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Screening Committee Members Comment |
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| Nobumichi Tosa |
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President of Maywa Denki |
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| Saori Kanda |
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Artist |
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| Kevin Meyerson |
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Rainbow Japan, Inc., CEO
Rainbow Partners, Inc., CEO |
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| Norihiko Saitou |
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Managing Director (Member of the Board)
Chief Investor Relations Officer
Head of General Administration Div.
Toray Industries, Inc. |
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Nobumichi Tosa
President of Maywa Denki |
| Overall Evaluation |
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| My overall impression was that there were a tremendous number of masterpieces and many more works this year than last which showed strength in the sketching phase, so I had the feeling not so much of being a judge of computer graphic works but rather of being a judge of a famous exhibition of modern art and sculpture, such as Nikaten or Nikiten. When I think about why this could be, it seems to me that with the price of computers decreasing and the memory capacities increasing, pictures can now be created easily. In the past, this would have required expensive artist's implements. The threshold for producing pictures with computers has been considerably lowered. I had the feeling overall that a lot of people who create realistic pictures have entered the world of computer graphics. |
| Review of Award-winning Works |
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*Grand Prize
The Grand Prize winning entry, Miho Aoki's "parties," depicts a poetic world of pictures very beautifully. Also, looking at it carefully, it seems that she started with 3D modeling, then added the pictures' finishing touches. These are operations which take considerable effort. Her pictures also have an animate quality, which I am sure people would be willing to pay money for and would like to display in their homes. In other words, they have real commercial value. I think this work was created with an understanding of both technique and popular demand. It is a set of beautiful well balanced pictures.
*Excellence Award
The winner of the Excellence Award under the theme of "Banquet/Reception/Feast/Party/Festivities/Merrymaking/Revelry: " was kouyuu1217, who won last year's Grand Prize for a work depicting insects. This year he discarded that pattern entirely and took on a new challenge. I think he shows real promise as a creative genius with an avant-garde spirit.
Unfortunately he did not win the Grand Prize this time, but I think his willingness to take on challenges is really wonderful, and he is still young, so I hope he will continue trying out new patterns and not get stuck in any single one.
The winner of the Excellence Award under the theme of "Raise/Grow/Foster/Develop/Cultivate/Cherish: " was tatsuya uchida, whose pictures "Ikebana" would be very difficult to achieve on a computer normally and would not be attempted. They are clearly an extension of the type of art that would be needed to pass entrance exams at an art college, and they are powerful in the way they have been drawn and are therefore easy to appreciate. However, what really impressed me was how he addressed the theme of "Raise/Grow/Foster/Develop/Cultivate/Cherish:" directly and clearly in creating this set of pictures.
Another one of the works I noticed among the entries under the theme of "Raise/Grow/Foster/Develop/Cultivate/Cherish:" was Shikuri Uraji's "old woman and pumpkin of an arabesque pattern," which won the Honorable Mention Award. I think this was also created based on 3-D modeling, but, in one word, it was ugly! (laughs) Nevertheless, it had a fascinating texture, and perhaps what was interesting is that it led my eye around the screen like a maze with no escape or perhaps that it reminded me of palm reading. It was a wonderful picture that riveted the eye to the texture here and there.
The Excellence Award-winning entry under the theme of "Dye/Color/Stain/Pigment: ," Zach Vitale Photography's "The Yolk's On You," had a unique pattern, different from all of the other entries. In one word, it was conceptual. In this interesting work, the "broken" or "unbroken" egg is transformed into a digital signal of zeros and ones, and by combining these the picture becomes a "joke" or "gag." It can be said that it is a "digital gag picture"! The cuteness of the eggs, however, and the refreshing feeling of the picture overall set it apart from other works.
*Maywa Denki Award
Taikan's "the twelve horary signs" was selected for the Maywa Denki Award this time. What was interesting about this work was the texture that was brought out by superimposing square stamps, creating a picture that looked like a woven tapestry or dyed cloth, and it contained humorous images reminiscent of traditional Japanese animal caricatures or picture scrolls. The thematic nature and original method made it a joy to view. |
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Saori Kanda
Artist |
| Overall Evaluation |
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This year, the three relatively positive themes of "Banquet/Reception/Feast/Party/Festivities/Merrymaking/Revelry:," "Raise/Grow/Foster/Develop/Cultivate/Cherish:" and "Dye/Color/Stain/Pigment:" were chosen, but I thought the entries leaned toward a dark or subdued world view.
