Fivex

JOINT WINNERS SHARE INAGURAL $30K DIGITAL BILLBAORD ART PRIZE

Mary-Ann Petitto — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 21:30:14 +0000

Joint winners share inaugural $30K digital billboard art prize

Architecture news & editorial desk

Melbourne-based artists Catherine Clover and Daniel Kotsimbos were announced as the winners of the Fivex Art Prize, the first awards program dedicated to digital billboard art in Australia.

Sponsored by Australia’s leading premium digital billboard company, QMS Media, the Fivex Art Prize: Billboard Art Reimagined, offers a Grand Prize of $30,000 as well as $1,000 for each of the shortlisted artists. The award has been established for creative individuals of all disciplines to reimagine the dynamic relationship between art and visually mediated street culture.

The winners were announced by Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Sally Capp at a launch event for the Prize’s outdoor exhibition displaying the works of all six finalists on two prominent LED QMS Media billboards – a horizontal corner ‘wrap’ and a vertical ‘podium’ – opposite Flinders St Railway Station in the heart of Melbourne CBD.

The 2020 Fivex Art Prize drew over 520 entries from photographers, graphic designers, street artists, illustrators and architects from across Australia. All the winning and finalists’ works will be on view at intervals throughout the day, interspersed with, and surrounded by commercial advertising content, inviting passers-by to experience, and engage with their built environment.

The winners were chosen from a group of six emerging and established artists by a panel of judges drawn from art, media and advertising, and included Jane Devery, Curator, Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Victoria; Liss Fenwick, Public Art Project Lead, Melbourne City Council; Gary Deirmendjian, Artist; Charmaine Moldrich, CEO, Outdoor Media Association; and Alessio Cavallaro, Creative Producer, Fivex Art Prize, and media art curator.

Commenting on the winning works, Cavallaro said, “Catherine Clover and Daniel Kotsimbos have created conceptually rigorous yet contrasting works. Both ambiguous and ironic, their works present striking visualisations of Melbourne’s sonic environment. While Song Cycle humorously transposes bird songs into human phonetic speech-text patterns, Peak Frequency digitally renders the increasingly opaque multi-layers of our complex acoustic urban space into a dense visual tableau.”

Describing the Fivex Art Prize as an innovative addition to Melbourne’s rich creative heritage, the Lord Mayor said, “Showcasing the best digital art from across the country on a prominent CBD billboard is another reason to come into the city to enjoy what’s on offer. I’m very proud that two Melburnians, Catherine Clover and Daniel Kotsimbos, have jointly won the inaugural prize.”

QMS Media Group CEO Barclay Nettlefold added, “The Fivex Prize is a significant new art award that promotes new forms of bold, memorable street art for today’s digital age. Both of the winning works push the boundaries of what we expect from street art and billboards alike and QMS is proud to showcase their work on such a powerful digital canvas, right in the heart of Melbourne.”

The finalists’ works will be individually exhibited daily along with commercial advertising content until 31 January 2021. The works will also be presented collectively in one-hour group screenings without advertising from 12pm–1pm on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December, with the weekend schedule to repeat until the end of the exhibition.

https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/joint-winners-share-$30k-digital-billboard-prize#

BIRDSONG AND SONIC PATTERNS WIN FIRST DIGITAL BILLBOARD ART AWARD

Mary-Ann Petitto — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 04:50:32 +0000

Birdsong and sonic patterns win first digital billboard art award

Melbourne-based artists Catherine Clover and Daniel Kotsimbos will share the $30,000 Fivex Art Prize: Billboard Art Reimagined – taking home $15,000 each in Australia’s first award dedicated to digital billboard art.

Winners of the Fivex Art Prize: Song Cycle by Catherine Clover (above and lower left), and Peak Frequency by Daniel Kotsimbos (below and lower right)

The inaugural Fivex Art Prize, sponsored by outdoor advertiser QMS Media, attracted more than 500 entries from graphic designers, photographers, street artists, illustrators and architects across Australia.

From a group of six shortlisted artists, the winners were announced by Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Sally Capp at an exhibition that displayed all of the finalists’ works on two prominent QMS billboards opposite the Flinders St Railway Station in Melbourne.

Catherine Clover’s (VIC) Song Cycle is centred on the phonetic words used by bird field guides to approximate the bird songs of the Indigenous Red Wattlebird and the introduced Common Starling, both local to Melbourne’s CBD. “These seemingly nonsense texts incorporate phonetic words used by naturalists to approximate a bird’s call or song,” Clover said. “The Red Wattlebird’s scratchy raucous song is rendered for the horizontal billboard using the rhythm and metre of an early morning exchange. The complex song of the Common Starling includes a long dropping melodic note, ideal for the vertical billboard. Hopefully, viewers will find it irresistible to sound out the calls as they pass by. Both birds are common to Melbourne. The Woiwurrung word Yan-Guk (Red Wattlebird) is a translation by Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Gail Smith.”

