Media Art Guide

Museums

  • ZKM_Medienmuseum The ZKM_Medienmuseum is a unique Museum for Interactive Art. It covers a wide spectrum, ranging from interactive film via simulation techniques and cyberspace to the use of current software applications on the internet. Installations and environments demonstrate different strategies for involving the observer in the work, and exemplify the creative use of new technologies.

Institutions

  • Foro Artistico, Hanover This forum for international media art offers innovative exhibition projects with video sculptures, interactive video and computer installations, sound and light installations, and artistic CD-ROM productions and internet projects.
  • Fraunhofer Institut für Medienkommunikation The Fraunhofer-Institut für Medienkommunikation (IMK) takes the ongoing media revolution as its point of departure. It focuses chiefly on virtual environments and computer graphics, cultural heritage, interactive television and e-cinema, multimedia management, knowledge spaces and web-based solutions.
  • HMKV Harteware MedienKunstVerein, Dortmund Platform for the production, presentation and education of contemporary and experimental media art: organization of exhibitions, film and video programs, conferences and workshops.
  • Institut für neue Medien, Frankfurt Ever since 1990 the Institut für neue Medien has offered international media artists a platform for realising their projects. At the same time it is also a forum for theoretical discussion and debate on the various new media.
  • inter media art institute The imai is a non-profit foundation with the goal to ditribute, preserve and convey media art,with an emphasis on video art and the artistic film. The institution provides for the scientific analysis of media art, organises exhibitions, screenings and symposia. In addition, its media art archive offers an online catalogue featuring a large number of video artworks from the imai's collection that can be watched in full length.
  • Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin The Neuer Berliner Kunstverein regards it as one of its prime tasks to organise exhibitions of contemporary art. In addition to this, its “Video Forum” offers a comprehensive collection of international artists’ videotapes.
  • spiegel, München Spiegel showcases aspects of contemporary video art and the new media, and also offers an extensive video library that is based on the collection in the Lenbachhaus municipal gallery, and is constantly being added to.
  • Videolounge im Museum Ludwig Video collection of the Ludwig Museum, Cologne.
  • Werkleitz Gesellschaft e.V., Halle The Werkleitz Gesellschaft in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, is a non-profit association for the realisation of film, art and media projects. It supports artists and media producers working in the field of digital media. It offers grants and workshops, as well as the unique online-database "cinovid" for Experimental Film and Video Art. Apart from organising the Werkleitz Biennale, an international and interdisciplinary forum/festival for art and media, the Werkleitz Gesellschaft also produces and organises exhibitions, round tables and festivals in cooperation with regional, national and international partners.
  • Centre for Art and Media Technology (ZKM) The Centre for Art and Media Technology (ZKM) is a major centre for media art in matters of production, research, presentation, documentation and awareness-raising. The in-house media library includes an extensive video collection.
  • 235 Media Video art and video installations are extensively documented in 235 Media Art’s digital archive.

Education

  • Academy for Children’s Media The Academy for Children’s Media is a vocational training for writers initiated by Förderverein deutscher Kinderfilm e.V. which is located in Erfurt. The aim is enhancing the lobby for original and inventive children’s media and the preparing each project for the market.
  • Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig Leipzig’s Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (“Academy of the Visual Arts”) currently offers the following four degree courses: Painting / Graphic Art; Book Design / Graphic Design; Photography; Media Art.
  • Kunsthochschule für Medien, Cologne Cologne’s Kunsthochschule für Medien (“Academy of Media Arts”) opened its doors in 1990 as Germany’s first academy for audiovisual media. Its degree course offers a very wide range of different elements, enabling students to put together their own individual study programmes. There are four subject groups: TV and Film; Media Design; Media Art; Art and Media Studies.
  • Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe The Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung (“State Academy of Design”) offers four undergraduate courses — namely Media Art, Product Design, Graphic Design and Scenography — and also a Master’s course in Media Theory and Fine Art.
  • Kunsthochschulen in Deutschland A list of links relating to all Academies of Art in Germany, with additional addresses and information.
  • Hochschulliste A list of links relating to German-language universities with Media departments.

