Hyères - Festival International de Mode et de Photographie : And the winners are .....

The 24th Festival International de Mode et de Photographie took place on 24 until 27 April 2009, in Hyères. The work of 10 aspiring and promising photographers was presented along exciting pieces by fashion designers. This year’s Photography Grand Prix went to Swiss photographer Linus Bill.

Linus Bill’s work is obsessive. He photographs everything, all the time: people he knows, people he doesn’t know, interiors, exteriors, living things, objects, snap shots, posed scenes. His images are not dictated by specific themes or criteria. New photos are  compiled for a book project or exhibition using archive material. Linus Bill (1982) studied at the University of the Arts, Zurich. Since 2006, he has had exhibitions in Hamburg, Zurich and New York.

However winning isn’t everything at Hyères, it is also more about the taking part and the photographic exchange that takes place. The pieces reflect current trends in contemporary art and demonstrate just how far certain artists are prepared to go.

GoSee presents several exciting photographic pieces, including quite unique portraits by Louise Te Poele and Melanie Bonajo & Emmeline de Mooij, "Bush Compulsion - A Primitive Breakthrough in the Modern Mind". Those that wish to see more can do so in Hyères, where the exhibition will be open until 7 June.

The photo judging panel comprised photographer Tim Walker, The New York Times CD Janet Froelich, Centre Pompidou Paris Curator Clément Chéroux, New Yorker gallerist Jen Bekman, AD and photographer Peter Knapp, AnOther Magazine Photo Editor Mae Delaney, Jean-Luc Chirio c/o Publicis Conseil, London Photographers' Gallery Curator Stefanie Braun and Erik Kessels of KesselsKramer, Amsterdam.

The fashion judging panel included Dior Homme AD Kris Van Assche, Another Magazine & Dazed and Confused editor Jefferson Hack, Fantastic Man Editor in Chief & Publisher Gert Jonkers, Dior Homme Image Director Jean-Pierre Baux, Mafia Agency, Paris President Marie Chauveau, Nan Goldin and Puma International CD Benoît Duverger.

Designer HARALD LUNDE HELGESEN’s menswear collection was awarded the PRIX CRYSTALLIZED tm - SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

SIMON-PIERRE TOUSSAINT from Belgium won the public’s vote for his "The trees can hear you if you talk to them" menswear collection.

MARITE MASTINA and ROLANDS PETERKOPS were presented with the GRAND PRIX DU JURY MODE LOREAL PROFESSIONNEL and received the PRIX 1 2 3 for their "Private detective" collection.

Further information can be found on the festival’s website www.villanoailles-hyeres.com .