Daniel Kotsimbos’ (VIC) Peak Frequency presents a visualisation of the sonic patterns recorded at Melbourne Square Crossing to reflect on the public space and routine foundations of our public lives. “Peak Frequency is a data visualisation of sonic patterns recorded at Melbourne Square Crossing,” said Kotsimbos. “Made from a site-specific audio recording, the artwork is essentially a spectrogram of the billboards’ location. The spectrogram on the ‘wrap’ billboard shows time represented horizontally on the x-axis, and sonic frequency on the vertical y-axis. A colour key indicating decibel intensity is shown on the vertical billboard. Peak Frequency is a hypnotic representation of a public space, encouraging critical awareness of the systematic and routine foundations of our public lives.”

Capp said: “The Fivex Art Prize: Billboard Art Reimagined is an innovative addition to our city’s rich creative heritage. Showcasing the best digital art from across the country on a prominent CBD billboard is another reason to come into the city to enjoy what’s on offer.”

The jury included Charmaine Moldrich (CEO, Outdoor Media Association), Jane Devery (curator, Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Victoria), Liss Fenwick (public art project lead, Melbourne City Council), Gary Deirmendjian (artist), and Alessio Cavallaro (creative producer, Fivex Art Prize and media art curator).

The finalists’ works will be on view at intervals until the end of January, interspersed with commercial advertising content. The other finalists were awarded AU$1,000 each.

https://www.wideformatonline.com/news/wide-format-news/10920-birdsong-and-sonic-patterns-win-first-digital-billboard-art-award.html

Fivex Art Prize joint winners revealed

Mary-Ann Petitto — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 04:41:20 +0000

Fivex Art Prize joint winners revealed

The winners of the inaugural Fivex Art Prize – Australia’s first award focused on billboard art – have now been revealed.

Out of a prestigious group of six shortlisted artists, Catherine Clover and Daniel Kotsimbos, who are both Melbourne-based, will share the $30,000 prize, taking home $15,000 each. The results were announced by Lord Mayor Sally Capp, and Clover and Kotsimbos will have their pieces, Song Cycle and Peak Frequency respectively, displayed on large LED billboards (one wraparound and one vertical) at the corner of Elizabeth and Flinders Streets opposite the railway station until the end of January 2021.

“The Fivex Art Prize: Billboard Art Reimagined is an innovative addition to our city’s rich creative heritage,” said Capp at the announcement. “Showcasing the best digital art from across the country on a prominent CBD billboard is another reason to come into the city to enjoy what’s on offer.”

The prize jury included Jane Devery (curator, Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Victoria), Liss Fenwick (public art project lead, Melbourne City Council), Gary Deirmendjian (artist), Charmaine Moldrich (CEO, Outdoor Media Association) and Alessio Cavallaro (creative producer, Fivex Art Prize and media art curator).

Catherine Clover’s Song Cycle (pictured at top) centres on the phonetic words used by bird field guides to approximate the bird songs of the Indigenous red wattlebird and the introduced common starling, both local to Melbourne’s CBD. The red wattlebird’s scratchy raucous song is rendered for the horizontal billboard using the rhythm and metre of an early morning exchange, which includes two slightly varied groups of three notes, repeated. The complex song of the common starling, which includes a long dropping melodic note fills the vertical billboard.

Daniel Kotsimbos’ Peak Frequency (pictured below) presents a visualisation of the sonic patterns recorded at Melbourne Square Crossing to reflect on the public space and routine foundations of our public lives. Made from a site-specific audio recording, the artwork is a spectrogram of the billboards’ location. The spectrogram on the wraparound billboard shows time represented horizontally on the x-axis, and sonic frequency on the vertical y-axis. A colour key indicating decibel intensity is shown on the vertical billboard.

The other shortlisted artists will each receive $1000 and their entries will join those of the winning duo on display at intervals throughout the day, alternating with advertising content.

On weekends, between 12 noon and 1pm, and starting on on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December, all six pieces will be displayed in one-hour, no advertising, group screenings.

The billboards belong to QMS media Group and its CEO, Barclay Nettlefold, says the competition is “a significant new art award that promotes new forms of bold, memorable street art for today’s digital age. Both of the winning works push the boundaries of what we expect from street art and billboards alike and QMS is proud to showcase their work on such a powerful digital canvas, right in the heart of Melbourne.”

fivexartprize.com.au

Inaugural billboard art prize awarded to Melbourne artists

Mary-Ann Petitto — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 22:30:07 +0000

By Kerrie O’Brien

December 14, 2020 — 5.41pm

THE AGE

Inaugural billboard art prize awarded to Melbourne artists

Daniel Kotsimbos, joint winner of the inaugural Fivex Art Prize.CREDIT:JASON SOUTH

Artist Daniel Kotsimbos sees the city as a giant instrument that is played by all who interact with it. “Everyone contributes to these sounds in some way, we all play into this pattern,” he says.

Kotsimbos and Catherine Clover are the joint winners of the inaugural Fivex Art Prize: Billboard Art Reimagined and will share $30,000 in prize money.

