The Sigg Art Foundation has announced Dana-Fiona Armour as the winner of the 2024 Sigg Art Prize. Armour is a Paris-based German-Scottish artist-researcher, known for her exploration of the symbiosis between species through her interdisciplinary work. Collaborating closely with scientists, her installations and sculptures offer new perspectives on how humans relate to the natural world.
The Sigg Art Prize is an initiative aimed at redefining the boundaries of artistic creation through the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The private award ceremony took place at Asprey Studio during Frieze London on 10th October 2024, where Dana-Fiona Armour was awarded €10,000 for her innovations in the integration of AI in her practice, centered around the theme “Future Desert.”
Biotechnology
Armour’s winning work, Alvinella Ophis, is an interdisciplinary 3D animated video installation that explores the interplay between biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and contemporary art. Set in a dystopian future desert devastated by ecological disaster, it introduces a hybrid species—Alvinella Ophis, a combination of the Pompeii worm and a snake—that symbolises evolutionary resilience. Interactive elements, including infrared sensors that detect its thermal presence, mimic the heat-sensing capabilities of a python’s pit organs. AI processes this data to create dynamic visual responses, accompanied by a quadrophonic soundscape, transforming the space into a surreal environment.
This re-evaluation of humanity’s role in a non-anthropocentric world urges us to reconsider our ecological significance.
Defining herself as an artist-researcher, Dana-Fiona Armour is dedicated to bridging the gap between species. Collaborating with scientists, her installations and sculptures provoke reflection on our fluid reality and explore new forms of symbiosis. By encouraging a deeper understanding, her work challenges to reconsider our relationship with nature. Dana-Fiona is represented by Andréhn-Schiptjenko Gallery in Paris and Stockholm and is a resident of the Poush Collective.
The Prize
Winning the prize will facilitate the development of Armour’s project that aims to create a dialogue about the connection between humanity and the natural world, ultimately promoting a deeper understanding of our shared ecological challenges.
Selected from over 300 applicants spanning 70 countries, the finalists for the 2024 Sigg Art Prize were:
● Obaid Alsafi
● Léa Collet
● Agnieszka Kurant (in collaboration with John Menick)
● Harrison Pearce
● Aaron Scheer
● Sasha Stiles
In addition to the €10,000 prize, Armour and the six other shortlisted finalists have been awarded a four-week residency at the Sigg Art Foundation’s residency in Southern France, located in the picturesque area of Le Castellet.
The prize focused on three key criteria: the integration of technology, innovation, creativity, and artistic impact. Artists were encouraged to present works that seamlessly fuse technology and AI with traditional visual arts. Submissions were evaluated on how effectively these elements were combined, with a focus on originality, creativity, AI integration, and relevance to the theme “Future Desert.” Additionally, each submission’s impact on contemporary art and culture was considered, including engagement with social issues and representation of cultural diversity.
The Sigg Art Prize brought together an esteemed jury composed of leading figures in art, technology, philosophy, and cultural management. Jury members included:
● Nicolas Bourriaud – Curator and Art Critic; currently Artistic Director of the 15th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea
● Joseph Fowler – Head of Art and Culture, World Economic Forum
● Anna Longo – Philosopher, Writer, and Program Director at the Collège International de Philosophie
● Dominique Moulon – Independent Curator & Art Critic (President of the Jury)
● Seedphrase – NFT & Digital Art Collector
● Antonio Somaini – Professor, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris
● Anne Stenne – Independent Curator, Co-Founder and Artistic Director, The Feral
● Gediminas Urbonas – Director, MIT Program in Art, Culture, and Technology
A unique addition to the jury was an AI, which held an equal standing among the jury members. The AI analysed the artistic projects both textually and visually, using machine learning models and computer vision. The AI evaluated the submissions quantitatively and qualitatively, with an emphasis on originality in tackling the theme, use of technologies, and historical art references. The AI’s findings were presented to the jury by a voice clone of its author, Grégory Chatonsky, who chose to give the AI his voice for this process.
Second Edition
The Sigg Art Foundation is also excited to announce the second edition of the Sigg Art Prize, which will focus on the theme “Artificial Crafts.”
Founded in 2020 by Pierre Sigg, the Sigg Art Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting the development of new ideas, encouraging knowledge exchange, and fostering cultural connections. Through its residencies, collections, and programs, the Foundation empowers emerging creatives, particularly those challenging historical and artistic conventions through digital and technological innovation.
The Sigg Art Foundation posits that AI is a transformative force, as profound as the emergence of photography during the industrial revolution. AI is reshaping the representation of reality, the construction of memory, traditional practices, and language innovation on a global scale. Committed to fostering new ideas, facilitating knowledge exchange, and building cultural bridges, the Foundation introduces the Sigg Art Prize, a 10,000-euro award for an original contemporary AI project. The 2024 theme, “Future Desert,” invites participants to explore its dimensions through innovative AI approaches.
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See also: Silver + Form at Turner Contemporary
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