Blog Archive

Since 2011, our Ars Electronica Blog has also been dedicated to the triangle of art, technology and society. In addition to detailed background information and image-rich features on our activities, the blog also features supplementary interviews with participating artists and experts.

The Year in Review 2018

At the end of the year, we take some time to look back on the past twelve months. But it's not just the Ars Electronica Festival with its more than 100,000 visits that we remember. We have organized exhibitions from Linz to Beijing with many cooperation partners, asked jurors from all over the world to look through thousands of submissions to the Prix Ars Electronica and the STARTS Prize, and put together a colorful program for visitors to our Ars Electronica Center throughout the year. Are you ready for a journey through 2018 with us?

Deep Space LIVE: The Star of Bethlehem

Theological legend or astronomical celestial event? The Bible story about the Star of Bethlehem and the Three Wise Men is widely discussed. At our Deep Space LIVE "The Star of Bethlehem" on December 13, 2018, astronomer Peter Habison brings light into the darkness.

Future in a Nutshell: Creative Robotics

What could the future of robotics look like? As part of the “Future in a Nutshell” lecture series organized by Ars Electronica Export for the plastic producer Greiner, Johannes Braumann, head of the Laboratory for Creative Robotics at Linz Art University, spoke about his work. He also shared some impressions with us in this interview.

nobody gets involved: Marianne.von.Willemer Prize 2018

Viennese artist starsky has won the 2018 Marianne.von.Willemer Prize for digital media with her guerilla projection tour “niemand mischt sich ein” (“nobody gets involved”). In this interview she tells about her activist and feminist work.

Interactive and time-based: TIME OUT .09

When Professor Gerhard Funk and his students are increasingly to be found in the Ars Electronica Center instead of at the Art University of Linz, it can only mean one thing: TIME OUT is making its way into the Museum of the Future again. The latest edition of the exhibition opens on November 15, 2018 – this is what is has in store for us.

Future Humanity – Our Shared Planet: Is this the future?

In November 2018, Ars Electronica and Hyundai Motor Group will open three exhibitions around the world on the theme of "Future Humanity - Our Shared Planet". The shows at Hyundai Motor Studios in Moscow, Seoul and Beijing will artistically examine what it means to be human in the future. We found out more in this interview.

aqua_forensic: The Invisible Danger in the World's Oceans

Invisible and yet threatening. The EMAP/EMARE project "aqua_forensic" by Robertina Šebjanič and Gjino Šutić is investigating human pollution in the oceans. It is the result of their residency at Ars Electronica. The second Open Call for a EMAP/EMARE residency runs until December 3, 2018.

“If you make a mistake, you’re not coming home”: 4000ERLEBEN

Impressive mountain vistas, breathtaking videos and tales of adventure: the duo of Marlies Czerny and Andreas Lattner, climbing enthusiasts and storytellers, came to Deep Space 8K at the Ars Electronica Center for the premiere of their mountaineering presentation “4000ERLEBEN.” Marlies, the first Austrian woman to visit all the Alpine four-thousanders, tells us more in this interview.

Solutions in Leoben: A mine tour, a wire-rolling mill, and a beer museum

From an adventurous trip in a Hauly through the Erzberg mine to an interactive tour of the world’s most modern wire-rolling mill – the Ars Electronica Solutions projects in Leoben could hardly offer more variety. Get an overview in this interview.

Hard Rock, Unplugged, in Deep Space 8K: Sergeant Steel

On October 25, 2018, Deep Space 8K at the Ars Electronica Center will turn into a concert hall once again: the hard rock band Sergeant Steel is celebrating their tenth anniversary by playing unplugged with audiovisual accompaniment. We interviewed them to find out exactly what to expect.

Guest Article: Artificial Intelligence - The next frontier

After his visit to the Ars Electronica Festival, Roberto Viola, Director General of DG CONNECT (Directorate General of Communication, Networks, Content and Technology) at the European Commission, talks in this guest article about how important it is to involve art in the further development of AI technology.

Silent Night 200: The anniversary exhibition

For the exhibition “Silent Night 200“ at the Salzburg Museum, Ars Electronica Futurelab has created three media installations. In this interview you can find out what to expect at the exhibition.

More Media Art for Leoben!

From a park bench that likes to chat to a gigapixel image on the Maßenburg observation platform—Ars Electronica Solutions developed several installations for Kunsthalle Leoben that connect the museum to the surrounding cityscape. We found out more in this interview.

Deep Space LIVE: Inspired by Bruegel

On October 4, 2018, the delegation from Flanders, the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien and Ars Electronica will be showing high-resolution gigapixel images and exciting background information by and about the masterful Flemish painter at Deep Space LIVE "Inspired by Bruegel". Find out more in this interview.

Team EcoSat in the Azores: European CanSat Competition 2018

With their homemade mini-satellite, Team EcoSat came out on top at the first Austrian CanSat competition in April 2018. Over the summer, they had the privilege of flying to the Azores to take part in the Europe-wide competition. Find out all about the experience the Austrian team and their teacher had on the island in this interview.

Innovation Lab: Digital Innovations in the Construction Industry

In cooperation with the Upper Austrian Economic Chamber, the Ars Electronica Futurelab organized an intensive Innovation Lab for firms in the construction industry. In this interview, Maria Pfeifer of the Ars Electronica Futurelab told us about how this seminar went and some of the leading-edge technology that will be changing how building will be done in the future.

This was the Ars Electronica Festival 2018!