In a year when many of our realities revolved around an online existence, it seems an appropriate prize: the first for an artwork designed for a digital billboard.

Their works will be displayed on billboards opposite Flinders Street Station, on the corner of Elizabeth and Flinders Streets, until the end of January. All six finalists’ work will be on show, the four runners-up – Kent Morris, Deborah Kelly, Phi Do and Magdalene Carmen – each won $1000. They were selected from 520 entries by photographers, graphic designers, street artists illustrators and architects around the country.

Kotsimbos’ winning entry Peak Frequency is a visualisation of a sound recording, taken at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets. The 23-year-old says it was recorded before COVID hit, at peak hour on a weekday. The idea of the piece is to make people more aware of the world around them.

“You see the sequenced nature of the environment,” he says. “You see patterns and try to read it like a graph, things like trams going past every 8 minutes, traffic light signals triggering and bouncing…”

“I wanted it to feel almost hypnotic, for it to feel not like data, so it looks like sunset, that’s why I chose that pallette. It does show that there’s quite a lot of noise pollution. It really is taking the noise of the city and showing it for what it is; it’s a grid.”

Kotsimbos works in what he calls transitory media, through event or site specific installations. His next work is called Data Sonification, in which he converts data into sound.

Co-winner Catherine Clover’s work imagines a conversation between two birds, a native, the Red Wattle Bird or yan-guk in Woi Wurrung, and an introduced bird, the Common Starling, which the English brought to Melbourne in the 1860s. Both are still common birds and Clover argues the sounds made by the newcomer would surely have influenced the original inhabitant. “Like we do, songbirds learn their language; it is not innate,” she says.

Part of her prize money for the work, called Song Cycle, will go to the Pay The Rent Initiative, which seeks to financially recognise the ongoing trauma of colonisation.

Catherine Clover’s piece Song Cycle is centred on the phonetic words used by bird field guides to approximate the bird songs of the Indigenous Red Wattlebird and the introduced Common Starling, both local to Melbourne’s CBD.CREDIT:JASON SOUTH

Clover works with sound and language and is interested in inter-species communication. “As humans we tend to use this idea of complex language as a very human skill that other creatures don’t have, which I like to question in my art. Often I am writing scores – you could say these work are scores.”

The artworks will be displayed regularly throughout the day, alongside that more conventional billboard content: advertising. Both are experimental and their geographical location means they are visible to a broad audience. Clover likes the fact her artwork is mixed in with advertising. “The word art can put people off, all these associations of it being exclusive, ‘that’s not for me’. People can just have the experience, that’s the beauty of it.”

“What I’m hoping is people are wandering around the city going about their daily business, going ‘Rrorrk Ah Ee Ah'” she says, mimicking brilliantly the sound of Red Wattle Bird. “Kids of course are the most willing to do this sort of thing, whereas adults tend to a bit more reluctant.”

Who made the FIVEX Billboard Art Prize cut?

Mary-Ann Petitto — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 22:20:54 +0000

Who made the FIVEX Billboard Art Prize cut?

From native bird calls to sonic visualisations of public space, the inaugural swag of finalists for the Fivex Art Prize will capture the imagination of commuters at billboard proportions.

Digital rendition by Co-winner Catherine Clover for Inaugural Fivex Art Prize. Image courtesy the artist and QMS Media.

GINA FAIRLEY

Monday 14 December, 2020

Billboards – we see them every day – but have we ever considered them as art? Probably not. Until now.

Six Australian artists’ works will feature on Melbourne’s most prominent billboard real estate – the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets, opposite the iconic Flinders Station – where they will capture the imagination of commuters.

The Prize is the first of its kind in Australia, conceived of and presented by The Fivex Foundation.

It is not exclusive to visual artists, but aims to celebrate that zone of fusion between media artists, graphic designers, street artists, photographers and architects, in a more realistic 21^st reflection of art making.

The organisers said the hope was to push beyond the trend to compartmentalise commercial designers and artists, and recognise that it is all creative practice.

The six to finalists were chosen from more than 520 entries nationally. They are: Magdalene Carmen (VIC), Catherine Clover (VIC), Phi Do (VIC), Deborah Kelly (NSW), Daniel Kotsimbos (VIC) and Kent Morris (VIC). The finalists in this milestone project each receive $1,000.

The Fivex Art Prize awards $30,000 to the winner. But in a surprising twist, the inaugural Prize has been awarded to two artists, Catherine Clover and Daniel Kotsimbos receiving $15,000 each.

A STRATEGIC MASH UP

Alessio Cavallaro, Creative Producer, Fivex Art Prize, told ArtsHub that the finalists works will be screened interspersed with, and surrounded by, commercial advertising content.

He said that key to the project was, ‘subverting expectations and surprising audiences.’

‘We challenged artists to stretch their thinking – hence the Prize tag line ‘billboard art reimagined’ – to be keenly aware of the site context, asking ‘how can my work engage viewers when presented within a continuum of changing advertising imagery in an exhibition space above Melbourne’s busiest intersection?’’

