The three prize winners are known - authors of the best student intermedia projects of the 2021 IFCA festival!

The three prize winners are known - authors of the best student intermedia projects of the 2021 IFCA festival!

MKC Maribor has invited intermedia students to submit their art projects for the student award of the 27th International Festival of Computer Art (IFCA). The invitation was issued in cooperation with five Slovenian educational institutions (University of Ljubljana, the Academy of Fine Arts and Design; University of Nova Gorica, the School of Arts; University of Maribor, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; University of Maribor, Faculty of Education; and the Academy of Visual Arts AVA, Ljubljana).

The selected educational institutions were allowed to submit a maximum of three projects, while students also had the opportunity to submit their projects independently.

Eleven students responded to the invitation with their projects: Iris Čeh, Olena Potočnik, Nika Tomažič, Ivana Kalc, Vasily Kuzmich, Doroteja Dolinšek, Hana Zadnikar, Rok Roundi – Neja Berger, Eva Hercog, and Jaka Kosmač.

A four-member jury consisting of Aleksandra Saška Gruden, Ida Hiršenfelder, Miha Horvat, and Igor Štromajer selected the best three projects that also received cash prizes and the opportunity to present their projects as part of the IFCA festival in the Media Nox Gallery in October.

The first winner will also have the opportunity for their solo exhibition to be hosted at the Media Nox Gallery in Maribor in 2022.

The three awarded students are:

VASILY KUZMICH (AU UNG) – 1st prize winner for the student award at the 27th IFCA

OLENA POTOČNIK (AVA) – 2nd prize winner

DOROTEJA DOLINŠEK (ALUO) – 2nd prize winner

Vasily Kuzmich

Project Bora, a breath of wind (Burja, dih vetra)

2020/2021

Academy of Arts University of Nova Gorica

1st prize for the student award at the 27th IFCA

The project Bora, a breath of wind, by Vasily Kuzmich, who is a student of the School of Arts of the University of Nova Gorica, is being developed as part of the author’s diploma thesis. It shows mature and complex thinking, and an in-depth approach to current issues.

The author derives the concept for the meditative sound of the installation from a local weather phenomenon - the bora, which is a melodic sound phenomenon. Although the bora is known on most continents, it is probably most explored in our vicinity, in the Adriatic area. The author intertwines the achievements of modern technology, mathematics, physics, and metaphysics and, in collaboration with a music therapist Taja Trobec, creates an atmosphere that takes the viewer/listener to a whole new level, away from everyday problems.

The author's reflection on a human being in the post-pandemic period, who is separate from others, from himself and from nature, stands out. The sound of the natural phenomenon-bora is offered as a new experience, and through its multi-layered nature opens up questions of the co-dependence and reciprocity of a human being and nature. The installation, which is therapeutically oriented, also demonstrates authors knowledge in various fields. The author demonstrates empathy, sound perception and the complexity of thinking through the subtlety of feeling natural phenomena, thinking about the fragility of human life and with expressive-technological precision.

We wish the author a successful completion of the diploma thesis, and creative inspiration for the installation of his project in the Media Nox Gallery.

We believe that the selected project will be interesting for the general public and useful for various other purposes, including therapeutic.

Biography

Vasilij Kuzmich is an artist born in the center of Ukraine, in the city of Kirovograd. He graduated from the Faculty of Sculpture at Grekov Odessa Art School. He worked as a freelance artist in his workshop and created sculptures for many years.

In 2019, he participated in a group exhibition at the Invogue Art Gallery. In the same year, he enrolled at the School of Arts at the University of Nova Gorica. He is in his currently a 3rd year graduate student in New Media. During his studies, he also attends the seminars for the 3 MAST program - Master of Arts, Sciences and Technology.

In 2019, he participated in the Hacking Slotmachines workshop at Pixxelpoint - an international festival of contemporary art practices - with a synthesizer made from a sound-responsive slot machine. He later participated in the project TV Free Europe and at the workshop Mappig the Local in Budapest (online). His work “Unanimous” was presented at “Hybrid IA” MAST. In December 2020, he participated in the Sajeta Continuum Art&Music festival. In March 2021, he participated in the creative workshops “OUR HOUSE HAS NO DOOR” Cres Croatia with the Video art “Movement of Motion”.

In April 2021, he participated in the documentary film workshop “Telling Stories for Real”, where he created a documentary “Three Rivers”.