What a festival: 5 days, 12 locations, 614 events and 1,357 artists, scientists, technologists, entrepreneurs and activists from 54 countries made the Ars Electronica Festival from September 6 to 10, 2018 a truly extraordinary experience. With the theme "Error - the Art of Imperfection", the media art event brought visitors from near and far to Linz - more than 105,000 visits were recorded at the festival this year, a new record in the history of Ars Electronica. A look back at the best festival highlights can be found here - in the feature on the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival.

Day 5: The 2018 Ars Electronica Festival comes to an end

We've seen media art, marveled at performances, listened to lectures, talked to artists, programmed, crafted, hacked, danced and learned a lot - but even the biggest media art festival has to come to an end at some point. The best impressions of the fifth and last day can be found here.

Day 4: Sumo Robot Fights and the Big Concert Night

The weekend at the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival ended with a bang: The Big Concert Night with the Bruckner Orchestra, performances and a dancing robot was once again one of the absolute highlights. The rest of the day was equally impressive - learn why here, with the best impressions of festival day four.

Day 3: In the middle of the Ars Electronica Festival hustle and bustle

Saturday at the Ars Electronica Festival was packed with an exciting program: Emergency Error Battle, Expanded Animation, Prix Forums, ZusammenHelfen Conference, Sonic Saturday - and hundreds more events, exhibitions and performances! Here, you can find some of the best impressions.

Day 2: Between STARTS Day and Error Conference

The second day at the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival was full of lectures, panel discussions and keynotes, showed excellent media art throughout the city and ended in the evening with the roaring party that is the Ars Electronica Nightline. A few impressions of the Festival Friday can be found here.

Day 1: The Ars Electronica Festival 2018 has started!

Finally: The months of waiting have come to an end. The Ars Electronica Festival 2018 took off on Thursday, September 6, 2018, with the theme "Error - the Art of Imperfection. Here, we show you the best impressions of day one at the festival.

Swarm Control: The Future of Firefighting

Rosenbauer and Ars Electronica Futurelab take a look into the future of the fire brigade: Together with artists, scientists and designers of the laboratory, the fire-fighting equipment supplier is now conducting research into the swarm control of autonomous vehicles.

Touring the Festival with the WKOÖ UBIT

It's the second time that WKOÖ UBIT - the Economic Chamber’s group for business consultants, accountants and IT specialists - has taken over the patronage of WE GUIDE YOU tours at the Ars Electronica Festival. The chairman Markus Roth talks about why they are here again and how he deals with mistakes in his area.

Levers and Buttons: The Virtual Way to the Golden Nica

With their video game, the four youngsters Lorenz Gonsa, Martin Hatler, Samuel Stallybrass and Vincent Thierry made it to the Golden Nica: They received the the prize for "Levers and Buttons" in the u19 - CREATE YOUR WORLD category. This year's Prix Ars Electronica will be awarded in Linz on September 7, 2018.

The Bien: Absence in Wax and Concrete

“The Bien” by Stefan Mittlböck-Jungwirth-Fohringer portrays an extinct bee colony—doing so in terms of its absence. The work will be on display in Linz’s Mariendom cathedral during the Ars Electronica Festival September 6-10, 2018. Find out more in this interview.

The best festival tips for: Scientists

The 2018 Ars Electronica Festival is not only an event for media art, technology and society - a wide variety of sciences are also represented at over 500 events, lectures, workshops and open labs. Find the best festival tips for scientists here.

Human and Machine, Dancing: SILK Fluegge

At the Ars Electronica Festival’s Big Concert Night on September 9, 2018, Silke Grabinger and two members of her SILK Fluegge troupe will dance to Symphonie Fantastique performed by the Bruckner Orchestra in the Gleishalle of POSTCITY Linz. Find out more in this interview.

The Practice of Art and Science at the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival

“The Practice of Art and Science” at the Ars Electronica Festival September 6-10, 2018 presents projects at the interface of these two disciplines. Find out more in this interview.

The best festival tips for: Students

Every year, the Ars Electronica Festival is a get-together of the biggest names in media art, science and technology - and at the same time, a playground and experimental space for young students. Here, you can find out which program items are particularly exciting for students this year.

VREI: VR Devices for the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival

The Ars Electronica Festival (September 6-10, 2018) will feature several virtual reality projects once again this year. To let festivalgoers enjoy hands-on experiences with them, Vienna-based VREI Company has made a few VR devices available. VREI CEO Florian Sam provides details in this interview.

Data to the People: Ernst Hafen

Biologist Ernst Hafen will speak at the Ars Electronica Festival’s Theme Conference on September 7, 2018 about how we can deploy our data to foster scientific progress and democratize the data economy at the same time. He goes into detail in this interview.

The best festival tips for: Music Lovers

What would an Ars Electronica Festival be without a comprehensive program for music lovers? We have compiled the best highlights for music fans out of all the concerts, performances, happenings, lectures, tours and more.

Future Flora: DIY kit for the vaginal flora

This year, designer and biohacker Giulia Tomasello won the STARTS Prize in the category "Artistic Exploration" for her Do-It-Yourself harvesting set for bacteria at home, "Future Flora". Before the artist comes to the Ars Electronica Festival (September 6 - 10, 2018) to present her work, she has already told us more about it in this interview.

Sonic Saturday: Electroacoustic Music at Its Finest

The Ars Electronica Festival’s Sonic Saturday at Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität is an entire day dedicated to sound art. For a preview of the events lined up on September 8th, read this interview.