We will soon discover.

Delayed from its proposed March unveiling due to COVID-19, the Prize has been announced by Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Sally Capp (14 December), and the works will be showcased on the QMS digital billboards until the end of January 2021.

Finalist, Daniel Kotsimbos’ Peak Frequency. Image courtesy the artist.

He explains: ‘the artwork is essentially a spectrogram of the billboards’ location [which] shows time represented horizontally on the x-axis, and sonic frequency on the vertical y-axis … It’s a hypnotic representation of a public space.’

Similarly, designer and illustrator Phi Do turned to the city’s geometric layout with his stylised work, Move in All Directions.

A particular cheeky intervention is the work of designer, photographer and poet Magdalene Carmen, who fuses distinct road and construction signs with smart phone aesthetics, in her piece Hello Sign / Hey! Sign.

She says: ‘Mobility, a plethora of visual media and micro messages mark the 21st century, its zeitgeist perhaps best summarised in the graspable beauty of the mobile phone with its apps, containing our whole lives.’

It is a fun play with many waiting at the crossing diverted from their hand-held screens, to the big screens of the billboards.

There is also an environmental thread and messaging across the finalists chosen.

Artist and inaugural co-winner, Catherine Clover’s Song Cycle is based on songs of the Red Wattlebird and the Common Starling, turned to phonetic words for bird field guides.

She explained: ‘These seemingly nonsense texts incorporate phonetic words used by naturalists to approximate a bird’s call or song … Hopefully, viewers will find it irresistible to sound out the calls as they pass by.’

The co-winners, Clover and Kotsimbos’ works could be described as the most abstract of the six finalists in the way they are evocative of sound works rather than just purely visual expressions, and playing off the sound of the built environment to raise the broader questions of what is art and how it impacts us on a daily basis just walking streets, or rushing to work.

Finalist, Kent Morris’ City of the Future. Image courtesy the artist.

Artist and curator Kent Morris also takes his cue from Australia’s native songbird in City of the Future, which turns to the Magpie to highlight the Indigenous history of Melbourne’s landscape and its future.

Artist Deborah Kelly, known for her striking collages, captures the complex entanglement of city life whilst reminding viewers of the natural world’s resilience and promise of harmony.

Her piece Evolutionary Exuberance has been created from elements collected over three years, and ‘seeks to enchant the viewer with a shimmering array of complex inter-species entanglement.’

‘As history narrows and the world warms, this artwork is a balm and a herald of recovery and resilience,’ she added.

Finalist, artist Deborah Kelly’s Evolutionary Exuberance, detail (2020). Image supplied courtesy the artist.

Preview the selected finalists.

Ambitious is a good work to describe these finalist works. The public will encounter them as a kind of a jolt, perked by the anomaly: ‘That doesn’t look like an advert.’

Cavallaro added: ‘You are not expecting to see artworks when looking at billboards. A primary aim of the Prize is to highlight the interplay between vernaculars of art and advertising, and the creative trends that oscillate between them, while riffing off the perceived conditional space for art in a gallery or museum.’

Unrelated to the Prize, but now serendipitously coinciding with it due to the COVID delay, is a new public artwork by artist Gary Deirmendjian.

Commissioned by The Fivex Foundation for the Digital Facade in Melbourne’s iconic Federation Square, pulse is a subtly beating colour field of light that envelops visitors for several hours most evenings until 31January 2021.

Deirmendjian said the ‘artwork offers a tangible expression of the city’s strengthening heartbeat after prolonged COVID lockdown, filling the public space with gentle pulsing light that spills out through the perforated facades and reflects on passers by and the surrounding buildings.’

The Fivex Foundation is a philanthropic enterprise dedicated to initiating and supporting a range of community and cultural programs.

The Fivex Art Prize will be an annual event, with the desire to grow this unique project internationally. The Prize is sponsored by the digital billboard company, QMS Media.

All of the finalists’ works will be individually exhibited daily, interspersed among commercial advertising content, until 31 January 2021. The works will also be presented collectively, in one-hour group screenings without advertising, at 12pm–1pm on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December (and similar weekend schedule thereafter until the end of the exhibition).

Learn more about the annual Fivex Art Prize.

FIVEX ART PRIZE: BILLBOARD ART REIMAGINED

Mary-Ann Petitto — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 23:51:44 +0000

BY MADELEINE SWAIN ON 1 DECEMBER 2020

The Fivex Art Prize is Australia’s first digital billboard art award. Following the recent announcement of the Know My Name initiative (Marketing 19 November), it is another project launched to showcase the works of Australian artists via the medium of screens and digital billboards. The difference is that for this Melbourne CBD-based event, the focus is on emerging and leading artists who have made works specifically for the medium itself with a display of digital billboard art.

