Passing on knowledge is as pivotal to the Futurelab as acquiring it. Thus the Futurelab tries to enrich its network by a series of activities in education and knowledge transfer.
The Futurelab Education Initiative encompasses a set of activities which share the common goal of transferring and exchanging knowledge – with organisations, universities and enterprises which act at the nexus of art, technology and society. The program offers the expertise of the Futurelab members as well as a broad network of close artists and institutions.
Credit: Ars Electronica
Credit: Greg Jenkins
Credit: QUT
A unique feature of all such activity is how it is embedded in the infrastructure of Ars Electronica: The Ars Electronica Festival is one of the world’s most renowned media art festivals and has a 35-year history; the Ars Electronica Center is an extraordinary “museum of the future” with exhibitions and programs spanning a range from conceptual art to knowledge transfer. Hence, the Futurelab, as a research laboratory framed by an infrastructure of education, transfer and networking, is in a unique position to teach, inspire and connect.
ARS ELECTRONICA FUTURELAB ACADEMY
A vital and visionary format is the Ars Electronica Futurelab Academy, initiated in 2012: Over a course of several months, students, scientists and tutors collaborate to develop experimental, transdisciplinary practices that eventually lead to extraordinary projects between art, technology and societal concerns; these projects are presented at the annual Ars Electronica Festival and give their creators unequalled public exposure. The Academy has already been implemented with partners in Australia, Japan and China, with new ideas and approaches every year; the goal is to continuously renew learning and development processes in higher education, with a particular focus on overcoming the borders between disciplines, cultural backgrounds and institutional settings.