The best festival tips for: Activists

For Social Activists and Eco Warriors: These are the events and projects of the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival that you definitely should not miss.

TROPICS: The Golden Nica of Computer Animation 2018

The coveted Golden Nica of the Prix Ars Electronica in the category of computer animation goes to "TROPICS" by Mathilde Lavenne this year. At the Ars Electronica Festival from September 6 to 10, 2018, the artist will present her award-winning work - read more in the interview.

Plastics for Life: Sustainable Plastic

How can plastic be made more sustainable? Greiner, a maker of plastic and foam products, will present two good ideas on this subject that the company’s own employees came up with. See them at the Festival September 6-10, 2018.

The best festival tips for: Families

The 2018 Ars Electronica Festival not only offers a host of lectures, events, projects, concerts and more for adults - kids and youngsters will also find a heap of projects to enjoy. In this article, you can find out which are the absolute program highlights for families.

Let there be light: Klangfarbe at the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival

Without our many partners and sponsors, the Ars Electronica Festival could not take place - certainly not on this scale, with over 500 events, projects and performances. Thanks to Klangfarbe Wien, they will be equipped with lighting and sound technology throughout the entire festival.

Ars Electronica switches to .ART

Ars Electronica has a new web address: ars.electronica.art! With the .ART domain, Ars Electronica joins the ranks of renowned artists and organizations in the online art world. We talked to Ulvi Kasimov, founder of the .ART domain, and Gerfried Stocker, Artistic Director of Ars Electronica, about the switch.

The best festival tips for: Techies

More than 500 events, workshops, performances, lectures and Open Labs are on the program of the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival. To make the selection a little easier: Here you will find the best festival tips for techies.

Group Show Featuring Media Art from Chile

A special guest project is being showcased at the Ars Electronica Festival (September 6-10, 2018). An open call was issued to Chilean media artists, researchers, designers and activists to submit works to be shown at the Festival. Five projects were chosen and will appear in Linz in September.

Banish the Fear of Making Mistakes: Claudia Novak

At the Ars Electronica Festival’s Get Inspired innovation forum on September 6th, Claudia Novak, a communications expert and TEDxLinz curator, will discuss why we urgently need more transparency in our dealings with errors. We talked to her about failure and how to handle it.

The best festival tips for: Art Enthusiasts

With over 500 events by more than 1000 artists, scientists, activists and experts from a wide variety of fields, the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival has something for every interest. In this article, you will find our tips for absolute art fans.

Fashion & Technology: The Future of Fashion

A new ongoing focal-point topic is making its debut at the Ars Electronica Festival (September 6-10, 2018). In cooperation with Linz Art University’s Fashion & Technology program and the Austrian Center for Fashion Research, Ars Electronica will host a process of reflection on fashion’s connection with technology. Program co-director Christiane Luible told us more in this interview.

Diving into Deep Space with Noise Aquarium

Current scientific studies have shown with shocking examples that noise sources such as sonar and fracking are extremely harmful to large marine life. Noise also affects microscopic organisms such as plankton, as Victoria Vesna and her collaborators show in their interactive installation in Deep Space 8K at the Ars Electronica Festival 2018, where Victoria Vesna transforms the Deep Space 8K into an aquarium for visitors.

Refugee Camps as Proving Grounds for New Technologies: Ariana Dongus

At the Ars Electronica Festival Theme Symposium on September 7, 2018, author Ariana Dongus will talk about how the UNHCR’s refugee camps are becoming test labs for collecting biometric data. In this interview, she discusses biometrics, responsibility and immaterial labor.

Symposium: Perspectives on Political Education

The 3rd annual Perspectives on Political Education symposium will be held at the Ars Electronica Festival on Thursday, September 6, 2018. This year’s theme is “Fresh, Courageous, Demanding – Self-empowerment through Peer Education?” To learn more, read on!

Chairs and Tables for a Good Cause: Social Furniture

A very special contribution to the interior décor at this year’s Ars Electronica Festival is being made by Social Furniture, a project in which refugees work together with Austrian mentors to construct wooden furnishings. After the festival, these chairs, benches and tables will be donated to refugees and NGOs.

Yummy, Local, Organic: The Farmers’ Market at the Festival

The aroma of fresh bread and Upper Austrian regional delicacies will waft amongst busy festivalgoers in POSTCITY Linz once again on Saturday, September 8, 2018, the day of the BIO AUSTRIA Farmers’ Market. We got a foretaste in this interview.

Guided Tours through the Festival: WE GUIDE YOU 2018

It’s one of the world’s largest media art festivals, so, of course, getting your bearings can be a bit of a challenge! To facilitate visitor orientation at the Ars Electronica Festival (September 6-10, 2018), we’re once again offering an interesting array of guided tours. You get the details in this interview.

A Journey of Discovery of Time: Himatsubushi

Even the roof of POSTCITY Linz is a festival venue this year. Visitors to an exhibition entitled “Himatsubushi – the Art of Time Killing” will stroll, lost in thought, across the sundeck, above old spiral packet chutes, and through previously undiscovered conveyor belt units. To find out what’s up at Himatsubushi September 6-10, 2018, take a few minutes to read this interview!

Deep Space 8K at the Ars Electronica Festival 2018: Never call him a movie theater!

"Never call the Deep Space 8K a movie theater!" This year, too, we are taking this motto seriously at the Ars Electronica Festival from September 6 to 10, 2018, and will be presenting a series of new, fascinating visualizations that go far beyond a cinematic experience on the five days of the festival.

