04-FEB -- BASICS is the title of transmediale.05, the 18th edition of the international media art festival in Berlin. The festival explores the relations between art, technology and society on the basis of controversial topics: bio-technological achievements transcend our perception of life, security technologies are developped on the expense of the privacy needs. While technological progress generates a multitude of new opportunities, people experience a confusing inflation of options: What shall I do? What am I responsible for?

The transmediale.05 proclaims the "Next Level BASICS", and, as in previous years, resists mere pessimistic approaches. From February 4th to 8th, 2005, the festival showcases examples of artistic practice which are based on the appropriation of an extreme and contradictory contemporary culture, rather than on obsolete value systems.

The international media art festival takes place under the patronage of Dr. Christina Weiss, the Federal State Secretary for Culture and Media, who will inaugurate transmediale.05 on February 3rd in Berlin's House of World Cultures.

The competition's call for the transmediale Award 2005 has for the first time abandoned specific categories. Nearly 900 artists from 51 countries applied for the prize endowed with 8.000 Euros, which were donated by the company AVM Computersysteme. Last weekend the international jury, composed of Masaki Fujihata (Japan), Amanda McDonald-Crowley (Australia), Gunalan Nadarajan (Singapore), Christiane Paul (USA) and Michael Bielicky (Czech Republic), announced a shortlist of nine works (for short descriptions see reverse side), three of these will recieve the transmediale Award in a ceremony on Februaray 7th.

The transmediale was distinguished in December 2003 by the German Federal Cultural Foundation as one out of six cultural beacons which represent the spectrum of Germany's contemporary art production in an exemplary manner.