Sponsored by digital billboard company, QMS Media, and presented by philanthropic community and cultural support organisation, the Fivex Foundation, the inaugural $30,000 Fivex Art Prize: Billboard Art Reimagined is aimed at bringing vibrancy and colour to the city as it emerges from spring’s COVID-19 lockdown.

The winning and finalist works will be presented on two prominent billboards opposite Flinders Street Railway Station in Melbourne from Monday 14 December to the end of January 2021. The winner will be announced at the launch of the exhibition by Melbourne’s newly re-elected Lord Mayor, Sally Capp.

Out of 500 Australia-wide entries, six artists and creatives were selected earlier in the year as finalists and, as well as that Grand Prize of $30,000 for the winner, each of the artists on the shortlist will win $1000.

The 2020 Fivex Art Prize finalist works are:

● Hello Sign/Hey Sign – by Magdalene Carmen (Vic). The multidisciplinary designer, photographer and poet’s piece celebrates urban Melbourne by combining the simple, distinct forms of road and construction signs with smartphone aesthetics.

● Song Cycle – by Catherine Clover (Vic). This is centred on the phonetic words used by bird field guides to approximate the bird songs of the Indigenous red Wattlebird and the introduced common starling, both local to Melbourne’s CBD.

● Move in All Directions – by Phi Do (Vic). The illustrator’s work is a stylised tribute to the city’s geometric layout and Flinders and Elizabeth Streets intersection, Melbourne’s only diagonal crossing.

● Evolutionary Exuberance – by Deborah Kelly (NSW). This offering captures the complex interspecies entanglement of city life while reminding viewers of the natural world’s resilience and promise of harmony.

● Peak Frequency – by Daniel Kotsimbos (Vic). Also mindful of its environment, this piece presents a visualisation of the sonic patterns recorded at Melbourne Square Crossing to reflect on the public space and routine foundations of our public lives.

● City of the Future – by Kent Morris (Vic). The artist and curator’s photographic montage includes Australia’s native songbird, the magpie, to highlight the Indigenous histories and stories that are central to Melbourne’s landscape and its future.

A week before the launch, the Fivex Foundation’s first major commission, Gary Deirmendjian’s pulse, will begin screening at Federation Square in the city. Described by the artist as “the imagined heartbeat of the vernacular, pulsing silently with calm yet vital assurance” and taking over the digital façade for several hours most evenings with a rhythmically beating colour field of light, the artwork is intended to offer a “tangible expression of the city’s strengthening heartbeat after prolonged COVID lockdown, filling the public space with gentle pulsing light that spills out through the perforated façades and reflects on passers-by and the surrounding buildings” according to a press release.

Commissioned by the Fivex Foundation and presented in association with Federation Square, pulse will also be on display until 31 January 2021.

Image: Evolutionary Exuberance (detail) 2020 – Deborah Kelly

BY MADELEINE SWAIN ON 1 DECEMBER 2020

HOW STREET ART CAN REVITALISE A CITY

Mary-Ann Petitto — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 23:43:45 +0000

Postponed due to COVID, the first edition of the Fivex Art Prize will soon be announced with artworks to be featured on the iconic QMS Media billboards in the middle of Melbourne’s CBD, bringing much needed artistic energy back to a city that has endured so much under lockdown.

top, l–r: Deborah Kelly, Evolutionary Exuberance; Catherine Clover, Song Cycle; Magdalene Carmen, Hello Sign / Hey Sign bottom, l–r: Phi Do, Move In All Directions; Daniel Kotsimbos, Peak Frequency; Kent Morris, City Of The Future.

SABINE BRIX

Friday 4 December, 2020

Prior to March 2020, Melbourne’s CBD was bustling; the sun was out and foot traffic was constant during the busy summer period in the lead-up to the pioneering Fivex Art Prize: Billboard Art Reimagined.

This unique Australian art award offers six finalists the opportunity to showcase their works on two large digital billboards on the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth streets.

At last, the prize will be announced and presented by Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Sally Capp on Monday 14 December. The winner will receive AU$30,000, with each finalist to receive $1,000.

All of the finalists’ works will be individually exhibited daily, interspersed among commercial advertising content, and also presented collectively, in one-hour group screenings without advertising, at 12pm on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The exhibition runs until the end of January 2021.

Alessio Cavallaro, Creative Producer of the Fivex Art Prize, said this major initiative is a new form of street art in Australia, specific to Melbourne.

‘As people return to the streets after such a challenging year indoors, the selected works will create surprising moments of intrigue and delight for passers by,’ Cavallaro said.

‘Viewed outside of conventional art galleries, and among commercial content, the artworks expand the context of “art in public spaces” and redefine modes of engaging with art that is situated in a constantly changing visual media landscape. Each of the six selected artists has responded superbly to these dynamic shifts. The stylistic diversity of the artworks will capture viewers’ attention, and spark their imaginations in subtle, provocative, and playful ways,’ he added.