I thought it would have been nice to have works drawn with an atmosphere of sensing "the word" more simply and frankly.
The screening committee members also pay close attention to the titles and comments. If a work has attractive beauty at first glance (which can be either good or bad) and tells a story with a clear line of reasoning, it will be evaluated highly. On the contrary, if a work is beautiful, but the theme is not clearly conveyed through the work, it will not make it to the top rank.
I look forward to seeing more works which express a unique world through the totality of the translation from "word" to "picture." |
| Review of Award-winning Works |
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*Grand Prize
Miho Aoki's "parties" won the Grand Prize, and among all of the entries, her work shines in particular through her sense of color and skill at precise portrayal.
Using soft colors and cute characters, that one cannot help smiling at, the artist gently depicts "Banquet/Reception/Feast/Party/Festivities/Merrymaking/Revelry:," which are a fun time for anyone.
Viewing these works even I enjoyed a sense of tipsy good humor.
Pictures have the power to carry a person away to a fantasy world.
What I sensed in the strength of Ms. Aoki's pictures more than the other works was that there was no feeling of pressure to understand them, but instead a natural tendency to be drawn into the world that they create.
*Excellence Award
The winner of the Excellence Award under the theme of "Banquet/Reception/Feast/Party/Festivities/Merrymaking/Revelry:," was kouyuu1217's " ."
Kouyuu1217 presented the "attractiveness of computer works" this time, too. Moreover, this year's work had a completely different touch compared with his work last year, being delicate and bold.
His comparison of the pattern of people at parties with the pattern of the ever accelerating work of computer circuitry, was interesting.
The clickety-click speed of calculation is synchronized with the booming pace of growth in this finely detailed picture. I almost let out an uncontrollable gasp at the imagery of the final destination of the circuitry which continues on until it melts away in the darkness made me think of the destination of a person who has drunk too much at the party. I applaud the descriptive power of kouyuu1217 in carrying his idea to the ultimate in expressiveness.
Tatsuya Uchida's "Ikebana" won the Excellence Award under the theme of "Raise/Grow/Foster/Develop/Cultivate/Cherish:," which he took as meaning "letting one's own distinctions blossom like flowers in the course of maturation," and his idea of "ikebana people" for expressing this is interesting. The intertwining of flower designs and people at each stage of life is also nice. The color scheme, however, is a little too subdued and there is no sense of change in the way of flowering from a baby to an old person...
This let down an otherwise excellent concept. I'm sad to say that it is the reason this work did not win the Grand Prize.
The deeply pleasant touch of this work is appealing, so I sincerely hope Mr. Uchida will try again, experimenting more freely in his works depending on the theme in colors.
Zach Vitale Photography's "The Yolk's On You" won the Excellence Award under the theme of "Dye/Color/Stain/Pigment:," and what attracted my attention was his use of 100 broken eggs to create a picture expressing the theme of "Dye/Color/Stain/Pigment:."
Also, overall, although this work had the potential to be portrayed too graphically, Vitale made use of the egg's intrinsic pop-art image, resulting in a supremely attractive piece.
While many of the entries under the "Dye/Color/Stain/Pigment:" theme were dark and subdued, the lively rhythm of this picture gave it a highly colorful feeling.
*Saori Kanda Award
Mitsuaki Takezawa's "Feast of Light," which was submitted under the theme of "Banquet/Reception/Feast/Party/Festivities/Merrymaking/Revelry:," was selected for the Saori Kanda Award.
While works with titles such as "Party at the Nightless Castle" or "Feast in the Dark Night" stood out this time, this work by Mr. Takezawa is so captivating that it sets me abuzz right to the core of my being. This work would make a good ceiling mural in a bedroom.
The extremely fine pattern, reminiscent of batik, and the psychedelic colors give the feeling of the spirit of a person who is party crazy. The presence of the luminous butterfly is effective.
