Giga-Hertz Award 2020 | Award Ceremony

Alvin Lucier receives the Giga-Hertz Award 2020 for his lifetime achievement. The Giga-Hertz Production Awards 2020 go to h0nh1m and Mark Pilkington. Honorary Mentions go to Annie Rüfenacht & Sandra Schmid as well as to Siamak Anvari.

This year, the Giga-Hertz Main Award 2020, with prize money of 10,000 EUR, goes to Alvin Lucier. Since the mid-1960s, the compositions of the American artist have had a lasting influence on new, experimental music and sound art. As a researcher, his works deal with the phenomenological fusion of acoustics, voice and sound as physical expression – electronic, instrumental or based on the natural oscillations of microphoned objects such as vases – and as partners in shared conversation.

Moreover, the jury nominated two outstanding works out of about 130 international submissions: Chris Cheung alias h0nh1m will receive the Giga-Hertz Production Award worth 5,000 EUR for his audiovisual performance »RadianceScape 2016«. The piece, designed as an ongoing research project, visualizes live the radioactive radiation data of various large cities and relates them to the radiation data of Chernobyl and Fukushima.

The second Production Award, also connected with 5,000 EUR, goes to Mark Pilkington for his composition »Hidden Forest«. The algorithmic, audiovisual performance combines a variety of media elements and investigates the interplay of technology and ecology, of natural and artificial entities. 

In addition, the artists Annie Rüfenacht & Sandra Schmid receive an Honorary Mention for their audiovisual performance »Kataklasit« as well as Siamak Anvari for the electro-acoustic piece »Hafthasht« for 24 channels.

Video documentary:

ZKM | Videostudio

Camera: Christina Zartmann, Xenia Leidig, Jule Heinzmann
Live editing: Andy Koch