Olena Potočnik

Project Bloodthorn (Krvavi trn)

video game
2019 -
Academy of Visual Arts AVA, Ljubljana

The work uses the form of a first-person video game, addressing an important topic of domestic violence or so-called “invisible” violence against children, especially behind closed doors. In order to solve the problem, the actresses must take an active role in the events, using their own experiences, emotions, tactics and strategies they must actively intervene. Facing a memory of their own childhood and their own traumas helps video game players save the protagonist and bring him out of a constant cycle of violence.

The work is visually and audibly thoughtful and specific. We especially emphasize the author's conceptual decision for three-dimensional modeling of a dark, morbid, monochromatic environment, which places the content in an appropriate context and visually works coherently. The work does not moralize or romanticize. With a form that corresponds to the content, encourages mental and other engagement of participants, increases their social responsibility, sensibility and empathy, and thus addresses the burning, serious and long-standing problem of modern society, not only behind closed doors, but it also exceeds it at several points. With the visual imagery and indie appearance, it is also attractive to younger actresses and reaches the audience of all ages. The project has a well-thought-out concept that we wish for it to find its way to a wider audience. A fairly large team of colaborators and co-authors of the video game Bloodthorn promises a meticulously detailed project that can find a recognizable, outstanding place at the 2021 IFCA exhibition.

Biography

Olena Potočnik was born on December 21, 1983, in the city of Gorlovka, Ukraine. She came to Slovenia in 2005. She has attended several painting courses in Ljubljana since then, and as a self-taught painter began to paint her own art. She had two exhibitions in collaboration with Simona Kokalj. The first one was during spring of 2013 in Vžigalica Gallery and the second one was during the winter of the same year in the Tobačna 001 cultural center. Both exhibitions were for charity purposes. After those two exhibitions, she started working in digital art. First with 2D and then with 3D. During the years 2014 and 2016, she occasionally collaborated with a company TSS Produkcija d.o.o. https://www.tensquarestudio.co... and created digital content for their projects. In 2015, she enrolled in CGTarian online classes https://www.cgtarian.ru as a CG generalist (3D). She enrolled at Academy of Visual Arts AVA, Ljubljana https://www.ava.si in the academic year 2017/2018. During 2018 and 2020, she participated in group exhibitions; AVA10, AVA11 and AVA12. She is currently finishing her first year of postgraduate study at the AVA. After graduation, she wants to work professionally in 3D computer art, either by making video games, making augmented reality and virtual reality content, implementation of real-time interactive projects, etc.

Doroteja Dolinšek

Project Postplanetary state of being

Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana

The author will simulate futile conditions in the Mars regolith and in the growth probe - clinostat, a device that rotates to eliminate the effects of gravitational force, creating gravity that is almost three times smaller than the one on the Earth. She will enrich the fragile and barren rock by supplying its own fertile potentials; by supplying her body fluids and cornea (menstrual blood, urine, hair) and she will create the nutritional conditions for the growth and maintenance of the soybean germ in a gravity-free space.

The author's process of reflecting on the posed questions in the development of her work Postplanetary state of beings is extremely focused on the material and technical implementation of the concept. The questions, posed by the author, open a wide range of burning relationships on Earth, but the author does not get involved in the value judgments about the colonization of the red planet, but tries to think openly about the symbiotic reciprocity, connection and interdependence of beings for existence in the universe, where the Earth also resides. She touches the production issue of the agricultural monocultures as well as cultural taboos and prejudices, dealing with biological material in terms of their chemical composition and not cultural preconceptions, which we recognize as an extremely mature and bold decision.

We are convinced that the prototype presentation of this complex project, which will be completed in December this year, will be of interest to the public two months before its final realization.

Biography

Doroteja Dolinšek was born in Kranj in 1994. After graduating from the High School of Design and Photography in Ljubljana, where she studied industrial design, she continued her education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice (Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia). Under the mentorship of Professor Gianluigi Bellucci, she graduated in painting in October 2019. She continues her postgraduate studies in the Video and New Media program at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, which is led by professors Sašo Sedlaček and Robert Černelč.

Selection of exhibitions and collaborations: Kersnikova Institute, Kapelica Gallery (Ljubljana), Maggazini del Sale (Venice), Layer House (Kranj), Center for Contemporary Arts (Celje), Art Stays Gallery (Ptuj) ...