Rather than relying solely on covering the screen with finely detailed lines, though, I think that deepening the expressiveness by using gradation that gives a 3D effect would make this work even more attractive. |
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Kevin Meyerson
Rainbow Japan, Inc., CEO
Rainbow Partners, Inc., CEO |
| Overall Evaluation |
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| I was very pleased with the large turnout and the increase in the number of international submissions this year. Globally, the trend towards wide availability of low cost computers and design software tools, continues to make computers ubiquitous platforms for the creation of art. As a member of the screening committee, the large numbers of high quality entrants has made my job more and more difficult since so many beautiful pieces were submitted. I would like to thank everyone who submitted works since it is a pleasure to be able to see so much creativity. |
| Review of Award-winning Works |
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*Grand Prize
Miho Aoki's work, "parties", a series of five images, is outstanding. Her use of textures, colors, and organic shapes to animate inanimate glass objects clearly demonstrates that the old lines between "digital" and traditional "analog" art and design have dissolved. "parties" is fun and inviting; just as a work for the theme "Banquet/Reception/Feast/Party/Festivities/Merrymaking/Revelry:" should be. The mixture of 3D objects and 2D effects was smooth and comfortable. I was especially intrigued with image number 4 in which the wine looks almost real. Congratulations!
*Excellence Award
"Banquet/Reception/Feast/Party/Festivities/Merrymaking/Revelry:"
kouyuu1217's "" is a celebratory mix of colors and depth. At first glance, I thought the image was basically two dimensional, but upon more careful examination, the amazing depth as the color swirl into the background became more and more fascinating. kouyuu1217, while still young, is an artist I look forward to seeing more of in the future!
"Raise/Grow/Foster/Develop/Cultivate/Cherish:"
"ikebana", a series of five images from artist tatsuya uchida, is interesting in its use of traditional print style colorations and flowers and people. The work is decidely un-computer-like in its style which made it attractive!
"Dye/Color/Stain/Pigment:"
Zach Vitale's "The Yolk's On You" has a binary message in it! And Mr. Vitale had to break more than 100 eggs to get the images just right. Most people would have taken the theme to deal with other aspects of coloration, but Vitale seems to have gone in the direction of creating a mess and played with the "Stain" aspect of the theme with the broken eggs. The more I see this series of images, the more and more I enjoy them. Excellent! |
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Norihiko Saitou
Managing Director (Member of the Board)
Chief Investor Relations Officer
Head of General Administration Div.
Toray Industries, Inc. |
| Overall Evaluation |
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| DCA2006 garnered many superb works from around the world, and as a sponsor we feel extremely happy about this. At the meeting to judge the works, the screening committee members worked together in evaluating all of the entries in a spirit of not only seriousness but also pleasure. |
| Review of Award-winning Works |
| *Grand Prize
The Grand Prize-winning entry was Miho Aoki's work in the "Banquet/Reception/Feast/Party/Festivities/Merrymaking/Revelry:" section. Her fully understanding the party theme and sublimating it in wine glasses and other vessels in this series of works was superb, and the screening committee members were unanimous in selecting Ms. Aoki's pictures, any one of which would merit the Grand Prize on its own, for the top prize. The humorous structure, the warmth of the color scheme and the contrasting cool atmosphere that this picture evoked were very attractive, and we all felt the artist had great expressive power.
*Excellence Award
The Excellence Award in the section of "Banquet/Reception/Feast/Party/Festivities/Merrymaking/Revelry:" went to last year's Grand Prize winner, kouyuu1217, for his work. The style of his picture this year was completely different from last year's monochromatic work, being a splendidly colorful picture with a lot of depth. In this wondrously exciting work, like a pile of worn-out toys or an urban space of the near future, I sensed the artist's extraordinary nature.
The Excellence Award in the area of "Raise/Grow/Foster/Develop/Cultivate/Cherish:" was awarded to the series of works entitled "Ikebana," by Tatsuya Uchida. In this series, which show people's heads as flowers and vegetables, it is easy to forget that these are digital works, as they have a high degree of completeness as pictures.
The screening committee members gladly awarded Zach Vitale Photography the Excellence Award in the theme of "Dye/Color/Stain/Pigment:" for his work. I wonder just how many eggs he had to break to make it. It was interesting how he made a concept out of the differences in the way they broke. The yellow of the eggs on the white-toned screen was very vivid. |
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