Midas Award 2009: Winner of Cornwall’s contemporary art award announced

Feathers, photographs, prints and projections all feature in this year's shortlisted works for the coveted Midas Award, the unanimous winner of which was announced as David Pringle at the Millennium Gallery in St Ives on Friday evening.

Initially established four years ago by Artonomy Fine Art and property services company, Midas in conjunction with University College Falmouth (UCF) as a means of helping the most talented of Cornwall's emerging artists to launch their professional careers and reach new audiences, the prize provides access to a spacious rent-free studio at Krowji, the cluster of creative studios, workspaces and offices based at the former Grammar School in Redruth, and professional development support from UCF's Business Fellow in Visual Arts, Sara Bowler and the artists' professional development agency, Creative Skills.

The four semi-finalists - Phoebe Baldry, Naomi Hannam, Sarah Howard and David Pringle, whose work will be on show to the public at the Millennium Gallery from 30 October to 15 November - were selected by an expert panel of judges during UCF's annual graduate show in June.

The judges were Director of the Millennium Gallery, Joseph Clarke; Head of National Programmes at the Contemporary Art Society, Lucy Bayley; Business Development Manager, Martin Walton and Project Director, Keith Hosen from Midas; and renowned Cornish artist and UCF Honorary Fellow, Trevor Bell.

New work by last year's winner, George Morgan, created during his 12-month tenureship at Krowji, is also being featured as part of the exhibition.

The top prize was awarded to David Pringle by Chief Executive of Midas, Steve Hindley, for his piece, ‘Persistence of Vision' a revolving hand-made projector presenting a fleeting image of a ballet dancer pirouetting around the room.

"Midas is proud to continue its sponsorship of young, creative talent in this way, particularly in these recessionary times, and we congratulate David on his success," said Steve Hindley.  "The creative industries are as important to the future of Cornwall as the physical regeneration that the county continues to experience, and it is an honour for Midas to continue to play its part."

"The Midas Award is a great example of collaboration between the corporate, commercial and institutional sectors" said Joseph Clarke, Director of the Millennium Gallery. "It is hugely rewarding to see the rich fruits of this initiative. The artists demonstrated that they are young professionals with a capital ‘P' and the College should be proud of providing an environment where their clear individuality can flourish unhindered. I credit these artists for their mature approach and for real maturity in their art"

"The Midas Award is a prestigious event in Cornwall's arts calendar and provides a newly-established artist with the practical support they need to build a viable career," commented University College Falmouth's Pro Rector, External Relations & Knowledge Transfer, Dr Andrew Upton.  "This award scheme not only contributes to Cornwall's creative economy, but also helps to raise the national profile of the county.  We extend our thanks to Midas, the Millennium Gallery, Krowji and Creative Skills for the major role they have played in this creative partnership."

"I'm delighted to be chosen as the winner. It's a huge boost and gives me confidence in the direction I'm taking in the work." said David Pringle, this year's winner.

Ends

Press enquiries to:  Jilly Easterby MCIPR, Head of Public Affairs at University College Falmouth on 01326 213792 or Tiffany Hardie-Evans, Head of Communications at Midas on 0117 305 2116.

Notes for editors

About the winner:

David Pringle - BA(Hons) Fine Art
b. 1986, Assen, Holland

Title:  The Persistence of Vision, 2009

The Persistence of Vision works by breaking down one second of film in to its 24 frames, and then projecting them circularly round the room. I am interested in the notion of a moment in time and how it can be expanded to fill a space where it then becomes something very different.

The images are of a ballet dancer pirouetting, and by projecting the images they are animated showing the ballet dancer dancing around the space.

The three semi-finalists were:

Naomi Hannam - BA(Hons) Fine Art
Title: Sometimes Our Shadows are Longer Than Us, 2009

This work was created during a period of intense research about my family's history. My Father is a German Jewish refugee who escaped Nazi Germany in 1939 on the Kinder Transport to England. To me this was an unexplored personal history and in September 2008 I made a journey to Essen and retraced the Kinder Transport route to England.

Throughout this process of investigation I came to realise how important our histories are in making us who we are today. This work is almost a metaphor for the journeys I had been on. It is made up of thousands of parts, all placed together in the shape of my shadow. It was created at a time when all the stories and experiences I had gathered started to come together as a whole, a time when I started to understand that ‘our shadows are longer than us'.

Title: Listening, 2009

My father's hearing aid, next to my own ear. Both these pieces have been made through casting processes. The work signifies the knowledge and stories that have been transferred since I started researching this project. The casting process has allowed for the solidification of  stories and affirmation of memories.

