The exhibition showed work by the artists Peter Beyls, Jean-Louis Boissier, Anouk De Clercq, Edmond Couchot & Michel Bret, Chris Cunningham, Francois Curlet, Jean-Marie Dallet, Koen De Decker, Driessens & Verstappen, Masaki Fujihata, Jerry Galle, Tobias Grewenig, Thierry Guibert, Peter Kogler, Piotr Kowalski, Christian Laroche, William Latham, Sol Lewitt, Lia, Matt Mullican, David Renaud, Soda Play, Koen Theys, Erki de Vries.

Piotr Kowalski: a tribute - By way of tribute to artist / scientist Piotr Kowalski who deceased in 2004, a special room was set up during Update_1 showing his work, which is constantly shifting between art and science. In Kowalski's art, science is something close to humans, as a way to interact with the world around us.

Update_2 showed masterpieces from the ZKM collection by Jim Campbell, Heinz Mack, Piero Fogliati, Bruno Munari, Kovac Architecture, Masaki Fujihata, Golan Levin, Wolfgang Münch, Jeffrey Shaw, Toni Oursler and Bruce Nauman. Esther Polak, Michell and Jean-Pierre Hartmann produced new work for the Zebrastraat. The exhibition was accompanied by a comprehensive program of films, molecular cooking, lectures, debates, a concert, ...

An international jury selected the various art projects on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 from the entries representing 16 different countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Slovenia, Japan, Israel, USA, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, ...). The jury consisted of Jean-Marie Dallet (Professor and curator Update I) - Philippe Van Cauteren (Director SMAK Gent) - Françoise Meesen (Liedts-Meesen Foundation) - Dirk De Wit (Director BAM) - Stef Van Bellingen (Consultant Zebrastraat / Artistic leader of the WARP association) - Esther Polak (artist – Laureate of Ars Electronica Linz 2005).

The shortlisted artists were Juliana Borinski & PL Cashier (BR/FR), Frederik De Wilde (BE), Kurt D'Haeseleer (BE), Nick Ervinck (BE), Wim Janssen (BE), Christoph Wachter & Mathias Jud (CH), Leroy + Leroy (FR), Julien Maire (FR), Christophe Hans Meier (DE), Open Ended Group (US) and Janek Schaefer (GB).

The jury award of 5000 euros was handed over on Sunday, June 1, 2008 to Julien Maire (FR) for his work Exploded camera, the public prize went to Nick Ervinck (BE) Studies 2004-2006. The installation Exploded Camera (2007) by Julien Maire (1969, Metz, FR) was selected by Philippe Van Cauteren for presentation at the SMAK museum in Ghent (Museum of Contemporary Art) between 13/12/2008 and 22/02/2009.


Motivation by the jury for its choice of "Exploded Camera" Julien Maire.

'Exploded Camera' is a spatial art based on an attack on Commander Massoud with a bom camera in the period of '9/11'. The jury had several motivations to acclaim this work:

- It links art to international politics and economics
- The intelligent use of technology
- The "media archeology" (the processing of various film and pre-cinematic devices)
- Though the art work seems to be an explosion in a space (a deconstruction), it is actually a construction of a somewhat forgotten reality.
- The perfect performance of the work, despite the fragile appearance
- The temptation for the visitor to unravel the work.

Julien Maire (from France but living and working in Berlin) responded very enthusiastically. There are already not so many prizes for artists who are not active in the more traditional media (painting or sculpture), but he is particularly pleased that the story of Commander Massoud will become better known outside France and Germany. The assassination of Massoud became the subject of French research journalism, and two years after his death, even a postage stamp with his portrait was made. As main leader of the anti-Taliban alliance, he is considered a national hero in Afghanistan. The technical means are for Julien Maire subordinated to the impact of the overall picture, and he also wants the viewer to comprehend the (manipulated) reality.

Update_3/ Body Sound, an exhibition by the Centre Pompidou, New Media Department, designed by the Bureau des Mésarchitectures, Paris, and realized by the Zebrastraat, at the initiative of the Liedts-Meesen Foundation, Ghent, under the artistic direction of Christine Van Assche. Sound works were selected from the collection of the New Media Department of the Centre Pompidou. The challenge was to present a history of sound in the arts. Big names in contemporary art such as Bruce Nauman, Vito Acconci, Manon de Boer, Celeste Boursier-Mougenot, Casten Nicolai Alva Noto, Anouk De Clercq, Didier Faustino, Mike Kelly / Scanner, Martin Creed, Adam Mc. Ewen, Keiko Owada, Väino Mika, Chris Marker, Ugo Rondinone, Emmanuel Lagarrigue and Semiconductor were presented next to and between one another along the exhibition circuit. The architects of the Bureau des Mésarchitectures, Paris made a special scenography.

For the second time a contest was organized under the banner of the New Technological Art Award of the Liedts Meesen Foundation, with a presentation of 10 works. The artists were selected between 264 entries from over 45 different countries. The international jury consisted of Peter Weibel (ZKM Karlsruhe Director), Jean-Marie Dallet (Paris 8 University Professor and curator Update_1), Philippe Van Cauteren (Director SMAK, Ghent), Françoise Meesen (Liedts-Meesen Foundation), Dirk De Wit (Director BAM - Institute for visual, audiovisual and media art), Stef Van Bellingen (Consultant Zebrastraat / Artistic director Warp Association), Christine Van Assche (Curator of New Media Centre Pompidou, Paris), Art Yan (Exhibition Organiser E-Arts Festival, Shanghai), Nick Ervinck (artist, winner of the public prize Update_2), Julien Maire (artist, winner of the prize of the jury Update_2).

The following 10 artists were nominated: Perry Bard, USA, Man With A Movie Camera: The Global Remake, Felix Luque Sanchez, Spain, Chapter I: The Discovery Installation, Boris Debackere, Belgium, Probe, Peter Alwast, Australia, Everything, Beyls Peter, Belgium, Petri, Dominika Sobolewska, Poland, RGB Red-Green-Blue, Go Eun Im, South Korea, SEE(N), Christoph De Boeck, Belgium, Staalhemel, Arthur Elsenaar, The Netherlands, Face Shift, Julien Gachadoat, France, Gravity.

The jury award of 5000 euro was handed over on Sunday, June 20, 2010 to Julie Gachadoat (FR) for his work Gravity, a shared audience award went to Gravity and SEE(N) of Go Eun Im. Motivation by the jury its choice of "Gravity".


Julien Gachadoat winner of the New Technological Art Award Foundation Liedts Meesen-2010

With Gravity the jury chooses an interactive real-time system merging architecture, telephony and typography. The viewer can send a text message, which is then projected onto a wall, in order to establish a poetic dialogue between architecture and audience. In a unique and surprising way and with a special appeal Gachadoat Julien knows to guide the texts formally and visually in their track.

A tied public prize was awarded to 'Gravity' by Julien Gachadoat and SEE(N) by Go Eun Im. The South Korean Eun Im Go knows how to charm the audience with her personal view on looking and remembering. The interactive work SEE(N), to see and to be seen, directs our gaze towards an inventive and artistic mania.

The public awarded the work of artist Nick Ervinck Studies 2004-2006. As a result of its selection the Liedts-Meesen Foundation gave the artist the opportunity to convert his computer-animated images into a larger than life installation. On the night of 28 on 29/07/2009 two identical but mirrored frame structures were placed on the roofs of Zebrastraat. The sculptures each are 12 meter long by 6 meter wide. The artwork, called WARSUBEC, was constructed in Venlo (NL) and transferred by special transport to Ghent.