In a multi-year study entitled “25 Years of Ars Electronica – An Overview as Memory Theater,” Gerhard Dirmoser has created a thematic cartography of all aspects that seem relevant to Ars Electronica. The approximately 8,000 entries include all contributions, artists, texts and projects represented at Ars Electronica.

This study is the basis of a large-format wall diagram that simultaneously serves as a portal Ars Electronica’s digital project archive. Visitors can query the virtual information linked to this Datawall by using a modified personal digital assistant (PDA) that opens up access to additional, related information in the form of texts, images and videos. The technological basis of this interface consists of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that are built into the diagram and can be read with the PDA. Plus, the Timeslider—likewise based on Dirmoser’s findings—allows visitors to utilize two buttons to navigate through the Ars Electronica’s “timedisks.”

The Datapool and the Navigator provide additional access to interesting archive material. The Datapool provides a link to an extensive video archive featuring documentation of the individual festivals and the best works of computer animation from the history of the Prix Ars Electronica.

The Navigator lets the user chart a specific course through the 25-year history of Ars Electronica. This is the way to find information about all artists and projects that were ever involved with the Festival, awarded a prize at the Prix Ars Electronica, put on display at the Museum of the Future or developed at the Ars Electronica Futurelab. The Navigator also provides access to all texts published in the Festival and Prix catalogs.