LEONARDO SCHOLARSHIP FOR MediaArtHistories MA awarded to Fran ILICH

LEONARDO SCHOLARSHIP FOR MediaArtHistories MA awarded to Fran ILICH

From a field of applicants from twelve countries from four continents, Mexican media artist, author, and researcher Fran Ilich Morales Muñozhas been awarded the first Leonardo Scholarship in the Media.Art.Histories MA program at the Department of Image Science at Danube University, Austria. The jury, consisting of Edward Shanken, jonCates and Oliver Grau selected Ilich from a highly competitive group of candidates based on his extraordinary accomplishments, intellectual sophistication, independent vision, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Ilich is Director of the Literature Department at the Centro Cultural de Tijuana, Founding Director of Possible worlds.org and Founding CEO of Spacebank. He was Co-founder and Moderator Nettime-Latino and has contributed essays to Wired News, Modem.txt, and Al Fin. His videogame artwork, "Banner" (with Blas Valdez) was exhibited at 01 San Jose (2009) and ARCO XX, Madrid (2001). His Internet soap opera, "Fea y Rebelde" was exhibited at Documenta 12, Kassel (2007). He was General Director and Curator of the Borderhack! festivals in 2001, 2002, and 2005.

=> LEONARDO SCHOLARSHIP FOR MEDIA ART HISTORIES
The scholarship is planned to answer the critical challenges of the 21st century, which require mobilization and cross-fertilization among the domains of art, science and technology by supporting the studies of a new researcher or artist.

=> FIRST INTERNATIONAL MASTER OF MEDIA.ART.HISTORIES
(low-residency; English language, international faculty) The postgraduate program MediaArtHistories conveys the most important developments of contemporary art through a network of renowned international theorists, artists and curators like: Erkki HUHTAMO, Lev MANOVICH, Christiane PAUL, Paul SERMON, Edward SHANKEN, Jens HAUSER,Sean CUBITT, Christa SOMMERER, Gerfried STOCKER, Knowbotic Research, Frieder NAKE, Oliver GRAU and many others.

Artists and programmers give new insights into the latest software, interface developments and their interdisciplinary and intercultural praxis. Keywords are: Strategies of Interaction & Interface Design, Social Software, Immersion & Emotion and Artistic Invention. Using online databases and other modern aids, knowledge of computer animation, netart, interactive, telematic and genetic art as well as the most recent reflections on nano art, augmented reality and wearables are introduced. Historical derivations that go far back into art and mediahistory are tied in intriguing ways to digital art. Important approaches and methods from Image Science, Media Archaeology and the History of Science & Technology will be discussed.
http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/mah

=>DANUBE UNIVERSITY KREMS - located in the UNESCO world heritage Wachau, 70km from Vienna, is the only public university in Europe specializing in advanced continuing education by offering low-residency degree programs for working professionals and life long learners. Our students & faculty members come from the USA, Italy, Canada, Syria, Austria, Mexico, & Hong Kong, among others. Without interrupting their career, students have the opportunity to learn through direct experience, social learning in small groups and contacts with labs and industry. They gain key qualifications for the contemporary art and media marketplace. The Center in Monastery Goettweig, where most MediaArtHistories courses take place, is housed in a 14th century building, remodeled to fit the needs of modern research in singular surroundings.

=> LEONARDO/ISAST - Leonardo creates opportunities for the powerful exchange of ideas between practitioners in art, science and
technology. Through publications, initiatives andpublic forums, Leonardo/ISAST facilitates cross-disciplinary researchin these fields, seeking to catalyze fruitful solutions for the challenges of the 21st century. Among the challenges requiring cross-disciplinary approaches are establishing sustainable environmental practices, spreading global scientific and artistic literacy, creating technological equity, and encouraging freedom of thought and imagination.

=>LEAF - The Leonardo Education and Art Forum promotes the advancement of artistic research andacademic scholarship at the intersections of art, science, and technology. Serving practitioners, scholars, and students who are members of the Leonardo community, LEAF provides a forum for collaboration and exchange with other scholarly communities, including the College Art Association of America (CAA), of which it is an affiliate society.

Further Information:
http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/mah
http://www.leonardo.info
http://www.virtualart.at
http://www.mediaarthistories.org