Ars Electronica Throwback presents former art exhibits that have generated a great deal of interest in the years since the Ars Electronica Center’s inception.
These former visitor magnets have major significance because of their timeless relevance and are examined in this mini-documentary with regard to their relevance today.
Episode One presents the TeleGarden project by American artist, writer, inventor and robotics researcher, Ken Goldberg.
The Telegarden consisted of a robotic arm located in the center of a circular garden. An associated website enabled virtual visitors to the Ars Electronica Center to navigate the Telegarden. A camera mounted on the robot arm transmitted image data of the garden – it was possible to water dry areas, and particularly diligent gardeners were allowed to plant seeds in free areas.
In addition to these physical interaction opportunities, the function of the existing chat room as a social meeting place and platform for digital conversation culture was essential. With today’s use of social media platforms on all private devices, this thematic relevance in times of Internet cafes, seems rather antique these days. Nevertheless, the Telegarden offers exciting points of connection to the experiences of social distance that we have had in times of Corona Lockdowns. To what extent does the Telegarden offer conceptual solutions at the intersection of constant digital interaction on social media and the basic human need for physical presence and analog impact?
In this episode, we take a look at this robotic garden, what visitors could do with it, and share fun anecdotes from everyday museum life. In addition, Ken Goldberg, the creator of the telegarden, will tell us about his visions of the telegarden. Andreas Bauer, an enthusiastic telegardener at that time, now Museum Director of the Ars Electronica Center, will guide us through this exciting episode.
