Last night, at the launch of the 2011 onedotzero film festival on the Southbank, we announced, in partnership with onedotzero, a new partnership for 2011. 

We will work together to seek out and champion innovation and excellence for interactive and digital artwork created by artists around the world.

Following recent cuts imposed by the coalition government on the Arts Council of almost 30%, both companies believe there is a need to protect the art world, and in particular, the interactive art world, where possible.

Shane Walter, Creative Director, onedotzero said, ‘At a time when funding for the arts is being cut it is more important than ever to broker new and innovative forms of partnership between the business and arts sectors and to find ways to keep art popular, healthy and relevant.  We believe that the interactive arts are an incredibly relevant way to engage people in broader discussions about art, culture and technology and to think seriously about the kind of future we want to build’.

Discussions are under way to launch a high profile, annual award in 2011 – The Interactive Arts Transvision Award.  The idea is to celebrate the power of technology and the human imagination to create new types of art, new categories of beauty and new ways of seeing.  These plans are currently in development – and both companies are calling for partners to help make the idea a reality.

W+K Interactive Creative Director Andy Cameron said, ‘The Interactive Arts Transvision Award is about championing new forms of engagement, new opportunities to connect, and new ways for audience and artist to relate to each other.  It builds on contemporary cultures of interactivity, gaming, peer to peer sharing, physical computing, mobile geo-location – and plunders all of them to create radically innovative and critically resonatn art works.  We believe that this vibrant contemporary arts movement deserves to be celebrated with its own high profile global award based out of London’.

This collaboration is the culmination of an ongoing relationship between W+K and onedotzero.  Last year we were commissioned to create their brand identity – inspired by the theme of convergence and collaboration.

onedotzero video case history from Wieden + Kennedy London on Vimeo.