Academy of Error: Antimatter Physicist Michael Doser

The Academy of Error at the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival is bringing international experts in science and research to Linz to reflect on how to come to terms with error. Michael Doser, an antimatter physicist at CERN who will moderate this event on September 9th, gave us a few advance insights into mistakes, research and chance.

Creative Artificial Intelligence: Style Transfer

Style transfer technology, actually a byproduct of deep learning, is the main attraction here. In “Creative AI – Style Transfer,” artist-researcher Ali Nikrang shows how artificial neural networks transform a video into an artistic-picturesque world. You can see it at the Ars Electronica Festival September 6-10, 2018.

The 2018 Festival Theme In-Depth: Theme Conferences

Panel discussions, speeches and conferences staged over the course of three days will take a theoretical approach to Error – the Art of Imperfection, the theme of this year’s Ars Electronica Festival, September 6-10, 2018. Artistic director Gerfried Stocker and project manager Karla Spiluttini give us a preview in this interview.

CyberArts 2018: Showcase of Artistic Excellence

The CyberArts Exhibition—as always at the OK Center for Contemporary Art—features the 2018 Prix Ars Electronica prizewinners. This interview provides a preview of the fascinating works on display during the Ars Electronica Festival (September 6-10, 2018) and the 6 days thereafter.

AI and Robotics: “Imperfect Versions of Our Own Minds”

“The Fractured Mirror,” anthropologist and digital ethnographer Beth Singler’s talk at the Ars Electronica Festival’s Theme Symposium on September 7, 2018, will elaborate on artificial intelligence’s effects on us human beings. She gives us an introduction to her topic in this interview.

Day of Encouragement: ZusammenHelfen Conference

This is the third consecutive year that ZusammenHelfen in Oberösterreich (HelpingTogether in Upper Austria) is staging a conference at the Ars Electronica Festival in POSTCITY Linz. On September 8, 2018 at 10:00, the focus will be on encouraging those providing aid to refugees. You can find out more in this interview.

Innovative Help after a Stroke: Bugfix the Brain

Therapy that makes progress even years after a stroke, improved motor functions, and high-tech aids for everyday life—an Upper Austrian firm named g.tec makes it happen. To find out why g.tec’s technologies produce such impressive results and how to try them out at the Ars Electronica Festival September 6-10, 2018, read this interview!

The Big Fire Brigade Challenge: Emergency Error Battle

A state of emergency prevails among POSTCITY’s bank of spiral packet chutes! The Big Fire Brigade Challenge will go down on Saturday, September 8th amidst the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival. To find out how new technologies can be brought into play at a conventional rescue & extinguish exercise, read this interview.

Campus: More Colleges than Ever at the Festival

The Ars Electronica campus has long become a festival mainstay. Twenty-four universities have registered this year - reason enough to briefly recount the development of the Campus format and to report on which guest universities will be in Linz from September 6 to 10, 2018.

Featured Artist: Elisabeth Schimana

Where are all the women in electronic music? This question has been posed since the 1990s by Elisabeth Schimana, a music pioneer who’s the Featured Artist at this year’s Ars Electronica Festival September 6-10, 2018. In Linz, she’ll present “Hidden Alliances,” a selection of her works on this subject.

Between Mistake and Fake: The 2018 Theme Exhibition

An extensive exhibition is dedicated to Error – the Art of Imperfection, this year’s theme of the Ars Electronica Festival (September 6-10, 2018). This show, divided into two parts, is a protracted encounter with mistakes, deviations from the norm, and fakes. This interview tells how scientific and artistic perspectives are confronting one another here, and previews some of the highlights awaiting festivalgoers.

Media Art on the Art Market: Gallery Spaces

Difficulties with maintenance, obsolete technologies or a lack of understanding of how high-tech works—media art confronts the classic art market with numerous challenges. Gallery Spaces at the Ars Electronica Festival September 6-10, 2018 will host exhibitions and panel discussions elaborating on these facts & circumstances.

Dream Job Astronaut: Advanced Space Academy

Simulated weightlessness, scuba training and a Russian course—at the Advanced Space Academy of the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, young people can get a close-up feel on space travel. ESERO Austria made it possible for two Austrian youngsters to attend this year. Here’s their account.

Beyond Danceable: Ars Electronica Nightline

Nightline at the Ars Electronica Festival invites you to dance the night away once again this year. On September 7, 2018, the railroad loading dock (Gleishalle) at POSTCITY Linz will provide just the right ambience for Electro music. For details, read on.

Please Recharge: On Sustainability and Deceleration

The Campus Exhibition at the Ars Electronica Festival (September 6-10, 2018) by Linz Art University’s Interface Cultures program takes a step back from the hustle & bustle of modern mass media. The theme of “Please Recharge” is pervasive media overload. To find out more, read this interview with program director Christa Sommerer.

Space Travel and Me: International Space Camp 2018

NASA and the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama annually hold an International Space Camp, and once again this year, ESERO Austria made it possible for a teacher and two students to take part. Here, teacher Julia Schleritzko tells about her experiences.

Campus Exhibition 2018: Taking Care

The annual Campus Exhibition at the Ars Electronica Festival (September 6-10, 2018) will feature works by students in the Hexagram international network. The exhibition entitled “Taking Care” shows what forms research-creation can take in media art and digital culture. Curator Anna Kerekes gives us a sneak preview in this interview.

“Notary of an Epoch”: BEEP Electronic Art Collection in the Gallery Spaces

The BEEP Electronic Art Collection will exhibit selected works in the Gallery Spaces at the Ars Electronica Festival September 6-10, 2018. In this interview, Director Vicente Matallana talks about media art on the art market and the challenges his work entails.

