origin

If you pay a visit to a rather out-of-the-way region of Upper Austria named Hausruck, you’re immediately struck by the moderate weather. Its horseshoe-shaped chain of hills extending from Waldzell to Haag am Hausruck acts as a natural barrier. It doesn’t take long to see the light. As Theater Hausruck’s Chris Müller so aptly puts it: “The show must go on, even in case of clement weather!” And who could argue with that? In this spirit, Ars Electronica cordially invites you to go on an outing to Hausruck on the evening of September 1st, a trip that will neither be rained out nor called on account of oppressive heat.

Once you’ve shaken off the weather, this region—one of the largest contiguous areas of forest in Europe, by the way—unfolds its own special charms. An appealing flair you’ll be able to experience up-close-and-personal on September 1st.

So far, so good! But what’s the real reason why Ars Electronica is staging this excursion to Hausruck? Now, when you spend some time chatting with the locals and getting the lay of the land so to speak, you realize that you’ve arrived at a place of origins, at a source of knowledge, and that a lot of things have gotten their start here, things that you’ve heard about as well as things that are still to be excavated, brought out, illuminated and evaluated but that, in not a few instances, do all they can to resist such revelation.

This collection of stories, “Neuland Hausruck,” will be running here as a lead-in to the festival. They’re accounts of episodes and chapters that get across what’s so special about this place and why it’s a rewarding experience to make your way here from Linz.

Kicking things off will be a trailer describing the performance that will premiere on a lonely Hausruck ridge in conjunction with the start of Ars Electronica 2011. It promises to be, among many other things, something utterly unsuitable for delicate constitutions.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A2HDTb3-As