Who deserves the Turner Prize?

The jury decided on Susan Philipsz, and I agree with them.
At the Tate Britain, the first three exhibitions for the Turner Prize have visual aspects, which is something I expect from a museum display. Dexter Dalwood features paintings, Angela de la Cruz features paintings on sculptural canvases, and the Otolith Group have videos accompanying audio.

And then there is Philipsz's sound installation in a stark white room. I immediately felt different when I stepped into the space, with the three large speakers against the surrounding walls echoing a soothing voice. Though I couldn't tell what the voice was saying, the lilt and tones successfully established a melancholic atmosphere. In the moments when other museum visitors stopped walking, the voices carried more strongly and made me realize how spacious the room was. The voices made me more aware of the people around me who were experiencing the installation, made me want to tread carefully so that I did not disturb them. Upon reflection, Philipsz's installation is the first artwork in a long time that has influenced me to be cautious of the atmosphere I could be disturbing while I walk through the room with my heeled boots (another such artwork was one of Monet's waterlilies paintings). Even though the sound installation is separated from its original location under the Glasgow bridges, it still manages to convey a powerful sense of mourning; I can only imagine how much more beautiful and haunting it would be to experience these sounds in the original place. I think a lot of the installation's effectiveness was lost in the transfer form the Glasgow bridges to the Tate Britain--installations are site-specific so the location of the art is just as important as the work itself.

Yet even in the sterile museum room, one can feel the sadness, and the awareness of space--it is that powerful of a work.

The Turner Prize is awarded to those who push the definition of art. Susan Philipsz is not the only sound artist out there, but she is the first to receive this prize. It is a good chance to spread ideas of this type of artwork to more people. We are always questioning art, questioning the validity of an artist's intent. Philipsz's work is one of many to keep the debates going.