A spirit of optimism is in the air. Ars Electronica Solutions hit the ground running in 2012. The expansion of the staff and the move to Tabakfabrik are now delivering a hefty jolt of motivation. Michael Badics and Bernd Albl, the young men in charge of this division, talk about what they aim to accomplish.
Ars Electronica Solutions’ goal is to develop the Ars Electronica Futurelab’s prototypes into marketable products, to custom-tailor Ars Electronica packages and to implement them for exhibitions, branding campaigns, events and point-of-sale applications. To accomplish this, we individually adapt existing products or come up with new ones. Ideas and concepts are distilled down to their very essence to generate multifaceted applications and installations that can be deployed in as many contexts as possible. Ars Electronica Solutions’ ultimate strength is its staff, a team of experts in a broad spectrum of disciplines who can thus summon forth a wide array of creative approaches to an assignment.
But how about some details: What is Ars Electronica Solutions actually into?
The focus is currently on three areas: Brandlands & Exhibitions, Event & Show Design, and Shop Experience. In each, Ars Electronica has the ideas and experience it takes to make excellence happen.
Brandlands & Exhibitions is all about stories and histories, capturing the motivation and the character of an enterprise and making them come alive in an exhibition context. Ars Electronica Solutions can do the whole job from concept to implementation, or just provide expert consulting services where needed. To see what Solutions is capable of, take a trip to Tyrol and visit MED-EL’s Audioversum in Innsbruck and Swarovski’s Lobby in Wattens. Of course, this wealth of experience and know-how can also flow into classic exhibitions in a museum setting.
If events, presentations or product launches are on your agenda, then Event & Show Design has you covered. When you aim to stage a production that really makes people sit up and take notice, Ars Electronica is your one-stop-shop. The ultimate must-see attraction in this entire sector right now is the Quadcopter Dance Ensemble, an enhanced version of the Quadcopter Dance Ensemble that debuted at last year’s voestalpine Klangwolke and caused a worldwide sensation. This choreographed formation of quadrocopters has a standard repertoire that can also be customized just for your show. Smaller-scale products and solutions are also available, featuring myriad options to give free rein to your imagination. From concept to performance, Ars Electronica Solutions makes it happen right before your eyes.
Finally, Shop Experience deals with the reconfiguration and enhancement of conventional retailing models. The mission: updating the point of sale into the Modern Age and adapting it to the needs of a clientele that’s fully aware of how pleasant it’s become to shop online. Solutions aims to create an ambience in which the advantages of the “old” world of merchandising are combined with the benefits of the Internet. The result: enabling independent retailers and chains alike to play up their strengths—immediate availability of inventory, customer assistance & advice, and the opportunity for hands-on assessment before buying—as well as presenting products in a contemporary way.
In all these endeavors, Ars Electronica Solutions relies not only on in-house know-how; we’re part of a worldwide network of partners and associates in a wide range of fields. It’s not always necessary to reinvent the wheel.
The Tabakfabrik location is a key factor in this process of exchange. For one thing, the pedestrian traffic situation is terrific—for instance, guests coming by to attend events and exhibitions; plus, this complex is attracting more and more producers active in the local creative economy who work in networks and appreciate the catalytic qualities of this environment. In a recent interview, Chris Müller, Tabakfabrik’s artistic director, discussed the concept and the approach Linz’s newest part of town is utilizing.
So things are looking up here. Ars Electronica Solutions constitutes a completely new facet of Ars Electronica, one that’s doing really cool things, opening up interesting new possibilities—not least of all financial prospects—and additionally expanding Ars Electronica’s radius of action.