The award was presented by broadcaster and The One Show host Alex Jones to Novaya, made up of Pierre-Alain Giraud, Stéphane Foenkinos and Tania De Montaigne. As well as receiving a cash prize of £20,000, Novaya will collaborate with the Wales Millennium Centre on a residency to support the creation of new work.
Novaya’s piece, Colored (Noire) brings the US Civil Rights struggle to vivid life. Using augmented reality headsets and bone conduction audio systems to recreate 1950s Alabama, participants are placed in the shoes of 15-year-old Claudette Colvin – the courageous teenager who defiantly refused to give up her seat on the bus nine months before the more famous Rosa Parks.
Chaired by Wales Millennium Centre Chairman Peter Swinburn, the prize jury featured a number of filmmakers, artists and creative industry specialists.
Explaining the jury’s decision, Peter said: ‘Through an extraordinary use of technical detail, the work places you alongside the characters, allowing you to walk with them and witness something both profoundly moving and beautifully realised. At its core, storytelling is about empathy, and here that empathy is absolute – seamlessly interwoven with groundbreaking technology to create an experience that is as immersive as it is unforgettable.’
Colored (Noire) emerged victorious from a competitive group of immersive pieces, created by artists from Greece, the UK and the USA. Consensus Gentium by Karen Palmer explores a near-future world consumed by intrusive AI surveillance. Sister Sylvester’s Constantinopoliad is an expanded cinema work inspired by the writings of poet Constantine Cavafy. Finally, NOWISWHENWEARE (the stars) by Andrew Schneider uses light, sound and narration to transport on a journey towards enlightenment.
‘The inaugural shortlist has shown the extraordinary breadth and ambition of artists working in this space,’ said Wales Millennium Centre Chief Creative Officer Graeme Farrow. ‘The Prize marks an important moment in recognising immersive storytelling as a vital and evolving artform, and in championing artists who are redefining how stories are experienced. We look forward to supporting Novaya to develop new work through a residency at Wales Millennium Centre over the coming year.’
All the shortlisted works can be experienced in a special exhibition at Wales Millennium Centre until 26 June. Each work lasts between 30 minutes to an hour and you can book tickets on the Wales Millennium Centre website (there’s even a discount if you’d like to check out all four).
