We Guide You
An encounter with the Festival Ars Electronica 2007



In 2007 the Ars Electronica Festival will “publicize” itself. Not only will numerous projects take place in the public space, but a targeted mediation program will work at breaking down barriers to media art, and children, young people and adults will be inspired to get involved in this year’s theme: “Goodbye Privacy.”

A quiz will take children aged 14 and under on a tour across the festival, the Landesgalerie and the Stifterhaus. On this scavenger hunt, the kids will find out lots of exciting things about digital worlds and how the new technologies affect their everyday lives. Playing with interactive art will stimulate all five senses. And the colorful world of fairytales also awaits, along with comics and adventure stories.

For adult festival visitors, we extend an invitation to join us on an unusual tour of the festival. During this circuit, we will visit a number of festival locations as well as the Landesgalerie and the OK Offenes Kulturhaus Oberösterreich. Encounters with artists and curators will give guests a one-of-a-kind sneak peek behind the scenes of media art.

On Saturday, September 8, this mediation program will reach its high point. A morning symposium for children, young people and adults will be devoted to the issues of children’s rights, youth protection laws, data privacy and copyrights on the Internet. Together with the specialists on hand, we will ask questions such as:

What is child-friendly surfing?
What about children’s rights and youth protection in online games, chatrooms, etc?
Which websites can be especially recommended, which are particularly problematic?
Which downloads are legal or illegal?

In the afternoon, in addition to the festival circuit for adults and a children’s festival at the Landesgalerie, there will also be a Special Act for young people between 14 and 20. Together with the Pangea Association—an intercultural media workshop in Linz—we will develop a game that will take place somewhere between the real and virtual space in Second City.

This year’s Ars Electronica mediation program is designed to be fun, to sensitize people to the theme of surveillance and to leave everyone with the urge to learn more about media art.

Translated from German by Jennifer Taylor-Gaida