The 4th Schauerman Digital Art Prize goes to Jan Frith for her interactive storytelling sewing machine ‘Sewing Memories’.
“Sewing Memories contains both the oldest piece of creative technology in this year’s Open – the sewing machine, and the newest piece of creative technology – the raspberry pi. We love the combination of the analogue and the digital and are impressed with how Jan has linked them together in such an intuitive and robust way. It’s a remarkable and imaginative way to present a living archive.” Genetic Moo
Sewing Memories is an interactive old Singer sewing machine with a micro-LCD screen and hidden Raspberry Pi computer containing hundreds of memories and stories, which can be read by physically turning the handle of the sewing machine to see each story in turn moving under the needle footplate.
It has been interpreted for many different situations and toured the Isle of Wight in 2024 over four months in three exhibitions at Quay Arts, Ryde Library and Independent Arts, with 22 differentiated co-creating sewing activities extended into the community. These sewing outputs were curated in a finale exhibition featuring the Singer machine artwork, which was used to link the intergenerational outputs along with large printed text drops and rolling TV content on monitors – projecting the Singer’s memories and stories both within the exhibition and outside the gallery onto the High Street.
About the Prize
The prize is selected by digital artists and London Group members Genetic Moo (Nicola Schauerman and Tim Pickup) and Sandra Crisp.
Our aim for the prize is to get more digital artists involved with the Group . As technology changes, art changes and The London Group is engaging with digital art more and more – see these London Group exhibitions: In the Dark, In the Dark II, In the Dark III and The Mesh
To be eligible for the Schauerman Digital Art Prize you need to enter and be selected for a The London Group Open, the next Open will be in 2027.
Previous winners:
Jonathan Armour – 2023 / Sleeve Shock / 3D video animation
“Sleeve Shock, first created for the exhibition of the same name in January 2023 is an exploration of multiple identities – something which I feel we all have – we all use different facades in different situations. Combining the concepts of avatars and matryoshka dolls – here the different shells interfere, coalesce, protrude which is perhaps how different identities work on each person.
“In addition, this video is in part a reflection about the amazing people I am fortunate enough to work with and how their sleeves have been the source of exclusion by the art establishment for many centuries – indeed perhaps only now starting to be corrected.” Jonathan Armour, 2022
Jonathan Armour lives and works in London and has been a member of The London Group since 2024.
On winning the prize: “In my creative exploration of the body I am trying to devise digital techniques which make the pixel as visceral as oil paint on canvas. This prize and the feedback from so many during the exhibition suggests that I am achieving that in some way. These moments of recognition help ignite the long periods of simply making and working. Thank you so much.”
Chirag Jindal – 2019 / No 12 The Uncanny / LiDAR scan
‘No 12 The Uncanny’ is not a photograph – it is a 3-D scan with millions of points of data. The work is made using laser technology – a LiDAR scanner. A laser pulse is sent out of a transmitter and the light particles are scattered back to the receiver creating a 3D digital replica of the space. In the case of Uncanny, the scanner was moved through a lava tunnel under an Auckland street and then on the surface above it and finally, the two scans were connected. Colour has been sourced using traditional photographic processes and mapped onto each individual point of data.
Chirag Jindal lives and works in New Zealand.
On winning the prize: “As a debut project, the work follows many long periods of experimenting, indecision and risk. It’s a privilege to have it be given recognition and a platform for outreach and exposure – especially amongst such talented peers. Naturally, I want to thank the London Group for hosting the exhibition, and supporting the progression of digital media as an art form.”
Sandra Crisp – 2017 / ‘remote_city (skygardens_towers)’ / video
remote city (skygardens_towers), 3’12”, 2016
The camera pans through elevated levels of a fragmented and futuristic city featuring sky gardens, and empty high-rise towers that humans appear to have left behind. Hybrid ‘architectural models are textured with borrowed/downloaded visuals and smartphone-camera stills embedded into their multi-faceted surfaces. Whilst online maps of real-world city locations are used as templates to create 3d structures. The film was originally inspired by a journalism article ‘Ghost Towers’ about unoccupied high-rise towers in the city.
Sandra Crisp lives and works in London and has been a member of The London Group since 2018.
On winning the prize: “I was really surprised and delighted to be awarded the first Schauerman Digital Art Prize at The London Group Open 2017. Obviously, this was very welcome towards the cost of developing new work, but mostly it represented support and positive feedback. As a result of being awarded the prize, I was nominated to be a new member of The London Group in early 2018. Since then, I have taken part in many group exhibitions with other members whose practice includes painting, drawing, print, video and digital art – a diverse and very supportive network of artists.
Inspiration
Nicola’s parents, Marie & John Schauerman, were creative throughout their lives and excited by new technology. This prize is in memory of their enthusiasm and support.
