The judges said:
This site works on many levels. Its beauty and elegance reinforce the subject and appeal equally to different sensibilities—intellectual, visual, and auditory.
The narrative is woven seamlessly with one of the most effective and even poetic timelines and maps we have ever seen. Flash and design are used with subtlety to
complement, not overwhelm, the content, and the sound design adds a serene quality to the experience. We applaud the National Palace Museum's generosity of spirit
that motivated making the site bi-lingual, opening it to a wide public. All of these elements combine to make for a rich environment for learning and
delight.
The producers said:
Construction of website for "The Calligraphic World of Mi Fu's Art" involved investing a selected core of subject matter with innovative and artistic
methods of expression. In doing so, it allows the scattered elements of the subject, after being designed for combination, to reproduce another facet of art.
Calligraphy, the art of writing, was one of the most refined forms of expression in the art and life of the Chinese scholar-artist Mi Fu of the Northern Sung
period (960-1127). Therefore, in designing a website centered around Mi Fu, features of the physical properties of ink on paper or silk were used to create an
outline of his style incorporating artistic media with a technological sense. The effects of brush strokes and ink washes manifest the spirit of Mi Fu, a leading
figure in the world of calligraphy in his day, and, by using dynamic displacement, different details of the gradations of ink washes can be revealed. This makes
the hues of the website in a natural layout full of variation and richness, allowing viewers to experience aesthetics in technology. Our website was created in
Chinese and English.
The judges said:
It is encouraging to see use of the Web medium to accomplish what might not be possible in print. In the case of the National Gallery of Art's technical exploration
of Venetian painting, the user is given access to fascinating, behind-the-scenes images that reveal how these masterpieces were created. Although this site is very
simple and modestly designed, it perfectly captures the geeky delight of comparing the under drawings of each painting.
The producers said:
The exhibition Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, and the Renaissance of Venetian Painting at the National Gallery of Art in Washington presented more than fifty
masterpieces from 1500 to 1530, the most exciting phase of the Renaissance in Venice. Like the exhibition, the Web feature explores the relationships between these,
and other, artists, tracing the rise of secular subjects, such as the pastoral landscape, female nude, and dramatic portrait, and the transformation of religious
ones as well as innovations in style and technique. The "Technical Photographs: Beyond the Naked Eye" section demonstrates how conservators and curators
used infrared reflectograms and x-radiography to study the underdrawings and compositional shifts made beneath the surface of the paintings.
The judges said:
The Exploratorium did a great job of letting the content of this website be as provocative as possible while keeping the navigation minimal and out of the way. Its
slideshows of large images overlaid with audio powerfully convey the feeling of being there. The content is given just the right amount of personal touch, showing
scientists in the field. By drawing users into their world, these scientists make the subject exciting, in both Russian and English. It is an excellent example of
what may work better online than in a gallery.
The producers said:
Revealing real-world processes for gathering scientific evidence to a general audience, Extremophiles in Kamchatka transports us to the pristine habitat
inside a collapsed volcano in Eastern Siberia, where microbial life forms thrive in the boiling-hot geothermal waters. Visually rich and accompanied by optional
audio narration, the site features slideshows and video collections in both English and Russian, focusing on both the uniqueness of the location and its kingdom of
extremophiles. These tiny yet hardy life forms whose colonies appear as colorful patches on rock or as hairy mats of white fur, give scientists clues to what life
might be like on other planets. The site offers insight into the experience of researchers in the field—through documenting an international collaboration
between microbiologists, geochemists, and geologists; the temporary tents that function as laboratories; and the sulfur pools that serve as both observatories
and the only available bathing opportunity.
This project was made possible by the National Science Foundation, with support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The NASA Astrobiology Institute, and the
McBean Family Foundation. The Executive Producer was Robert J. Semper, Ph.D. Scientific oversight provided by Albert Coleman, Ph.D. The team included producers
Noah Wittman and Elisabeth M. Spencer, writer Pearl Tesler, editor Judith Brand, and designer Yael Braha, with Exploratorium volunteers. Melissa Alexander provided
project direction.
The judges said:
The ability to really dive into each stamp and explore the details close up, kept the judges on this website for quite some time. The site also has many
application-like features that become apparent the longer you use it, making the site a powerful resource for searching, investigating, and gathering stamps in the
collection. Although the name might be a bit difficult to remember, the judges won't forget the site anytime soon.
The producers said:
The National Postal Museum, a Smithsonian Institution museum, was created by an agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Postal
Service in 1990 and opened to the public in 1993. With over six million objects, it houses the Smithsonian's second largest collection. Arago is the
online collection and resource for the study of philately and postal operations. Named after Françoise Arago, 19th-century French scientist and friend of James
Smithson, the website upholds the philosophy that knowledge can be shared through the technology of the day. The content for Arago was created by more
than 100 volunteer subject matter experts using special Researcher and Exhibit Tools.
