Brian Eno at Starmus 2016, Tenerife, Canary Islands
The STARMUS festival has announced the 2019 winners of the Stephen Hawking Medal, one of the world’s most celebrated science communication awards. The medal ceremony will take place on 24 June at the STARMUS V festival in Zurich.
One of the recipients this year is Brian Eno, for his contribution to the popularisation of science:
“I am delighted that Brian Eno has been chosen for this year’s Hawking Medal. Not only has he been an extraordinary and pioneering artist, composer and producer he has always been a science evangelist. Brian has often created the doorway through which the avant-garde enters the mainstream.
His influence has reached way beyond his own field – he has been the creator of ambient and now evolutionary musical forms, challenging the role, nature and perceptions of what art can and should do. This application of a fierce, scientific intelligence to the softer and mushier terrain of the arts has produced extraordinarily influential work, and also made it ideal score material for many a space and sci-fi film”. – Peter Gabriel
Peter was at the event to present the award to Brian Eno and here are some photos from the Starmus V.
Peter at the Opening Ceremony for Starmus V in June 2019. Photo: Max Alexander/Starmus
Peter meets astronaut Buzz Aldrin at Starmus 2019. Photo: Max Alexander/Starmus
Brian Eno (with his Stephen Hawking Medal) & Peter at Starmus 2019. Photo: Max Alexander/Starmus
The other recipients are: Elon Musk for his accomplishments in space travel and for humanity and Apollo 11, a documentary by Todd Douglas Miller, for its breakthrough look at history’s most famous space mission.
ABOUT STARMUS V:
From 24 to 29 June 2019, the world-renowned science and music festival STARMUS celebrates a half century of lunar exploration through the theme ’50 Years of Moon Landing’. Taking place in Switzerland this year for the first time, the festival gathers leading scientists, legendary astronauts, and musical greats and invites the general public to share in their passion and knowledge.
The 2019 programme will bring together some of the most intelligent, creative, and artistic people on the planet. Prominent attendees—all personally selected by the STARMUS board of directors—include an unprecedented public gathering of Apollo astronauts, including 2019’s keynote speaker Michael Collins, Charlie Duke, and Harrison Schmitt. STARMUS V will welcome 12 Nobel laureates to the stage, as well as luminaries from the worlds of art, science, and music – including Brian Eno, Brian May, Steve Vai and Rick Wakeman – for six days of discussion, debate and engagement across the sciences; from microbiology and biochemistry to astrophysics and neuroscience. Other speakers include Sir Martin Rees, Brian Cox, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Helen Sharman.