In the same way that layers of rock bear witness to the climate, fauna and flora of bygone geological eras, cultural heritage charts the improbable progression of our civilisation. It tells stories of worldviews, power relations and conflicts, of winners and losers, revolutionary technologies and business models, of ancient desires, grand visions and everyday concerns. At the festival, we will put these stories about disruptive interactions between art, technology and society centre stage.
Projects
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AI and the Art of Historical Reinterpretation
Claudia Larcher (AT)
A key focus of this project is the elimination of gender-specific biases in historical datasets used by AI. By examining the consequences of AI’s reliance on historical data, it raises ethical questions, exploring how AI can complement, rewrite and reinterpret data archives. The project creates an inclusive and diverse fictional image archive to address historical…
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Alison’s Room
Paula Maya Strunden (DE/FR)
xR artist Paula Strunden has recreated British architect and author Alison Smithson’s original workspace in order to experiment with new narratives, combining an immersive experience with historical design analysis. Special tools, buttons and a talking cat help to guide visitors through the story. As they move through Alison’s Room and interact with the objects on…
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All Directions At Once
Luiza Prado (BR)
All Directions at Once is a web-based artwork that charts histories of reproductive control in Latin America. The animated graphic essay relies on the input of a user: when they stop moving the cursor, the website layers vividly coloured, flashing GIFs. With each visit to the website, the user creates a unique iteration of the artwork.…
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Balot NFT
Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC), CD
The Balot NFT puts digital ownership of culture into the hands of the many and helps buy back land once stolen. In a radical new model of restitution, NFT technology becomes a tool for decolonization.
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Design to Live
Azra Aksamija & MIT Future Heritage Lab (US)
This project demonstrates how Syrian refugees at the Azraq Camp in Jordan use art and design to transform their environment, restoring humanity amid deprived circumstances. Featuring more than 20 innovative projects, it showcases design as a world-making practice and as a tool for reclaiming agency and hope. From vertical gardens to privacy-enhancing structures, these creations…
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Metadata Memoir
Minne Atairu (NG)
Can a decentralized, semi-automated archival system effectively document repatriation data of the Benin Bronzes—a collection of over 4,000 secular and sacred artifacts looted from Benin Kingdom (present day Edo, Nigeria) in 1897?
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Nosukaay
Diane Cescutti (FR)
Nosukaay is an interactive installation, a machine that combines a West African loom and a computer. With it, the viewer can use a manjak woven fabric as a keyboard to explore a video game blending texts, 3D images, and images shot in Aïssa Dione Tissus’ studio and Boulevard Canal4’s outdoor weaving studio in Dakar, Senegal.…
Events
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Carpaccio’s Knight
Alejandra Martos (ES), Susana Pérez (ES)
Susana Pérez’ and Alejandra Martos’ task as project leads was to realize the restoration and conservation of the painting (and frame) Young Knight in a Landscape (c. 1505) by Venetian artist Vittore Carpaccio. Following the presentation of this process by Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza we can now relive it in Deep Space 8K.
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Cultural Heritage – A Virtual RetrospectiveÂ
Between three visually stunning dimensions on 16 x 9 meter projection surfaces on wall and floor, with 33 million pixel resolution and a high-performance laser tracking system, the future meets the past in Deep Space 8K. Nowhere else are images staged as impressively as here. This is also where you can view the details of…
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Haltadefinizione Gigapixel Experience
Luca Ponzio (IT), Francesco Gavioli (IT)
During Ars Electronica Festival, Haltadefinizione presents an innovative experience for enhancing cultural heritage using Mixed and Virtual Reality headsets. Thanks to cutting-edge technologies and devices, such as Apple Vision Pro, participants are virtually transported inside of medieval churches and can experience digital twins of artworks immersed in their original environment.
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Haltadefinizione’s Journey
Luca Ponzio (IT), Francesco Gavioli (IT)
The presentation highlights Haltadefinizione’s pioneering work in preserving and enhancing cultural heritage through gigapixel photography. Since 2005, the company has led innovative digitization projects, including the world’s first gigapixel image of an artwork and extraordinary projects like The Last Supper, the Scrovegni Chapel, and masterpieces by Botticelli, Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci.
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Kaiserschild Art Defined
Kaiserschild Foundation (AT)
Pieter Claesz was one of the most famous still life painters and had a decisive influence on the genre in the 17th century. In its current production, the Kaiserschild Art Defined project by Kaiserschild Foundation focuses on the oeuvre of Pieter Claesz. Aspects of the artist’s work and the historical context are explained using high-quality…
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Notre-Dame Immersive
Ars Electronica (AT), Iconem (FR), Histovery (FR)
After the devastating fire in 2019, Notre-Dame de Paris rises from the ashes as an immersive experience. In collaboration with French start-ups Iconem and Histovery, the Ars Electronica Futurelab is bringing the cathedral into Deep Space 8K. Visitors can explore a vast 3D model and discover the architecture and works of art from new perspectives.…