The Media Façade and the Musical Virtuoso

An exceptional young musical artist, his marimba and the media façade—for his new music video, talented percussionist Christoph Sietzen uses the Ars Electronica Center’s interactive façade to set the visual tone for his musical artistry. He tells us more in this interview.

Visiting Ars Electronica Center

Every day, new impressions on Instagram show us just how diverse and multifaceted the perspectives are that our visitors take during their visit of the Ars Electronica Center.

Happy Birthday ESERO Austria!

ESERO Austria celebrates its 2nd anniversary! The Austrian European Space Education Resource Office, located at the Ars Electronica Center, was founded in June 2016. In addition, Ars Electronica Center Director and ESERO Austria Supervisor, Andreas Bauer, recently became a member of the Advisory Board of the FFG for Aerospace. Reason enough for an interview with us!

Future Innovators Summit: Innovative thinkers wanted!

For the fifth time, the Future Innovators Summit at the Ars Electronica Festival is looking for the ultimate creative questions. The Open Call by Hakuhodo and Ars Electronica is aimed at artists, designers, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, social activists and philosophers. Hideaki Ogawa reports on what awaits the participants this September in Linz. The deadline for entries is July 25, 2018!

u19 – CREATE YOUR WORLD: Alternative Teaching and Learning

u19 – CREATE YOUR WORLD, the Future Festival of the Next Generation staged annually at the Ars Electronica Festival, showcases the ideas and technologies young people are deploying to change our world. This interview offers a preview of some of the great stuff you’ll be able to see, try out and explore September 6-10, 2018.

BR41N.IO Hackathon: Eat, Sleep, Hack, Repeat!

24 hours—that’s all the time allotted to hackers and artists for the completion of their brain-computer interface projects during the BR41N.I0 Hackathon September 8-9, 2018 at the Ars Electronica Festival. To find out what awaits you at this year’s Hackathon set amidst a media art conclave, read on.

"Out of Tune" Puts Music Lovers on the Right Track

An internet project entitled Out of Tune recently garnered the 2018 Prix Ars Electronica’s netidee special prize for Samuel Daurer and Ämilian Mayrhofer. The two technical school students programmed a solution to help them stay oriented in the boundless universe of music.

CanSat 2018: Paying a Visit to RUAG Space

The runner-up prizes in the 1st Austrian CanSat competition held this past April were provided by RUAG Space—an outing to that company’s production facilities. Teams of up-and-coming young engineers who built their own mini-satellites got guided tours.

Enter Now: The Marianne.von.Willemer Prize for Digital Media

Once again this year, the City of Linz, dorfTV and Ars Electronica are jointly staging a competition to honor outstanding works of media art by women. The entry deadline is July 15, 2018. Contestants will be vying for the Marianne.von.Willemer Prize for Digital Media. We found out more in this interview.

Deep Space LIVE: Old News from New Friends

How would young artists attending the Academy of Media Arts Cologne take advantage of Deep Space 8K’s technical capabilities? You’ll find out this coming Thursday, June 28, 2018, at the next Deep Space LIVE entitled “Old News from New Friends.”

BitSoil: My Data, your Profits? No, thank you!

Every click and every post on the Internet generates data. The Digital Economy is making billions with our actions on the web and concentrating these profits in the hands of a few. A completely unsatisfactory situation, say LarbitsSisters and initiated the BitSoil Popup Tax & Hack Campaign.

Animation Screening: The Best of Computer Animation

Eight themed programs showcasing the best works submitted this year for Prix Ars Electronica prize consideration have been lined up for Animation Screening at the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival (September 6-10). We talked to curator Jürgen Hagler to learn more.

Deep Space LIVE: The Virtual House of Medusa

Ancient Rome comes to life at the Ars Electronica Center on Thursday, June 14, 2018. A Deep Space LIVE event entitled “House of Medusa” kicks off with a talk about the sensational finds made at an archeological dig in Lorch near Enns, Austria. Then, visitors can behold of virtual reconstruction of the original in VRLab.

Bellingcat: Looking for Traces in the Digital Environment

On the online platform Bellingcat, citizen journalists are looking for the "echoes and ripples" in the digital environment when events like the MH17 incident or war crimes like those in Syria become known. The founder of Bellingcat, Eliot Higgins, talks in an interview about the project, which was recently awarded the Golden Nica, and gives examples of how to get to the bottom of the truth.

The first 3-D printed steel bridge

By building the world’s first 3-D printed metal bridge, MX3D and the Joris Laarman Lab have provided proof that the MX3D process they have jointly developed makes it possible to create metal objects and structures of any size that are aesthetically pleasing as well as intelligent. They were awarded the STARTS Prize of the European Commission. Gijs van der Velden explains in an interview how this was achieved.

STEAM Imaging: When Art, Science and the Next Generation Converge

Bringing together scientists, school kids and an artist, transcending the boundaries of individual disciplines, discovering flexible forms of learning and collaboration, and imparting skills to work effectively with new technologies were the objectives of the artist-in-residence project entitled STEAM [science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics] Imaging. Bianka Hofmann, head of corporate communication at the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing (MEVIS), takes stock in this interview.

I’m Humanity: Music for Eternity

Her idea for a way to make music live on beyond humankind’s eventual extinction and to use DNA as the medium to transport this information for eternity garnered Japanese musician Etsuko Yakushimaru the 2017 STARTS Prize. In this interview, she explains her concept of “post-humanity music” and gives her take on mutations that randomly occur when genetic information is passed on from generation to generation.

