05-03-2006

Daan Brinkmann, a graduate of the Royal Academy for the Visual Arts in The Hague, has been selected by the jury as the winner of the René Coelho Award for 2006.

The members of the jury for the René Coelho Award 2006 were Marnix de Nijs (media artist), Martijn van Boven (media artist) and Machteld Leij (NRC Handelsblad).

Jury Report
The jury has come to the unanimous decision to award the René Coelho Award for 2006 to Daan Brinkmann, from the Royal Academy for Visual Arts in The Hague. Daan Brinkmann's interactive light and sound installation persuaded the jury through its extremely clear conception, in which the underlying idea and its execution coincided completely. The work has a serene aura, which comes to life as a result of the viewer's movement. In addition to the work, the jury has viewed his plans for new work. Here too the conception was the most stimulating of all the proposals, precisely because it demonstrated many elements of research and openness, while for the other candidates it was more a matter of a clearly defined, fixed plan which was not really convincing. The prize is chiefly awarded for the support and encouragement that the Netherlands Media Art Institute and BeamSystems can give to young artists, and the expectation that in the case of Daan Brinkmann that will produce the greatest benefits.

The award, which is named for Rene Coelho, the founder and former director of the Institute, comprises a sum of € 1250 and the offer of production facilities to the value of € 3500 for the production of new work. This means that the awardwinner can work independently or with the assistance of an editor in the editing labs, can make use of recording equipment or of the computer facilities, including the programmers in the Artlab. In addition, the winner can spend € 1500 on audiovisual equipment at BeamSystems and make use of advice and technical expertise in planning new work.

Brinkmann's graduation project, and the work of the four other nominees, Floris Kaayk, Jasper Smit, Danja Vassiliev and Katja Nitzschke, remained on exhibition through Saturday, October 21, in the Netherlands Media Art Institute.

Special thanks to:
The René Coelho Prize is powered by BeamSystems, www.beamsystems.nl