The Intelligent Instruments Lab has just won two prizes, both of whom will be awarded at Ars Electronica in Linz in September. Credit for these awards goes to Thor Magnusson (IS), Jack Armitage (UK), Halla Steinunn Stefansdottir (IS), Victor Shepardson (US), Nicola Privato (IT), Miguel Angel Rozzoli (AR), Halldor Ulfarsson (IS), Sean O’Brien (US), Marco Donnarumma (IT), Sophie Skach (AT), Adam Pultz Melbye (DK), and Giacomo Lepri (IT). It also goes to all our collaborators, artists in residence and people joining our open labs, as it really is a community work.

European Citizen Science Awards

The first one is the European Union Prize for Citizen Science where the lab won an Honorary Mention. This Citizen Science award focuses on research projects whose “social and political impact advances the further development of a pluralistic, inclusive and sustainable society in Europe.”

Information on the European Union Prize for Citizen Science awardees can be found here. The European Commission published a webcast announcing the winners.

The Citizen Science jury writes in their general jury statement “Citizen science, a collaborative approach involving volunteers from diverse backgrounds in scientific research, represents a trend and a key paradigm shift in contemporary science. At its core, citizen science embodies the democratisation of knowledge. Inviting participants from all walks of life to participate in scientific discovery transcends traditional boundaries of expertise, inspires curiosity, catalyses innovation across various disciplines, and empowers communities to actively contribute to our understanding of the world.” The Intelligent Instruments Lab could not agree more and we thank all the participants in our workshops, experiments, concerts and open labs as they have been invaluable in shaping the research focus of our project.

The jury statement on the Intelligent Instruments project is the following: “The Intelligent Instruments project in Iceland (2021-2026) uses music to explore the impact of AI on creativity and society. The project addresses important questions about the implications of AI in relation to ethics, technology development and access to technology. It involves interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating insights from technology development and humanities. It engages citizens via open lab sessions, workshops, and performances, excelling in all aspects. Embracing interdisciplinary collaboration and open science practices, it fosters dialogue and shapes policy discussions. Feedback mechanisms ensure community input, while innovative approaches enrich the European research landscape.”

Prix Ars Electronica

The second prize awarded to the lab is the Prix Ars Electronica AI in Art Award - Award of Distinction. The Prix Ars Electronica is described as “the world’s longest-running media art competition. With the award-winning works of international artists as a trend barometer, it offers an inspiring, current and forward-looking insight into the interface between art, technology and society.”

We will be joining the European Commission and the Prix Ars Electronica at the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz in September.

Some images from our citizen science activities:

iil at the European Science Night

Instrument workshop at Hjalteyri in Northern Iceland

Organium workshop

Organic Intelligence Workshop at Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik

Intelligent txalaparta workshop in Reykjavik

Intelligent txalaparta workshop in Strandir, North Iceland

Hosting the Artificial Intelligence and Music Creativity Conference in Sussex