Hand-crafted technological artifacts focus on social interaction and the engagement of the public with DIY (Do It Yourself) and DIT (Do It Together) practices, and learning by doing techniques. The creation of these unique artifacts can permit the users to interact with their bodies and their surroundings through a playful exploration of art, tradition and technology and provide a subtle but fertile field of experimentation towards social change.

Hands-on practice

This workshop aims to reflect on the use of electronics and computation on textiles and wearables as means for the development of hand-crafted aesthetics. The subject is approched through discussion and hands-on practice and focuses on a single electronic component, the electromagnetic coil.

Three e-textile applications

The participants create handmade spiral copper coils on fabric and explore three different e-textile applications, using the coil as a audio speaker, as an electromagnetic field detector antenna and as a vibration motor. This way they engage in hand-stiching techniques, digital electronics, creative coding and reflect on prototypes that could incorporate an electromagnetic coil. The workshop is open to everybody. No background in coding or sewing is required.

Please register by emailing futureinnovators@aec.at

The Center for Advances in Digital Entertainment Technologies (CADET) is a joint venture of Salzburg University of Applied Sciences and the Ars Electronica Futurelab. Its objective is to enhance immersion, participation and interaction in digital entertainment and communication. At the 2014 Ars Electronica Festival, this project, now in its fourth and final year, is staging a series of public showcases to spotlight technologies developed in conjunction with CADET.

Playfulness in Public Spaces

Christopher Lindinger will kick things off with an overview of the project’s objectives and results. Next up is Robert Praxmarer with a talk entitled Urban Playfulness about how new interaction technologies and mobile platforms are increasingly making it possible for computer games to take leave of the friendly confines of living rooms and proliferate in the public sphere. Now, urban spaces are serving as gaming zones and pedestrians are the players. The public realm thus becomes a proving ground for new modes of play, fun and social interaction.

Everything’s Moving

Interaction in Motion – New Frontiers of Game Design is the theme of the next speaker, Roland Haring. Possibilities of bringing one’s own body—motions and emotions—to bear in a networked, virtual world significantly alter our understanding of multimedia production and entertainment. The interfaces utilized thereby contribute greatly to this. A key development that’s given rise to new gaming & interaction concepts in recent years is the use of cameras to track players free to move about in a particular space. It remains to be seen what happens when this is taken to the next level—one on which the interaction technologies and interfaces themselves cease to be immutable fixtures and get moving on their own.

Speakers

Christopher Lindinger (AT): Welcome and Introduction
Robert Praxmarer (AT): Urban Playfulness – Playing in and with the Public Space
Roland Haring (AT): Interaction in Motion – New frontiers of Game Design
Plenum and Q&A

CADET is funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) within the program „COIN Aufbau“.

C … what it takes to change. 3 hours, the working groups E and F will focus on the festival theme. As a festival visitor you have the opportunity to keep track this discussion in the classroom.

The members of Working Groups E and F will attend their first workshop at which they’ll address the festival theme and consider the framework conditions necessary for change.

C … what it takes to change. 3 hours, the working groups C and D will focus on the festival theme. As a festival visitor you have the opportunity to keep track this discussion in the classroom.

The members of Working Groups C and D will attend their first workshop at which they’ll address the festival theme and consider the framework conditions necessary for change.

At the Innovators Breakfast, Innovators from Working Groups C and D will present their projects and ideas. This will be followed by feedback from K. Bradley Paxton, pioneer of technical developments at Kodak, and Hiroshi Ishii (JP/US), head of the legendary Tangible Media Group at MIT Media Lab.

K. Bradley Paxton (US) will deliver the opening speech on Day 2 of the Future Innovators Summit. As a pioneer of technical developments at Kodak, he’ll give a first-hand account of paths to innovation and what can go wrong along the way.

The second day of the Future Innovators Summit begins in the gala room of the Akademisches Gymnasium. Opening words for the symposium by Gerfried Stocker, artistic director of Ars Electronica.

C … what it takes to change. 2,5 hours, the working groups A and B will focus on the festival theme. As a festival visitor you have the opportunity to keep track this discussion in the classroom.