Sound artist wins Britain's Turner Prize

Glasgow-born Susan Philipsz won Britain's Turner Prize for contemporary art on Monday, the first sound artist to grab the often-controversial prize.

Philipsz, 45, entered a work called Lowlands in the competition, filling a room in London's Tate Britain gallery with the sound of her own voice singing old Scottish laments. The sound features different versions of Lowlands Away from three speakers, sounding by turns harmonious and discordant.

"I am interested in the psychological effects of song. People hear an untrained voice singing unaccompanied and find it quite strange. It is like putting something very private in a public context," she said in a film that accompanies the Turner Prize show.

She was the bookies' favourite to win the 25,000 ($39,400 Cdn) prize after a public exhibition of all the work.

Philipsz's past work includes Filter, in which she sang the Radiohead song Airbag over the public address system of a Tesco supermarket in London. Part of her artistry involves changing the experience, by setting up under bridges or in abandoned buildings. Last year, her Surround Me revived old British madrigals in London's financial district.

The Turner Prize jury, chaired by Penelope Curtis, director of Tate Britain, called her works "powerful sculptural experiences."

The jury also admired "the way in which [Philipsz's] work provokes both intellectual and instinctive responses, and reflects a series of decisions about the relationship between sound and sight."

Philipsz studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee, and the University of Ulster. She currently lives and works in Berlin.

She was competing with:

• Dexter Dalwood, a Londoner who creates paintings and collages inspired by historic events.
• Angela de la Cruz, a Spanish-born painter and sculptor who works in London.
• The Otolith Group, London-based film artists Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun.

Each of the other artists wins 5,000 ($7,880).