The "Alcatel Prize for the European Month of Photography" awarded to Philippe Ramette during the opening of "Mutations 1" exhibition

Paris, October 30, 2006 - Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA et NYSE: ALA) has today awarded the “Alcatel Prize for the European Month of Photography 2006” to Philippe Ramette*, a French photographer. The prize has been bestowed for his artwork during the opening of “Mutations 1” exhibition at the “Maison Européenne de la Photographie” (MEP, Paris). Philippe Ramette was selected among seven European artists (from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Russia and Slovaquia).

This first edition of the “Alcatel Prize for the European Month of Photography” has been created via seven photo Festivals (Paris, Berlin, Bratislava, Luxembourg, Moscow, Rome and Vienne) federated in the European Month of Photography, in partnership with Alcatel. The goal of this initiative is to highlight every two years, the most significant European contemporary photographers. The prize allocation is 10,000 euros.

The jury, whose President was Caroline Guillaumin, Alcatel communication director, was mostly composed by well-known figures of the European contemporary artistic world, selected by the seven Festival partners. The artists’ works will be shown in an exhibition called “Mutations 1”, presenting an overview of the European photographic creation, focused on technological and artistical mutations which are currently crossing the photography world. This exhibition will be presented in the seven partner capitals between the fall 2006 and summer 2007. It will be in Paris, at the MEP, between October 30 and December 31, 2006.

* Biography of Philippe Ramette
Philippe Ramette was born in Auxerre, France, in 1961. For the past twelve years, the body of work he has developed is of mises en scenes — situations staged using himself and ’prototypes’ – objects destined for individual or group use, and specially conceived by the artist. These sculptures or ’prostheses’ might be seen as a materialization of the artist’s inquiry about the world. Philippe Ramette himself is always present in his work. With a sense of derision and the absurd, clothed in a dark, severe-looking suit, he portrays an impassive character. His works exist, successively, in the form of drawings, sculptures and photographs. They also result from actual bodily and artistic ’performances’. For his most recent photographs, he created a series of ’prosthesis-sculptures’ that allow his character to utterly defy the laws of gravity. The artist uses a traditional craft process that resists the potential of digital technology, which he seems to know nothing about, and from which his work is completely detached. Philippe Ramette works and lives in Paris. Numerous solo exhibitions of his work have been held in France and Belgium.

** Calendar of “ Mutations 1 ” exhibition:
Luxembourg from October 14 to November 19, 2006 (Casino – Forum d’art contemporain)
Paris from October 30, 2006 to December 31, 2006 (Maison Européenne de la Photographie)
Berlin from November 2, 2006 to January 7, 2007 (Martin Gropius Bau)
Bratislava from November 3 to December 3, 2006 (Bratislava Castle)
Moscow from March to May 2007 (place TBC)
Rome from April to May 2007 (Museo di Roma in Travestere)
Vienna from September 6 to 29, 2007 (MUSA – Museum auf Abruf).


About Alcatel
Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. Alcatel brings its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services, to help its partners and customers build a user-centric broadband world. With sales of EURO 13.1 billion and 58,000 employees in 2005, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. http://www.alcatel.com

Alcatel and photography
With so much of its business focused on broadband and multimedia, Alcatel chose photography as the theme of its cultural sponsoring activities. As a strong supporter of photography, Alcatel’s goal is to promote cultural diversity and exchange, particularly in the arts, which create a vital link between the different communities in countries where Alcatel has a strong local presence. Free of linguistic or cultural barriers, photography speaks instantly to each person. Current technical advances in photography make this art form a privileged means of expression. Each day, multimedia content is exchanged on the Internet and over mobile phones thanks to Alcatel’s fixed and mobile infrastructures and software.

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