The earth rests on a pedestal. On it stands a woman, her arm raised to the sky. Her hand reaches a star – and in that moment the two become one. Monique, the CultAWARD trophy, is the idea of cult given form.
The figure
The woman stands for the feminine power of creativity: receiving, shaping, passing on. She does not reach for fame, but for what shines and lasts.
The earth
The pedestal carries the planet. Cult begins regionally, becomes national and sometimes reaches the whole world. The earth is a reminder of where the honourees come from.
The star
The star is the cult icon itself: distant, unmistakable, a point of orientation for many. Whoever touches it becomes part of its story.
Her name
They call her Monique.
A name like a chanson: soft in sound, French at heart, with a smile that reveals more than it says. Monique is the lady of the CultAWARD – alluring, headstrong and entirely a woman of her own time.
Some hear “the only one” in her name. That is exactly how she is meant: she cannot be bought, only bestowed. She stands on the earth and reaches for the star.
The trophy
Origins
Designed in 2009 by Oliver Hillebrecht, founder of the CultAWARD, and now realised as a three-dimensional prototype about 35 centimetres tall. For the ceremony, a gold edition is being made by a manufactory.
The edition
White as the first thought.
Alongside the golden trophy, Monique has been designed as an edition in fine porcelain: the figure entirely in white, calm and clear as a blank page, the earth and the star in gold. Therein lies the whole idea of cult – something quiet is touched and begins to shine.
The porcelain edition is a design study; production and the manufactory are yet to be decided.
Follow the trail of cult.
Find out how the jury works and whom it nominates.