Festivals

  • Ars Electronica, Linz Ars Electronica offers a festival of media arts with a wide range of events reflecting the connections between art, society and the media.
  • Backup-Festival, Weimar Backup is a festival of digitally created film and video productions.
  • CYNETART, Hellerau This annual festival is dedicated to “cultural reflection through computer-aided art”. In addition, a biennial competition is held and an advancement award as well as an artist-in-residence scholarship are granted.
  • Dokumentarfilm und Videofest, Kassel Film and media festival focusing on new media.
  • EMAF, Osnabrück EMAF — short for “European Media Art Festival” — takes place annually in Osnabrück. It is a meeting place for art, culture and media specialists, and a forum for international media art.
  • Transmediale, Berlin Transmediale is Germany’s largest festival dedicated to art and the creative application of digital media. Each year the festival showcases new and important projects from the world of digital culture, and offers reflections on the role of digital technology in present-day society.
  • Videofestival, Bochum Video festival with an international video competition and VJ-contest.
  • Videonale, Bonn This event takes place every two years in Bonn’s Kunstmuseum, and showcases current art video works by means of a festival and exhibition.
  • Viper, Basle Viper is a European festival devoted to film, video and new media. Taking place annually, it offers a platform for the presentation of innovative works and projects, and a forum for the discussion of future-oriented approaches within the area of media, culture and society in the 21st century.
  • Werkleitz Biennale, Halle The Werkleitz Gesellschaft is an association dedicated to the encouragement and realisation of film, video and media art projects. The Werkleitz Biennial was established in 1996 as an international forum for media and art, and offers both a curated film festival and an art exhibition.
  • ZKM Mediathek List of links relating to international media art festivals.

Scholarships and Prizes

  • Akademie Schloss Solitude Scholarships With its international programme of scholarships the Schloss Solitude Academy supports young artists from the fields of fine art, architecture, music, literature, design, film / video, and theatre. In addition, academic researchers working in associated disciplines — e.g. musicology or the theory of art — may also apply. Awards are made once every two years.
  • Digital Sparks Award This competition is open to students and recent graduates working in the fields of media art, media design, media IT and media communication. The objective is to foster interactive, experimental and theoretical work which demonstrates an innovative approach to digital culture technologies.
  • Edith-Ruß-Haus für Medienkunst Oldenburg The Edith Russ House is dedicated to new media art. In addition to its programme of in-house exhibitions it also offers one six-month scholarship per year to media artists.
  • Künstlerhaus Bethanien The Künstlerhaus Bethanien and its Media Arts Lab promote the development of new forms of expression by digital means. Like all other artists, however, media artists are only accepted within the framework of their own national student support systems; hence they cannot apply directly to the Künstlerhaus itself, but only via partner institutes in their own country.
  • Marl Media Art Prizes The Marl prizes for media art are organised by the city’s Glaskasten sculpture museum. The Marl Video Art Prize was the first to be offered in 1984, but over the years further prizes have been added. At present the Sculpture Museum offers the Marl Video Art Prize, the German Sound Art Prize, and the Video Installation Prize together with the associated “Media space” competition.
  • Nam June Paik Award – The Kunststiftung NRW Media Art Prize This media art prize was first awarded by the art foundation Kunststiftung NRW in 2002. An international jury nominates bewteen six and eight artists for an exhibition, and from this the main prizewinner emerges. In addition, the NRW-Förderpreis is awarded to a promising young artist from North Rhine-Westfalia.
  • Transmediale Award The Transmediale Award is offered by transmediale, Berlin’s festival of art and digital culture. The prize competition is aimed at outstanding artistic achievements in current digital media art.
  • Filmbüro Bremen New Talent Prize for Video Art This prize is aimed at encouraging emerging talent, and is awarded for the purpose of enabling the winner to realise a specific project or projects. The spectrum is broad in terms of both form and content — research in the video field is just as welcome as poetic digital collages, video tapes and video installations.
  • Werkleitz-Gesellschaft Scholarship Programme and Werkleitz Award The Werkleitz Gesellschaft offers media artists an interesting range of scholarship programmes, and also a prize for outstanding examples of media art: EMARE (European Media Artists in Residence Exchange); a project scholarship; support for up to four projects by artists from Germany and abroad; an art scholarship; the Werkleitz Award.

Online Services

  • Bild-Rausch Online data bank and archive aimed at presenting female media artists and giving them exposure on the internet.
  • Database of Virtual Art This data bank has been developed in cooperation with established media artists, researchers and institutions, and documents the field of media art.
  • Medienkunstnetz Medienkunstnetz (Media Art Net) offers a comprehensive and unique overview of the development of media art which is rendered accessible on the internet by means of examples of individual works.
  • netzspannung.org Netzspannung.org is an internet platform. As an interface between media art, media technology and society it serves as an information pool for artists, designers, computer scientists and socio-cultural researchers.