The finalists are: Magdalene Carmen (VIC), Catherine Clover (VIC), Phi Do (VIC), Deborah Kelly (NSW), Daniel Kotsimbos (VIC), and Kent Morris (VIC). Cavallaro noted that, ‘Their works broadly explore tensions and reveries between urban and natural environments.’

Deborah Kelly’s Evolutionary Exuberance captures the complex inter-species entanglement of city life reminding viewers of nature’s resilience and promise of harmony, while Kent Morris’ photographic montage City of the Future features Australia’s native songbird the Magpie to highlight the Indigenous histories and stories that are central to Melbourne’s landscape.

The Prize attracted over 520 entries from across Australia, and highlights artists’ immediate enthusiasm to embrace a new exhibition platform.

Joshua Berger, Director of The Fivex Foundation and Fivex Art Prize said: ‘The Prize offers extraordinary potential as a new artistic medium and, particularly in the wake of the global health crisis, an unparalleled opportunity for artists to exhibit in an easily accessible and safe way outside the conventional gallery setting. We’ve received a strong response to the inaugural Prize and are delighted to be able to support the cultural sector which has been severely impacted by the pandemic.’

THE HEARTBEAT OF A CITY STRONGER THAN EVER

In addition to the Prize, Fivex has announced another exciting initiative: a newly commissioned work that will ‘activate’ Federation Square during most evenings from 7 December 2020 to 31 January 2021.

pulse is the latest work by Sydney-based artist Gary Deirmendjian. With its rhythmically beating colour field of light, the artwork offers a tangible expression of the city’s strengthening heartbeat after the prolonged Covid lockdown, filling the public space with gentle pulsing light that spills out through the perforated facades and reflects on passers by and the surrounding buildings.

A compelling presence in Australian contemporary art, Deirmendjian’s unusual mode of practice has produced an extensive body of work – sculpture, photography, video, installation, and site-specific interventions – that is often described as beguiling, thought-provoking and socially concerned.

Although pulse is strikingly different from the Fivex Prize artworks on the billboards, Cavallaro said: ‘The two projects are complementary, and perfectly coincide to revitalise the cultural heart of Melbourne.’

The Fivex Art Prize is presented by The Fivex Foundation, and sponsored by QMS Media, Australia’s leading digital billboard company.

**Gary Deirmendjian’s pulse is commissioned by The Fivex Foundation, and presented in association with Federation Square.**

The Fivex Foundation is a philanthropic enterprise dedicated to initiating and supporting a range of community and cultural programs.

For more information visit Fivex Art Prize.

Mary-Ann Petitto — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 23:39:39 +0000

MEDIA RELEASE

1 December 2020

FIVEX FOUNDATION TO ACTIVATE SCREENS AND BILLBOARDS ACROSS MELBOURNE’S CBD WITH NEW ARTWORKS THIS DECEMBER

– Announcement and exhibition of Australia’s first digital billboard art award valued $30,000 – – Major new commission in Federation Square by celebrated Australian artist Gary Deirmendjian –

Melbourne, Australia: The Fivex Foundation will enliven Melbourne’s CBD this December with a series of new screen and digital billboard artworks by leading and emerging artists from across Australia. The inaugural $30,000 Fivex Art Prize: Billboard Art Reimagined, Australia’s first award dedicated to digital billboard art, will present the winning and finalist works from 14 December 2020 – 31 January 2021 on two prominent billboards opposite Flinders St Railway Station, with the winner announced at the exhibition launch. From 7 December 2020 – 31 January 2021, the Foundation’s first major commission – by celebrated Australian artist Gary Deirmendjian, titled pulse – will set Melbourne’s iconic Federation Square aglow.

Joshua Berger, Director of The Fivex Foundation and Fivex Art Prize said: “The Fivex Art Prize offers extraordinary potential as a new artistic medium and, particularly in the wake of the global health crisis, an unparalleled opportunity for artists to exhibit in an easily accessible and safe way outside the conventional gallery setting. We’ve received a strong response to the inaugural Prize and are delighted to be able to support the cultural sector which has been severely impacted by the pandemic. We are proud to also be presenting the Foundation’s first commission, by esteemed artist Gary Deirmendjian.”

The Fivex Art Prize, sponsored by Australia’s leading premium digital billboard company, QMS Media, has been established for creative individuals of all disciplines to reimagine the dynamic relationship between art and contemporary street culture. QMS Chief Marketing Officer Sara Lappage commented, “QMS is proud to provide media sponsorship for this inaugural billboard art award, particularly at a time when the city is re-awakening and Melbournians are embracing being in the great outdoors once again. We are excited to see the finalists showcase their work on such a powerful digital canvas, right in the heart of Melbourne.”

The Prize offers a Grand Prize of AU$30,000 as well as $1,000 for each of the shortlisted artists. Six artists and creatives were selected as finalists earlier this year from over 500 entries from around the country. The winner will be announced by Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Sally Capp on Monday 14 December at the exhibition launch.

