In its short existence, Semibreve has built a formidable reputation as one of the most exciting annual events on the international exploratory music and digital arts calendar. In previous editions, the festival has presented unique collaborations by some of the most revered electronic music artists from around the world, alongside a programme of new works in the field of digital art.

The 16th edition will once again feature the Semibreve Award, sponsored by Edigma, a Portuguese company specialising in the development of interactive experiences, queue management and digital signage projects. The award celebrates and promotes the creation of installation works that explore sound and image through the use of digital technologies.

The winner of the 2026 edition is Matthew Biederman, with Situational Compliance, an interactive installation conceived as a Simon Says-type game. Using computer vision and pose detection, the work issues commands — raising your arms, showing your hands, kneeling — and evaluates each body as either compliant or threatening. Exposed cables, cameras and a real-time visualisation of the digital skeleton reveal the system’s inner workings. Rather than simply recording movement, the installation gives orders, placing participants in a space between play and obedience, and confronting them with the question of how willing we are to follow instructions from an authority without a body or a face.

This piece created with the support of Mois Multi/Mute.

The work will be on display at MUZEU from 22 October to 29 November 2026.

Edigma Semibreve Award winners

Matthew Biederman — 2026
Jésus Baptista — 2025
Hidden Edges — 2024
dmstfctn — 2023
Studio Animaspace & Arina Kapitanova — 2022
Christian Skjødt Hasselstrøm — 2021
Merani Schilcher & Vinzenz Aubry — 2020
Andreas Lutz — 2019
Elias Merino e Tadej Droljc — 2018
Adam Basanta & Gil Delindro — 2017

The Semibreve Award is supported by