Run on new Ars Electronica Center
Photos on Flickr
Video impressions of the past days
The new Ars Electronica Center
The exhibitions of the new Ars Electronica Center
(Linz, June 30, 2019) The new Ars Electronica Center is a big hit. Despite the bathing weather, there have been more than 22,000 visitors since the first major opening on May 27. “The topic of artificial intelligence is attracting a great deal of interest,” says Gerfried Stocker, Artistic Director of Ars Electronica. “Regardless of whether people view AI applications more critically or positively, everyone is united in the conviction that this technology will have a major impact on our lives.” With the new Ars Electronica Center, Linz is sharpening its profile as a ‘UNESCO City of Media Arts’, both outwardly and inwardly,” says Doris Lang-Mayerhofer, City Councillor for Culture and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Ars Electronica. “On the one hand, the Ars Electronica Center increases the attractiveness of Linz as a location and helps us to compete with other cities. On the other hand, it inspires a broad population for the future and promotes the very future orientation and openness that Linz wants to stand for.
Understanding AI
Nowhere else can you get such a comprehensive picture of which AI applications are triggering a revolution today. The interactive installations of the Ars Electronica Futurelab, in which visitors can train artificial neural networks and experience for themselves how they work, have therefore met with such a great response. The “Machine Learning Studio”, in which self-driving cars can be trained or robots with face recognition programmed, is also very popular.
Playing with AI in the new Kids’ Research Laboratory
Just recently, in the course of the second opening phase, the new Kids’ Research Laboratory took the youngest visitors by storm. “It’s fantastic to see how the girls and boys control robots here, make music or build duplo animals, scan them, and then help the AI to see what kind of animal it is,” says Gerfried Stocker.
AI meets Music
The exhibition “AI x Music” has also only recently opened. Covering around 450 square metres, the show invites visitors to take an exciting and entertaining stroll through the history of music automatons. The journey begins with the first programmable music machine from the 9th century and leads to one of the world’s most powerful computer pianos from Bösendorfer and various AI music applications from 2019. “Interest in this exhibition is great across the generations,” says Gerfried Stocker. “It’s exciting to see that youngsters who make their music in our ‘Open Soundstudio’ with the latest tools suddenly take an interest in the old equipment and look, hey, how did they actually do it in the past?”
“The great public response in the first few weeks shows that the realignment of the Ars Electronica Center has been successful,” says Doris Lang-Mayerhofer. “I would like to congratulate the Ars Electronica team and wish all visitors many exciting and inspiring hours in the new Museum of the Future!”
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School classes at the Ars Electronica Center / Photo credit: Ars Electronica – Martin Hieslmair / Print version
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Opening Ars Electronica Center / Photo credit: vog.photo / Print version
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Machine Learning Studio / Photo credit: Ars Electronica – Robert Bauernhansl / Print version
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Animaker / Photo credit: vog.photo / Print version