MEDIA RELEASE

1 December 2020

The winning work will be presented alongside the five finalists on two large digital billboards prominently located at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets in the heart of Melbourne. The six finalist works explore themes including city life and the natural world and will be on view at intervals throughout the day, interspersed with, and surrounded by, commercial advertising content, surprising city-goers to re-engage and experience their built environment differently.

The 2020 Fivex Art Prize finalist works are:

Multidisciplinary designer and Designer, photographer and poet Magdalene Carmen’s (VIC) Hello Sign / Hey Sign celebrates urban Melbourne by combining the simple, distinct forms of road and construction signs with smartphone aesthetics.
Artist Catherine Clover’s (VIC) Song Cycle is centred on the phonetic words used by bird field guides to approximate the bird songs of the Indigenous Red Whattlebird and the introduced Common Starling, both local to Melbourne’s CBD.
Illustrator Phi Do’s (VIC) Move in All Directions is a stylised tribute to the city’s geometric layout and Flinders and Elizabeth street intersection, Melbourne’s only diagonal crossing.
Celebrated artist Deborah Kelly’s (NSW) Evolutionary Exuberance captures the complex inter-species entanglement of city life whilst reminding viewers of the natural world’s resilience and promise of harmony. ● Artist Daniel Kotsimbos’ (VIC) Peak Frequency which presents a visualisation of the sonic patterns recorded at

Melbourne Square Crossing to reflect on the public space and routine foundations of our public lives. ● Artist and curator Kent Morris’ (VIC) photographic montage City of the Future includes Australia’s native songbird the Magpie to highlight the Indigenous histories and stories that are central to Melbourne’s landscape and its future.

Gary Deirmendjian’s new digital work pulse is the Fivex Foundation’s first major art commission and will take over the Digital Facade in Melbourne’s iconic Federation Square for several hours most evenings from 7 December 2020 – 31 January 2021 with a rhythmically beating colour field of light. The artwork offers a tangible expression of the city’s strengthening heartbeat after prolonged COVID lockdown, filling the public space with gentle pulsing light that spills out through the perforated facades and reflects on passers by and the surrounding buildings.

Artist Gary Deirmendjian said, “It is the imagined heartbeat of the vernacular, pulsing silently with calm yet vital assurance. The City stirs…”

Gary Deirmendjian’s pulse is commissioned by the Fivex Foundation and presented in association with Federation Square.

MEDIA RELEASE

1 December 2020

The 2020 Fivex Art Prize finalist works are:

Multidisciplinary designer and Designer, photographer and poet Magdalene Carmen’s (VIC) Hello Sign / Hey Sign celebrates urban Melbourne by combining the simple, distinct forms of road and construction signs with smartphone aesthetics.
Artist Catherine Clover’s (VIC) Song Cycle is centred on the phonetic words used by bird field guides to approximate the bird songs of the Indigenous Red Whattlebird and the introduced Common Starling, both local to Melbourne’s CBD.
Illustrator Phi Do’s (VIC) Move in All Directions is a stylised tribute to the city’s geometric layout and Flinders and Elizabeth street intersection, Melbourne’s only diagonal crossing.
Celebrated artist Deborah Kelly’s (NSW) Evolutionary Exuberance captures the complex inter-species entanglement of city life whilst reminding viewers of the natural world’s resilience and promise of harmony. ● Artist Daniel Kotsimbos’ (VIC) Peak Frequency which presents a visualisation of the sonic patterns recorded at

Artist Gary Deirmendjian said, “It is the imagined heartbeat of the vernacular, pulsing silently with calm yet vital assurance. The City stirs…”

Gary Deirmendjian’s pulse is commissioned by the Fivex Foundation and presented in association with Federation Square.

For more information please see: https://www.fivexartprize.com.au/

Key dates & details:

First Prize winning artist announced and artworks premiered Monday 14 December 2020 ● First prize AU$30,000
Other finalists awarded AU$1,000 each
Artworks presented on the QMS Media billboards from 14 December 2020 – 31 January 2021

MEDIA RELEASE

1 December 2020

MEDIA CONTACT: To request interviews, artist statements, imagery and information in relation to the Prize, please contact Articulate: Megan Bentley, megan@articulatepr.com.au, 0452 214 611 or Sasha Haughan, sasha@articulatepr.com.au, 0405 006 035

IMAGES: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hn3vkufm8pysj6c/AAA6Uu-iE4Byerr86q_1ho38a?dl=0 IMAGE CAPTION: Deborah Kelly, Evolutionary Exuberance (2020).

ABOUT THE FIVEX FOUNDATION

The Fivex Foundation is a philanthropic enterprise dedicated to initiating and supporting a range of community and cultural programs.

ABOUT GARY DEIRMENDJIAN

A sharp observer of the present. Gary Deirmendjian is a compelling and accomplished voice in Australian contemporary art. His unusual mode of practice has produced an extensive body of work that is often described as beguiling, thought provoking and socially concerned. Deirmendjian’s work involves shared space, existing in public as poised suggestions in direct friction with daily life. They also often challenge audiences with their scale and immersive qualities.