The Internet of Thinking Things

How would it be if everything that surrounds us is intelligent and it’s no longer possible for human beings to perceive what’s happening in the Internet of Things? Professor Alois Ferscha of Johannes Kepler University Linz introduces us to the world of networked thinking things.

Imparting a Direction to the Future: The 2018 STARTS Prize Jury

The jury made up of international experts charged with selecting the recipients of the 2018 STARTS Prizes awarded by the European Commission recently convened for an entire weekend at the Ars Electronica Center. Their mission: to recognize outstanding work at the interface of science, technology and art. The outcome is still confidential; nevertheless, jurors Francesca Bria and Seiichi Saito briefed us on a few trends in this interview.

Drones as Media Tool: Mixed Reality Drone Racing

What’s still just a construction site in Kapfenberg, Austria will soon be the world’s most modern stainless steel mill. One of the highlights of the groundbreaking ceremony for voestalpine’s new work was a spectacular mixed reality drone race staged right above the building site by Ars Electronica Solutions. We found out more in this interview.

Gallery of Code: Prototypes for Africa

Gallery of Code in Abuja, Nigeria is a multidisciplinary lab that Oskar Ekponimo has established with the support of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, Ars Electronica and other partners. Its target audience is the country’s young generation of students and entrepreneurs. This is where art meets science, talks team up with workshops, and ideas lead to prototypes.

The Busy Bees at Ars Electronica

Anyone who’s walked all the way upstairs at the Ars Electronica Center lately is sure to have already discovered them—Ars Electronica’s busy bees. Now, a webcam delivers live images of the hives and their approximately 200,000 industrious inhabitants. We recently met with Harald Wohlschlager, the beekeeper in charge of this project, and learned some things worth knowing about bees.

MasterWorks: World Cultural Heritage, Right Up Close

Set out on a virtual journey to World Cultural Heritage sites worldwide in the comfort of the Ars Electronica Center! Your departure gate: CyArk’s MasterWorks. Elizabeth Lee, vice president of CyArk, told us more in this interview.

Physicians’ Colleague, Patients’ Helper: The Cognitive Computer

The 3-D short film entitled “Physicians’ Colleague, Patients’ Helper: The Cognitive Computer” will be running in Deep Space 8K at the Ars Electronica Center beginning in May. This film explains how deep neural networks can facilitate the evaluation of medical data, and how this is changing both the physician’s role and the doctor-patient relationship.

2018 Prix Ars Electronica: The jury has decided

"Please don't disturb" and "No filming" - total secrecy is key while the international jury of the Prix Ars Electronica chooses the best projects in media art in 2018. Nevertheless, we sneaked a peek behind closed doors at the Prix weekend from April 20 to 22, 2018, and collected a few impressions.

Linz – Steel City with Culture

Everyone in Linz is familiar with the metal sculptures in the downtown park along the south bank of the Danube. But almost no one is aware that Forum Metall celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017? Those who attended a recent Deep Space LIVE learned more about this project’s historic significance for the City of Linz.

It’s Amazing How Creative Robotics Can Be!

They usually perform their tasks in huge factories or on construction sites, executing identical routines thousands or millions of times, over and over again. Or they vacuum our apartments, fully automatically. But things are different at the Ars Electronica Center. The Creative Robotics exhibition that opens on May 9, 2018 will show how robots are now being used in creative fields.

On Milestones and Megatrends: Two Pavilions for Umdasch Group

To mark the Umdasch Group’s 150th anniversary, Ars Electronica Solutions designed two pavilions showcasing the company’s past and present, as well as the future of the company and our world to go on display in Vienna’s Weltmuseum. Solutions project manager Claus Zweythurm told us more in this interview.

STARTS Prize 2018: Meet the Jurors!

The prominent international experts who make up the 2018 STARTS Prize jury will gather at the Ars Electronica Center on April 23rd. Their task is to select this year’s recipients on behalf of the European Commission. Read thumbnail bios of the individual jurors here.

Linz, Naturally: Botany in Steel City

Nature downtown—couldn’t be much more than a few weeds amongst the concrete, could it? That’s what you think, says Friedrich Schwarz of Linz’s Botanical Garden! He goes into detail about the inner city’s hidden flora and fauna in “Linz, Naturally”, his ongoing series of talks in Deep Space. On April 19, 2018, his topic will be the forest. He gave us a preview in this interview.

Error – The Art of Imperfection

“Error – The Art of Imperfection” is the theme of this year’s Ars Electronica Festival that’s set for September 6-10 with POSTCITY as its hub. Gerfried Stocker, artistic director of Ars Electronica, talked to us about the festival theme, how we deal with mistakes, and errors as a source of innovation.

This was the CanSat Competition 2017/18

Mini-satellites the size of a coke can, a rocket launch at the Austrian-German border and three teams of students from all over Austria, competing for the title as best CanSat team (and the participation in the European CanSat Competition from June 28, 2018, to July 1, 2018 in the Azores islands) - that's the first Austrian CanSat competition in a nutshell! CanSat is short for satellites (Sat) the size of a coke can (Can). The participating teams only had a few months at their disposal to build their very own mini-satellite, before they would have to show their skills at the big launch at the airfield Schärding-Suben in Austria. On its way back down to Earth, the small devices have to fulfill two seperate missions: Measuring the temperature and air pressure, as well as a secondary mission chosen by the teams themselves. The competition was organized by the European Space Education Research Office (ESERO) Austria, the educational office of the European Space Agency (ESA), which, in Austria, is located at the Ars Electronica Center.