Sarah Howard - BA(Hons) Fine Art
Title: SW807321 preserved, 2009

Coiled and fastened, these vessels of information stand as objects of curiosity.  Concealing and revealing parts of my print, I allow my audience to ask questions - some of which I may answer, some of which they may choose to answer themselves.

Title: SW807321, 2009

The roller acted as partner and interrogator.  Some of the walks we undertook left marks that were no more than whispers in the landscape, others to become fixed in time on the face of paper.  There is a strange comfort in knowing that I have touched and been touched by each surface. 

Phoebe Baldry - BA(Hons) Photography
Collective title for extended body of work - Reindeer on the Mantelpiece

The sentimental value of certain belongings, the hand-me-downs from previous generations and the oddities we collect all contribute to the portrait of ourselves. Collectively, these portray a sense of belonging within an environment and it is the idea of looking at the home as a portrait that has led to this visual exploration.

Through the use of photography I have been able to reveal a quiet record of the spaces that we live in, with the hope to capture and preserve the memory of a home and its occupant.

About the winner of the Midas Award 2008, George Morgan

Recycler George Morgan, creates spaces in the surfaces he constructs from materials salvaged from skips and building sites and then within them, as he says: "I place human figures, aircraft, trees, which in context might suggest that something - be it foreboding, absurd ethereal - is happening or is about to happen. I like the idea that this remains ambiguous, intangible."

Exhibitions:

2009 - One Year On, Badcock's Gallery, Newlyn
2008 - Midas Award 2008, Newlyn Art Gallery, Cornwall
2008 - Affordable Arts Fair, Battersea Park, London
2008 - Fleet, The Electrician's Shop, Trinity Buoy Wharf, London
2008 - Degree Show, University College Falmouth, Cornwall

About University College Falmouth

University College Falmouth is internationally respected for the quality of its undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Art, Design and Media, and has a long and distinguished history of fine art practice.

In April 2008, University College Falmouth merged with Dartington College of Arts to create a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing.

The merger paves the way for the creation of Arts University Cornwall in 2012/2013, creating a specialist Higher Education institution unique to the South West.

The College currently has c. 3,000 students and three campuses: Woodlane in Falmouth; Tremough in Penryn, which it jointly manages with the University of Exeter in a collaboration that is unique in the UK - and Dartington in Totnes.  Dartington Campus staff and students will relocate to brand new, purpose-built facilities at Tremough in 2010.

University College Falmouth is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education.  The CUC is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall Council.

http://www.falmouth.ac.uk/

About Midas

Midas is one of the UK's fastest-growing, independent providers of property solutions, and has 30 years' experience offering a complete range of construction and property-related services for all industry sectors.

The Midas Group is made up of specialist trading companies and dedicated consumer teams that deliver a highly personalised service.  Midas works closely with clients and partners to develop open, long-term relationships and deliver high-quality, value-for-money projects on time, ensuring that customers have a positive experience and their expectations are exceeded.

http://www.midasgroup.co.uk/

About Millennium Gallery, St Ives

For more information, please contact: Joseph Clarke, Director
Millennium Gallery, Street-an-Pol, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2DS
Telephone: 01736 793121
Email: mail@millenniumgallery.co.uk

About Krowji

Krowji is the cluster of creative studios, workspaces and offices based at the former Grammar School in Redruth.  The site was acquired in 2005 and there are now more than 80 people, including painters, furniture makers, jewellers, web designers, picture framers, theatre companies and ceramicists as well as office staff from a number of sector support agencies such as Creative Skills and Cornwall Council's Creative Unit.  There are meeting rooms, a licensed café, exhibition areas and a rehearsal space.

The scheme is being developed in partnership with the local authorities, CPR Regeneration and the SW Regional Development Agency.  They have very close links with University College Falmouth and are delighted to be a joint sponsor of the scheme for another year.

The name Krowji comes from the Cornish language word for shed or small workspace.

For more information please contact:  Ross Williams, Director
Krowji Ltd, The Old Grammar School, West Park, Redruth TR15 3AJ
Telephone: 01209 313200/07779 467640
Email: ross@actcornwall.org.uk

About Creative Skills

Creative Skills is the professional development agency for practitioners working in the creative industries in Cornwall.  Their aim is to equip creative practitioners in Cornwall with the skills, knowledge and opportunities they need to develop and share their creativity, and increase their prosperity.  Creative skills is funded by the Learning and Skills Council and Objective One, and supports professional development through structured support and training for those who work in the creative industries in Cornwall.

http://www.creativeskills.org.uk/

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