His practice encompasses sculpture, photography, video, installation and site-specific intervention. He has exhibited extensively and received numerous new work invitations and commissions for public and private artworks, as well as site-specific projects, realised broadly in Australia and several internationally.

The Fivex Art Prize is sponsored by QMS Media, Australia’s leading digital billboard company.

FIVEX ART PRIZE EXPLORES THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT

Mary-Ann Petitto — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 22:13:10 +0000

Fivex Art Prize explores the digital environment

Sarah Buckley

Six finalist have been selected as finalists for the inaugural Fives Art Prize from over 500 entries globally.

Conceived and presented by the Fives Foundation, Australia’s first prize or innovative digital billboard art also offers a prize of $30,000 as well as $1,000 for each of the shortlisted artists.

The awards are sponsored by digital billboard company, QMS Media, and has been established for creative individuals of a variety of disciplines to explore the new medium.

The winning work will be announced on 30 March and presented alongside the finalists until 3 May on two large digital billboards located at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth streets in Melbourne.

The six works explore themes of city life and the natural world, and will be on view at intervals throughout the day, interspersed with commercial advertising content, prompting city-goers to engage with their built environment and new media that dominates it.

Joshua Berger, founder & director, Fivex Art Prize says, “Digital billboards have extraordinary potential as a new artistic medium by providing an unparalleled opportunity for artists to engage with the public outside of the conventional gallery setting.

15/03/2020

https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/fivex-art-prize

Finalists announced for Australia’s first digital billboard art competition

Mary-Ann Petitto — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 23:54:44 +0000

Finalists announced for Australia’s first digital billboard art competition

The inaugural Fivex Art Prize offers up a total prize pool of $35,000, with the artists’ work displayed across two massive LED billboards in Melbourne’s CBD.

Finalists of the Fivex Art Prize will have their artworks displayed on QMS Media digital billboards at the intersection of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets in Melbourne. Image: Phi Do, Move In All Directions (2020), detail, courtesy of the artist.

SABINE BRIX

Wednesday 4 March, 2020

Six lucky artists will soon see their work displayed at one of Melbourne’s busiest intersections thanks to the inaugural Fivex Art Prize. The winning artist will take home $30,000 and the five runners-up $1000 each, in addition to having their work showcased on the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets.

The response to the inaugural competition has surpassed the expectations of its organisers. More than 500 applicants entered the prize which closed in mid February and attracted practitioners from a wide range of creative and cultural backgrounds from all around Australia.

We’re delighted to have received entries from such a diverse field of artists including several Australian Indigenous artists. The generally high standard and stylistic diversity of artworks certainly presented the judging panel with a rigorous challenge,’ said Alessio Cavallaro, Creative Producer of the Fivex Art Prize.

‘We thank all the participating artists, and congratulate the six finalists: Magdalene Carmen (VIC), Catherine Clover (VIC), Phi Do (VIC), Deborah Kelly (NSW), Daniel Kotsimbos (VIC), and Kent Morris (VIC).’

With the tagline ‘billboard art reimagined,’ the unique competition gives creatives an opportunity to make a large-scale public artwork. The finalists’ works will be exhibited on the billboards from 30 March until 3 May.

Entrants were asked to create a work for two digital billboards – a horizontal corner ‘wrap’, and an adjacent vertical ‘podium’ – that is conceptually related across both sites. The winning work and selected finalists will be individually showcased at designated intervals among commercial media content, and also presented in occasional group spots without advertising.

Entries ranged across numerous artforms, including photomedia, design, illustration, collage, data visualisation, and pencil drawings, and covered social, political and environmental themes in playful, provocative and subtle ways. The judging panel was comprised of distinguished figures from the fields of art and media.

‘Artists have embraced the Fivex challenge and, typically, applied their creative thinking for a different kind of exhibition context, billboards set within a visually dynamic, bustling streetscape,’ Cavallaro said, adding ‘The artists eagerly stepped outside the calm confines of the White Cube.’

‘Another key aim of the Fivex Art Prize is to raise public awareness for art in a public space. The prize is a catalyst for a new sub-genre of street art to evolve, akin to graffiti art in laneways.’

For those who missed out on entering their work this year, Cavallaro said there’ll be plenty more opportunities to come.
‘Fivex is extremely pleased to present this new form of engagement for both artists and audiences. Planning is already underway for the prize in 2021, with some exciting developments to be announced soon,’ he said.

The winner of the $30,000 first prize will be announced on Monday 30 March. All of the finalists’ artworks will be showcased on billboards in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD from Monday 30 March until Sunday 3rd May 2020.

Visit the Fivex Art Prize for more information.

Conceived and presented by the Fivex Foundation, the Fivex Art Prize is supported by QMS Media, Australia’s leading premium digital billboard company.

https://visual.artshub.com.au/news-article/sponsored-content/visual-arts/sabine-brix/finalists-announced-for-australias-first-digital-billboard-art-competition-259913