LG Supports the Arts with New Media Competition
LG Electronics recently celebrated the convergence of technology and the arts at its gala by recognizing the nine finalists of its new media art competition. The black tie The Art of the Pixel affair at NYC’s Gotham Hall was hosted by art collector / enthusiast Neil Patrick Harris and included an exclusive performance by Sam Smith. The event also toted LG’s new Ultra HD and 4K OLED TVs – devices that are perfect for displaying digital artwork thanks to their ultra-high resolution and expansive screens.
Thousands of people voted online for their favorite of several hundred entries. One finalist from each of the participating art schools were judged by acclaimed digital artist Mark Tribe (along with LG experts and an online popular vote). The grand prize was given to John Summerson for his spectacular Painting from Life piece – an animated / live-action video that brings a watercolor painting to life (just as LG TVs bring its artworks to life). Summerson won a $50k grant for Pacific Northwest College of Art. The runner up, Joseph Bui from Pratt Institute, received a $25k grant for his 110 Fathoms work. The judges were so impressed by the finalists that all nine received an LD Ultrawide monitor to enhance their digital art projects.
The event was chock-full of memorable moments:
- like the fact that Tribe debuted a work of art made specifically for the event – a serene landscape of trees that, with its vibrant colors and with occasional rustle of leaves, walks the line between film and photography so finely you’d think you were looking out the window.
- like when the room transformed into Starry Night, utilizing every inch of the room to oblige the gala’s function of embracing the arts.
- like celebrities such as Kevin Spacey and Sarah Jessica Parker attending in support of the arts.
- like the soulful tone of Sam Smith’s voice resonating throughout the Revival Gothic space, which seemed to absorb the graceful melodies that filtered through the room.
In an age when technology is all around us, Harris pointed out that “we sometimes fail to ask what that technology is here to serve.“ LG has made it clear that its products are here to help advance our artistic and cultural offerings and experiences. For that, we’re grateful.