VR-Themed Weekend: Virtual Realities in Gaming

How are VR and AR changing the gaming scene and computer games? In Part 2 of our interviews previewing the virtual and augmented reality-themed weekend April 6-8, 2018, we discuss the upshots of these developments with Jeremiah Diephuis of the Playful Interactive Environments research group at the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences’ Hagenberg Campus.

VR Themed Weekend: Virtual Worlds – New Realities

Digital environments occupy the focal point at the Ars Electronica Center April 6-8, 2018. The “Virtual Worlds – New Realities” themed weekend features talks and workshops about virtual & augmented reality. And, of course, there’ll be lots of installations that let visitors experience this amazing technology right up close, hands on. To find out more, read the first part of our interview about the themed weekend here!

The Always Astonishing World of Deep Space 8K

From music videos to dance performances and even interactive installations —there’s always something interesting going on at Deep Space 8K in the Ars Electronica Center. Let’s take a look at how creatively and diversely artists use this extraordinary space.

Classical Music Meets Real-time Visualization: Pianographique

Two outstanding pianists, one visualization artist and three challenging pieces are what go into “Pianographique.” This musical co-production of Ars Electronica and the Abu Dhabi Festival combines sound and light—Maki Namekawa and Dennis Russell Davies provide the keyboard artistry at one or two pianos; Cori O’Lan accompanies them with real-time visualizations. Find out more in this interview with the piano duo.

The Digital Playground: Otelo Futurespace

The Ars Electronica Center’s lobby will be transformed into a colorful playground well-equipped with laser cutters, robots, drones and other forms of digital technology from April 4th to 8th. Otelo Futurespace – The Digital Playground will be the setting of an innovative organized game. In this interview, Otelo eGen executive Martin Hollinetz tells us more.

Deep Space LIVE: The Last Supper

The Deep Space LIVE event on the Thursday before Easter, March 29, 2018, is dedicated to one of the world’s most recognizable paintings—The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Art historian Lothar Schultes and theologian Michael Zugmann will elaborate on the background of this masterpiece. We just got a sneak preview.

2018 CanSat Competition: The Rockets

While teams of school kids throughout Austria are hard at work creating their cola-can-size satellites to be launched during the CanSat Competition April 9-11, 2018, the Space Team at TUW–Technical University of Vienna is also busy with its preparations—building the rockets that will take these mini-satellites aloft in April. We just paid a visit to the Space Team workshop in Vienna to find out more.

Political Conflicts on the Drawing Board: COMIC CULTURE CLASH

The 2018 NEXTCOMIC Festival is about open in Steel City. One of the venues is the Ars Electronica Center, where, on Saturday, March 17th, comics illustrator Titus Ackermann will present a book entitled “COMIC CULTURE CLASH” in which 20 artistic duos deploy the comic medium to deal with 20 political conflicts. In this interview, he talks about his project’s origins and what we can expect on Saturday.

netidee 2017: From Digital Games to Selfish Mining

The netidee internet subsidy initiative provided generous financial support to Austrian researchers in 2017—for instance, those working on bachelor’s degree projects, master’s theses and Ph.D. dissertations. Recipients include Harald Koberg, who’s investigating the social significance of digital gaming, and Simon Mulser’s work on “selfish mining” of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

Elevator Rides, Particle Systems et al: TIME OUT .08

The 8th edition of TIME OUT, a showcase of outstanding work by undergrads in Linz Art University’s Time-based and Interactive Media program, is about to open at the Ars Electronica Center - on March 16, 2018. In this interview, we get a preview from program director Gerhard Funk.

Deep Space LIVE: Egon Schiele’s “Portrait of Trude Engel”

100 years ago, artist Egon Schiele died in Vienna. He left behind a remarkable oeuvre of expressionist works, one of them a portrait of a young woman named Trude Engel. Who was she? And why was the image stabbed with a knife? At the next Deep Space LIVE, “Egon Schiele – A Closer Look at Trude Engel” on March 15, 2018, Andreas Strohhammer, a restorer at the LENTOS Art Museum, tells us more.

Prix Ars Electronica 2018: The Jurors (2)

The Prix Ars Electronica’s search for the world’s best works of media art runs until March 12, 2018. In this update, we proudly present the jurors in the Computer Animation and u19 – CREATE YOUR WORLD categories. A Golden Nica grand prize is up for grabs in both!

A Tinkerer, Two Designers and hundreds of Drones: How Swarm3D Came To Be

“And then, fortunately, the birds didn’t fall out of the sky,” said Michael Treml in a terse summary of the outcome of work over many months by an Ars Electronica Futurelab team at Rock in Rio 2017, the first public SPAXELS® drone show using Swarm3D software developed in-house in Linz. We were interested in finding out what this program can actually do and why this Futurelab custom creation is now also available as a plug-in for 3ds Max?

“K-9_topology”: On Humans, Dogs and Bioethics

“K-9_topology,” a series of works by Slovenian artist Maja Smrekar, won last year’s Golden Nica in the Prix Ars Electronica’s Hybrid Arts category. In this interview, Maja Smrekar explains what’s behind these four projects, how dogs and wolves characterize her work, and which ethical questions she investigates.

