Dripping water wins music award

Jem Finer was a founder member with 80s group The Pogues

Musician Jem Finer, founder member of The Pogues, has won the inaugural New Music Award for his contemporary sound installation based on dripping water.

Finer was awarded £50,000 to realise his Score for A Hole in The Ground which will see a disused mine shaft transformed into a musical work of art.

The shaft will be filled with bowls, pivots and amplified tubes to capture a sound akin to Japanese water chimes.

The contemporary artwork is due to go on display in September 2006.

Original artwork

The New Music Award allows complete creative freedom and aims to offer a 'no strings attached' opportunity to create an original piece of contemporary British music.

Finer's project was chosen from a shortlist of three by a panel of judges including percussionist Evelyn Glennie, film composer Anne Dudley and Jerry Springer librettist Stewart Lee.

"It's amazing and I'm thrilled," said Finer, receiving the award at London's City Hall on Tuesday.

"This award gave me the opportunity to think of an ambitious project and it's great to have such an investment in an idea. I'm hugely looking forward to making it happen."