Exhibitions, conferences, speeches, presentations, workshops, open labs, galleries, performances, interventions, screenings, concerts—the Ars Electronica Festival offers something for everyone.
A Festival at the Nexus of Art, Technology and Society
The dimensions and diversity of the program reflect the breadth of perspectives and visions of the approximately 1,000 artists, scientists, social activists and entrepreneurs from all over the world who are the dramatis personae of this gathering. Festivalgoers can select what’s most fascinating and relevant to them and assemble their own personal must-see list every day!
This year theme of the festival: ERROR, The art of imperfection.
At what point does an error become a mistake, a fail, and what makes it the celebrated source of unprecedented ideas and inventions? When is an error an oversight and when is it intentional deception, a fake?
An error is a discrepancy from what we expect, a deviation from the norm … but what is the norm and who establishes it? An error doesn’t have to be a mistake; it can be an opportunity!
Exhibitions
The Ars Electronica Festival is the foremost address for fans of media art. Spending all five days visiting exhibitions is a doable option for festivalgoers. The largest and most important shows are the Theme Exhibition and the CyberArts Exhibition—the former, a compilation of artistic approaches to the year’s festival theme; the latter a showcase of excellence in the media art genre. Examples of trailblazing collaboration among art and industry are on display in the STARTS Exhibition, the yearly culmination of the European Commission’s initiative focusing on innovation at the interface of science, technology and the arts (STARTS).
Waag participates in the exhibition with a stand for the Making Sense toolkit, that received a honorary mention at the STARTS prize. The book, documentary and sensor kit are on display at the stand.
Works by up-and-coming young artists in the UNESCO City of Media Arts Linz take the spotlight in an exhibition by Linz Art University’s Interface Cultures master’s program. The school also hosts Ars Electronica Campus featuring outstanding work being done by students and faculty members at a guest university. Our Featured Artists are the stars of a show in the LENTOS Art Museum. Meanwhile, across the Danube in Ars Electronica Center, festivalgoers can take in several exhibitions and experience world-class projection technology in Deep Space 8K.
Conferences, Summits, Open Labs, Workshops
Ars Electronica functions not only as a stage for pioneers in art and science; it’s also a forum that nurtures dialog and a wide-ranging discourse. In this spirit, each annual festival includes a series of conferences, summits, open labs and workshops. The most important conference is the symposium on the festival theme—over two days, experts from throughout the world present their visions of the future and their takes on the current year’s featured topic.
The Future Innovators Summit is characterized by a unique format in which artists, designers, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, social activists and philosophers explore new modes of collective brainstorming and creative prototype development. Prizewinning media artists have their say at the Prix Forums, moderated talks and round-table discussions presenting the men and women singled out for recognition by the Prix Ars Electronica, their works and visions of the future.
