Simon Speiser

As a German-Ecuadorian artist, I like to bridge between various media, merging concepts of nature, technology and spirituality, from writing to virtual reality, mechatronics to textile-work and printmaking. My works explore themes of origins and the interplay between elemental and technological worlds. By blending virtual reality with ancestral folklore and weaving science fiction with non-Western conceptions of technology, I create immersive, sensory experiences. I believe in storytelling as a tool in the fight against dystopian thinking, and my art highlights the convergence of traditional knowledge and contemporary digital techniques, showcasing the resilience and adaptability of precolonial cultures.

HOW DOES YOUR SUBMITTED WORK RESPOND TO THE CIRCA 20:25 MANIFESTO?
Liberating Shipwreck is a speculative documentary, which tells the history of maroon societies in Esmeraldas Ecuador, through the lens of string-theory. The shipwreck is conceptualised as a portal that enabled slaves aboard 16th-century Spanish galleons to escape into a new reality of freedom. I see theories in speculative physics as ways of western science to reconnect to the realm of the spirits and a circular way of understanding the world. I focus on glitches and artefacts of gaussian splats, as a way to portrait these underlying energies that are forever superimposed on what we perceive as the world around us.

IF AWARDED THE £30,000 CIRCA PRIZE, WHAT 10-MINUTE WORK WOULD YOU CREATE – AND HOW WOULD IT EMBODY THE SPIRIT OF REFUGIA?
Neglected by Ecuador’s ruling class and overlooked internationally, this years oil spill in the province of Esmeraldas covered several rivers in a layer of black crude-oil, this calamity will take decades to heal. I aim to connect its local consequences of our global oil addiction to other affected communities worldwide. Connecting Esmeraldas to a global discourse, touching on communities across South America, the Middle East, Canada, and the Asia–Pacific. I envision organizing online workshops to create a platform for dialogue and explore crude oil’s history and its deep ties between the Lithicocene and Anthropocene through a speculative documentary.

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Funding for the CIRCA PRIZE is generated entirely by the #CIRCAECONOMY, a circular model that reinvests proceeds from affordable art sold on CIRCA.ART into new public art commissions, charitable causes, art education and prizes. Since launching in 2020, the initiative has raised over £1 Million, placing artists and communities at the centre of an economy that continually reinvests in the future of art and culture.

The CIRCA PRIZE 2025 winners will be revealed LIVE in Piccadilly Circus on Monday 13 October, with a special 30-minute award ceremony starting at 20:00 BST. Don’t miss it!