MADE IN LINZ

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INTERFACE CULTURES STUDENT EXHIBITION

Students in the Interface Cultures Masters program come from diverse countries and cultures across Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, South America, and the Middle East. Their previous educations include various fields such as fine arts, media arts, design and engineering. Once in Linz, students spend between two to four years at the University of Art and Design and immerse themselves into an international study program that teaches interaction design, interface technologies and the cultural and artistic context of user participation. Students experiment with the development of interactive prototypes, musical interfaces, conceptual installations and interaction critiques and also broaden their view by encountering and collaborating with other international fellows who investigate these topics from a different cultural connotation.

All the artworks, prototypes and various interfaces in this year’s exhibition have been made in Linz. Linz is the UNESCO City of Media Arts and of course the cultural and socio-political context of Linz also impacts the students ideas and concepts. It is the cumulative know-how of 37 years of Ars Electronica and the strong history in the electronic arts that enables a profound discourse around media technology and media arts specific to Linz.

But what does “Made in Linz” actually mean? Is it a proof of quality? When we look at various trade labels such as “Made in China” or “Made in Germany” or “Made in Italy”, we immediately associate certain product qualities, such as for example low price, high precision technology or fashionable design. But what about “Made in Linz”? What do we expect when we hear this term? At Interface Cultures we propose this term this year and leave it up to the visitors of the exhibition to reflect upon this topic. Perhaps it is even possible to establish this new term as symbol of innovation, reflection and creative investigation of art and technology in our society.

CHRISTA SOMMERER
LAURENT MIGNONNEAU
MASAKI FUJIHATA
MICHAELA ORTNER
FABRIZIO LAMONCHA
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Production Team:

  • Gertrude Horlesberger
  • Zeynab Zarringhoba
  • Qian Xu
  • Klimentina Milenova
  • Gabriela Gordillo
  • Antonio Zingaro
  • Ilona Stuetz
  • Mario Romera
  • Onur Olgaç
  • Johannes Wernicke

Supported by the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy under the Higher-Education Structural Fund Austria