FOUNDING LAB Fall Term
October 2023 – January 2024
During the Fall Term, 25 Master’s and PhD students and 21 Fellows are testing the visions developed in the Summer School and Forum for their feasibility. The focus lies on interdisciplinary and project-based approaches, the incorporation of artistic thinking and the development of an environment that fosters transcultural and critical debate.
FOUNDING LAB Event
Four months full of exciting academic challenges led the students of the FOUNDING LAB fall semester into uncharted waters of various disciplines. On January 25, 2024, they presented their results during the IT:U open day and in the evening with performances in Deep Space 8K at the Ars Electronica Center.
Impressions
Overcoming geographical, cultural and disciplinary boundaries, establishing mutual appreciation and developing new approaches to solving complex problems – necessary skills for successful interdisciplinary collaboration that will play an important role at the new Institute of Digital Sciences Austria. During the Fall Term, next steps will be taken to make this university a reality.
Program
The program consists of six 4-day chapters onsite, online mentoring for project work, as well as 12 online sessions including Deep Dive Talks.
ONSITE: Six Program Chapters
The Fall Term is divided into six content blocks that deal with core aspects of digital transformation. The catalytic mix of fellows, who develop the content for these blocks, opens up new perspectives. The six chapters offer learning opportunities for new skills, ways of thinking, methodologies, and hands on practice opportunities for the students’ diverse semester projects.
Experimental lab sessions and excursions to local industry partners invite students to immerse themselves in the research material. In addition, the introduction to scientific work, the exploration of research methods, and the testing of artistic approaches are a constant throughout the semester.
ONLINE: Onboarding Sessions and Deep Dive Talks
Before each of the Chapters, a Zoom-in call introduces the students to the topics, Fellows, and materials of the upcoming block. Developing an understanding for the dimensions of each of the themes and creating a collective compass gives orientation when zooming into different aspects of the Chapter domains. After each chapter, the Zoom-out call allows Students and Fellows to reflect about learnings and outcomes. By contextualizing the contents and experiences of the time in Linz in the bigger picture of their visions for the university of the 21st century, the Students and Fellows reset the developed compass and pave the way for the next Zoom-in session.
Between the chapters, FOUNDING LAB hosts six Deep Dive Talks. For these online keynotes and discussions, local greats and international experts are invited to introduce students to their areas of expertise.
REMOTE: Fall Term Project
One key element of this interdisciplinary project-based program is the Students’ semester projects inspired by their individual backgrounds and areas of interest. The collaborations aim for mutual support and collective growth and are accompanied by experienced Fellows and the Facilitators.
Program Development Insights
The FOUNDING LAB Fall Term is a continuation of the FOUNDING LAB collaboration between Austrian university IT:U and Ars Electronica, spanning September 2023 to January 2024. IT:U started its operation in 2023 with the FOUNDING LAB, supported by experts of Ars Electronica including a team of Ars Electronica Futurelab members.
If you have questions or require support, reach out to our team: foundinglab@ars.electronica.art