is a nexus of old and new aspects of the city, symbolizing both the preservation of its past and the pursuit of progress into the future. Entries to the competition should convey a meaningful and compelling message to the city in that context. Large-scale cityscape art The BIX Facade on which the winning entries will be shown is a screen of unprecedented scale, measuring approximately 56 meters in length and 24 meters in height, or roughly 1,344 square meters in area. A unique feature of the competition is that the screening of the winning entries will go beyond the usual concept of an "exhibit" to become part of the very landscape of the city. Rethinking reality The BIX Facade has a resolution of only 56 x 25 pixels. This requires an approach quite different from the usual pursuit of photo-realism through high pixel counts. Instead, entries must utilize the low-resolution format so as to create works with a fresh sense of reality and a compelling impact. Transcending boundaries The concept of art is becoming increasingly diverse. Entries should be innovative works reflecting an approach undisencumbered from conventional definitions of art and transcending the usual boundary lines between fine art, media art, and architecture.   Makoto Sei Watanabe "Chikaku: Time and Memory in Japan" Exhibition (4 June - 11 September, 2005) Participating artists (tentative; in alphabetical order by surname) Masaki Fujihata, Rieko Hidaka, Takashi Ito, Emiko Kasahara, Tadashi Kawamata, Yayoi Kusama, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Hiroyuki Moriwaki, Daido Moriyama, Takuma Nakahira, Tetsuya Nakamura, Motohiko Odani, Taro Okamoto, Yutaka Sone, Yoshihiro Suda, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Makoto Sei Watanabe, Masaaki Yamada, Miwa Yanagi Organizers The Japan Foundation Kunsthaus Graz Supporters Architectural Institute of Japan The Japan Institute of Architects Austrian Embassy in Japan Eligibility Applicants must either have Japanese nationality or be a resident in Japan. The competition is open to individuals or groups active in any field, including but not limited to art, film-making, animation, design, lighting, and architecture. Students are welcome to enter, and there is no age restriction. Judges Japan: Ito Toshiharu, Professor, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music Makoto Sei Watanabe, Architect Moriwaki Hiroyuki, Artist, Associate Professor, Tama Art University Okabe Miki, Assistant Director, Visual Arts Division, The Japan Foundation Graz: Adam Budak, Curator, Kunsthaus Graz Christine Frisinghelli, Editor/Managing Director, Camera Austria Peter Pakesch, Director, Kunsthaus Graz Awards Grand Prix (1 winner) The winning entry will be screened at the Kunsthaus Graz. The winner will be invited to Graz for the award ceremony at the Kunsthaus Graz. The winner will receive funds covering expenses for a one-month stay in Graz and an invitation to be Artist in Residence in Graz. Outstanding Achievement Award (3-5 winners) The winning entries will be screened at the Kunsthaus Graz. Presentation of awards All winners will be announced and their awards conferred at the Austrian Embassy in Tokyo. An additional presentation of the Grand Prix award will be held at the opening of the "Chikaku: Time and Memory in Japan" exhibition in Graz. Application period 1 January - 31 March 2005, as indicated by the postmark on the entry envelope (Note: Regardless of the postmark date, entries must reach the competition secretariat by 5 April 2005) Entry format Each entry must be submitted as a QuickTime movie file with the following specifications: - 56 pixels wide x 25 pixels high - 20 frames per second - no compression - monochrome (the movie will be screened in 256 gray-scale monochrome) - no sound - non-interactive image data - up to 3 minutes in length - up to 10 MB in file size - the file name should be 8 characters long, in regular (one-byte) English characters or numerals - the file itself should contain no names or other information identifying the entrant/s Diagram and photograph of the matrix pattern of the BIX Facade of the Kunsthaus Graz (On the actual building the surface is curved.) The winning entries will be screened on a matrix of fluorescent lamps (with tone gradation), 56 lamps long and 24 lamps high, incorporated into the curved BIX Facade of the Kunsthaus Graz. Although the areas shown without pixels in the above diagram will not be displayed, entries must not omit those undisplayed pixels. That is, entries must be created with the full resolution of 56 x 25 = 1400 pixels (i.e., 25 pixels high, not 24). Software simulating the visual effect of the actual BIX Facade can be downloaded from the Kunsthaus Graz website. Go to the website and click on "BIX Simulator1.0b". You can also reach the BIX Fassade web-site directly. (This software works in the Macintosh OSX environment only. The simulation is recommended only as an aid for entrants wishing to see how the BIX Facade actually appears; it is not a requirement for entry to the competition.)   Sample Movie(MOV/4,934KB)   Quick Time Recommendation In order to display or print a MOV file, you need to download Quick Time Player. Entries may be created on either Windows or Macintosh platforms. Entry procedure Send the following by post or parcel delivery service to the address shown below: 1. Two (2) CD-ROM disks, each containing the completed Entry Form (PDF/50KB) and the entry data file (i.e. two disks with the same data on each). 2. One (1) printed copy of the completed Entry Form (PDF/50KB). In order to display or print PDF files, you need to download Acrobat Reader 4.0. If your computer is not compatible with Japanese language, you also need download Asian Font Packs for Acrobat Reader to ensure display of this file. Both of these applications are available for free downloading from the Adobe Systems web-site. To obtain Acrobat, click on the button at left and follow the instructions given for your operating system. Bix Competition Office Visual Arts Division, Arts Department The Japan Foundation (Please note that we do not accept inquiries regarding entry in the competition, whether by telephone, e-mail, post, or any other means.) Please write the entrant's name directly onto each CD-ROM disk (not on the case). The Graz Art Project Competition Office will ensure that the anonymity of entrants is preserved in the judging process. Important notes Works submitted to the competition will not be returned to entrants. Entrants must bear all expenses incurred in entering the competition. While the relevant entrant shall retain the copyright of each winning entry, the Graz Art Project Competition Office shall have right of use of those works for announcement and publicity purposes. The Graz Art Project Competition Office shall decide the dates and duration of the screening of the winning entries at the Kunsthaus Graz. The first award ceremony in Tokyo is scheduled to be held in April 2005 and the award ceremony in Graz in June 2005. Winners will be notified of the exact dates of the award ceremonies once they are finalized. The winner of the Grand Prix is free to choose whether or not to accept the invitation to be Artist in Residence in Graz. In principle, the Graz Art Project Competition Office shall decide the term of the Grand Prix winner's stay in Graz. The Graz Art Project Competition Office shall bear the expenses under the Grand Prix award (covering travel to attend the award ceremony and travel/stay in Graz as Artist in Residence) for one person only, regardless of whether the winning entrant is an individual or a group. Each entrant may submit one entry only. No individual or group may submit or take part in more than one entry. Entries may not be submitted under the names of corporate or commercial entities. Before sending their entry, entrants are advised to check that the CD-ROMs submitted open and operate on computers other than the computer on which they were created. (Please note that any file on the CD-ROMs that cannot be opened by the computers at the Graz Art Project Competition Office will not be submitted for judging.) The Graz Art Project Competition Office will not accept any inquiries regarding the competition. The Graz Art Project Competition Office cannot respond to any inquiries about specific entries. Should these competition guidelines be amended, the revised guidelines shall be posted on the Internet at this site.