Prix Ars Electronica 2018: The Jurors (1)

Contestants still have until March 12st to submit their work for Prix Ars Electronica prize consideration. Four international juries will convene in April to select this year’s Golden Nica recipients. Here were proudly present the jurors in the Digital Communities and Interactive Art + categories.

E_PROFIL: A Toolkit for the Environment

What are some real ways to achieve climate & energy goals? What measures have to be implemented and where do you get started? The Ars Electronica Futurelab was invited by the department of Spatial Planning (TU Vienna) and the City of Linz (Planning, Technology, Environment) to join a consortium working on E_PROFIL, a toolkit that can be used to take the first step.

Deep Space LIVE: Linz in Kepler’s Day

At the next Deep Space LIVE on February 22, 2018, Maria Altrichter of the Municipal Archive will take us back to a time way before Linz became Steel City. What was it like when Johannes Kepler lived here? What impact did historical events in the 17th century have on Upper Austria’s capital? Maria Altrichter gave us a preview in this interview.

Museum Total: Four Days, Nine Museums

Museum Total is back by popular demand! This event, which is being held for the fifth time this year, is set for February 22-25, 2018. One ticket admits the holder to nine Linz museums—the AEC among them—over the course of four days. What’s lined up? Nicole Grüneis, director of Ars Electronica’s Education and Cultural Outreach department, tells us in this interview.

Discussions about the Future in the School of the Future

School of the Future creates the setting for discussions about technology, society and art right in the middle of Tokyo. The format consists of a regular series of temporary exhibitions and round-table discussions that the Ars Electronica Futurelab stages in the Tokyo Midtown complex in the heart of Japan’s megalopolis. Sound interesting? Read on!

Humanising Autonomy: A Language for Self-Driving Cars

How do we as pedestrians want to communicate with the autonomous autos that will soon be driving around our cities? Now is the best time to give some thought to this question, according to the staff of Humanising Autonomy, a project that was honored with a 2017 STARTS Prize and is now collaborating with, among other partners, Daimler Mercedes Benz.

Mission Mars – A Mars Simulation in Oman

In the search for extraterrestrial life, Mars is considered one of the most promising candidates. The OeWF–Austrian Space Forum has already simulated several elements of manned missions to Mars together with researchers on the staff of international partners. The sites of these extraordinary field tests have ranged from the Northern Sahara to Austrian glaciers at 3,000 meters above sea level. The OeWF’s next Mars simulation is set for February 2018 in the Dhofar region of Oman.

netidee 2017: A Hotbed of New Ideas

E-voting and blockchain, social media and data protection—netidee, Austria’s leading initiative to nurture innovations that advance the use of the internet, is funding Bürgerchain and Combinary, two projects that will be implemented in the coming months.

Future Innovators Summit Tokyo: An Interdisciplinary Urban Think Tank

Japanese ad agency Hakuhodo and Ars Electronica invite you to engage in collective brainstorming amidst Japan’s megacity! The Future Innovators Summit Tokyo seeks those tantalized by the idea of being part of a lively interdisciplinary crew confronting the key issues of humankind’s future. The application deadline is February 28, 2018.

Tradition Meets Innovation: Ars Electronica Solutions and Sacher

How does one blend innovation and tradition? Technology and handicraft? The zeitgeist with a time-honored history? In three projects commissioned in conjunction with the makeover of Café Sacher Eck, Ars Electronica Solutions had the opportunity to come up with answers. In this interview, Solutions project manager Harald Moser and Reiner Heilmann, director of Hotel Sacher in Vienna, provide insights into their collaboration.

Cultural Heritage in 3D

2018 is European Year of Cultural Heritage, and the Ars Electronica Center is taking part by hosting several events devoted to our cultural heritage throughout the year. Kicking things off will be a themed weekend on January 27-28, 2018 in Deep Space, where one of the featured speakers will be Stefan Traxler, archeologist at Upper Austria’s Landesmuseum. In this interview, he discusses cultural heritage and his upcoming talks as well as how technology has changed archeology.

Cultural Heritage: The Past Has a Bright Future

2018 is European Year of Cultural Heritage. To mark the occasion, the Ars Electronica Center is making cultural heritage a highlight of this year’s program of events. But you might ask why the Museum of the Future of all places is focusing on the artistic and cultural treasures of past epochs? Indeed, because the research on and presentation of them is currently undergoing a revolution. A revolution that was triggered by new technologies!

Prix Ars Electronica 2018: Submit Your Entry Now!

A new year, a new opportunity! The Prix Ars Electronica seeks outstanding works of media art. The entry deadline is March 12th. Prizewinners receive cash awards of up to €10,000 per category and a featured appearance at the 2018 Ars Electronica Festival. In this interview, Ars Electronica Artistic Director Gerfried Stocker talks about this time-honored media art competition and presents this year’s categories.

Papercraft and Animation: A Diorama for Sacher

As part of the makeover of Café Sacher Eck in Vienna, Ars Electronica Solutions implemented three innovative projects on the premises of this traditional Viennese landmark. A core element of this collaborative effort is a diorama in which Sacher Moments are played out amidst a papercraft model of the Sacher complex featuring playful animated sequences. In this interview, we learn more from Daniela Leitner and Sandra Reichl, the two designers who executed this concept.

merk|würdig: One Film, Two Perspectives

In their touching film about dementia that opens on January 13th at the Hollywood Megaplex in Pasching near Linz, the young crew of Krmpf Krmpf Studio is also showcasing a new cinematic technique—stereo narrativity. The moviegoers attending the premiere of “merk|würdig” will be assembled in a single theater, but they’ll see the narrative from two different perspectives.