Microsoft and Tate Partnership
Microsoft is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
In 2015, Tate worked with Microsoft to present IK Prize 2016. The IK Prize was an annual competition at Tate Britain, named in memory of the philanthropist Irene Kreitman and initiated by The Porter Foundation which celebrated digital creativity in all its forms. The Prize was presented by Tate to a team, company or individual for an original idea that uses the power of digital technology to connect Tate’s collection of 500 years of British Art to a wider audience. In addition to their generous support of the prize, Microsoft also offered consultancy and technical support to the nominees and the winner as they developed their projects.
"Every year we look forward to the creativity and innovation displayed in the entries for the IK Prize. It is one of the highlights of the digital calendar for Tate. We are delighted Microsoft is partnering with us on this now well-established prize for the first time, taking it into a new era.'
Kerstin Mogull, Former Managing Director, Tate
"We are incredibly honoured and excited to partner with a globally relevant and influential institution such as Tate on their IK Prize. Microsoft is a leader in this year’s theme of artificial intelligence and we cannot wait to see how AI technology will help empower people to experience and enjoy Tate’s collections further."
Jeff Hansen, General Manager, Microsoft
The IK Prize 2016
In 2016, the IK Prize focused on challenging digital creatives to use a form of artificial intelligence to explore, investigate or ‘understand’ British art in the Tate collection.
The IK Prize 2016 was awarded to Fabrica for their project Recognition. Fabrica received a £15,000 prize, £90,000 production budget and support from Tate and Microsoft. Fabrica collaborated with artificial intelligence specialists and web developers Jolibrain to turn their idea into reality.
Recognition is an artificial intelligence trained to search Tate’s online collection of British art, comparing works of art with up-to-the-minute photojournalism, encouraging us to look at the art of the past through the lens of the world today. Over three months Recognition set out to produce an ever-expanding virtual gallery online, enabling visitors can step into the mind of the A.I in an installation at Tate Britain.
Find out more about the IK Prizes from 2014-2016, as well as the IK Prize 2016 winner: Recognition
Find out more about Tate Corporate Partnerships
Tate’s Corporate Partnerships are at the very heart of our organisation. Tate is grateful to all of our Corporate Partners whose generous support and commitment enable Tate to champion art for all.
Corporate Partnerships range from supporting world-renowned programmes of exhibitions, performances or annual artist commissions to wide-reaching learning, research and community programmes, or collaboration through crucial conservation, collection care, digital or sustainability initiatives.
To find out more about the partnership we can build together, or to learn more about supporting Tate philanthropically, contact us at corporate.partnerships@tate.org.uk