Article 1 - Philosophy

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Despite the growing interest in various forms of artistic realizations, this nevertheless still is confronted with some limitations. Contemporary art is gaining in importance, but is only one facet of the overall contemporary artistic production. Art inspired by and in contact with the technological developments of today is not a mainstream interest. It is our aim to promote these contemporary art forms and further open them up to a wider audience.

From the very beginning, the Liedts-Meesen Foundation has made a clear choice for these little known forms of artistic expression. This conscious choice is consistent with the transnational goals of the foundation.

This award is thus restricted to new technological art.

What the word cannot voice or what the letter cannot express is completed by artistic talent, but a lasting expression was realized through canvas and paint in the form of a two dimensional image, or through the cutting and grinding of stone or wood in order to create three-dimensional objects.

In the past, artists had few ways to help to express their emotions, commitment and values. New forms have emerged: architecture, music, choreography, photography, cinematography, broadcasting, multimedia, ... have widened the boundaries of artistic expression and many restrictions from the past have been lifted. Today new sciences are used such as electronics, telecommunications, biology and genetics, as well as new materials such as steel, glass, plastics and fluids.

We situate the new technological art in these domains. This implies the use of new technologies, processes or materials but only as part of an artistic creation that does not neglect the aesthetics and artistic expression.

Article 2 - Properties of technological art

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A classification of this multitude of shapes, colours and sounds on ever changing carriers is almost impossible to make, but some features are always coming back.

The creations are transnational or have universal characteristics: boundaries of religion, philosophy, economic background and geography are of no importance, thanks to the fact that the selected carriers are universally spread. Artists in this sense belong to a group who has become citizens of the world through the Internet. Technological art thus quite easily exceeds the boundaries and must be open to very different sensibilities. A work of technological art belongs to the global culture and does not belong to the tradition nor the characteristics of minorities.

In the past, a painting or a sculpture could trigger emotions, could make a teenager blush, but the interaction was not reciprocal or was in any case limited. In works of technological art, the individual can directly or indirectly intervene in what he sees, hears, smells or feels. By manoeuvres like blowing, shouting, ... he/she can directly influence the outcome of the creation. Indirectly he/she may intervene in the chemical, electronic or software processes and thus the necessary degrees of freedom, in order to influence the full interactivity and reciprocal creation. This was not possible in earlier art forms. There may have been some attempts in theatre and architecture, but this activity was limited and usually not constructive.

The great diversity of these technologies and the unclassifiable nature of this technological art can be seen as a characteristic. The topics are endless, every day the carriers are improved and updated. New tools and technologies arise. In most works the originality and the use of several procedures or techniques in parallel plays a major role. Finally, these resources are deployed in the various existing forms of art. This combination of resources also increases the diversity.

Article 3 - Objectives and contents

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The New Technological Art Award from the Liedts-Meesen Foundation aims to reward living artists for a work in the area defined above that was created in the past two years. The prize goes to a specific work that is submitted and not to different realizations of an artist.