Ars Electronica Festival

📍 Linz, Austria
📅 9-13 September

Ars Electronica Festival is one of the world’s leading gatherings at the intersection of art, technology and society. Based in Linz, Austria, the festival brings together artists, researchers, technologists, designers, scientists, activists and thinkers to explore emerging technologies and the cultural and societal questions surrounding them.

Rather than treating technology simply as a source of innovation, Ars Electronica uses artistic experimentation and critical inquiry to examine how technologies are changing society — and how alternative relationships between people, machines and the planet might be created.

What to Expect

The festival typically spans exhibitions, talks and conferences, performances, workshops, installations and experimental projects across multiple locations in Linz. Its programme draws heavily on work emerging from the international Ars Electronica community and the Prix Ars Electronica, bringing together perspectives on topics such as artificial intelligence, digital culture, biotechnology, climate, robotics, immersive media and new forms of human-machine interaction.

A distinctive feature is its combination of speculation with tangible experiences. Futures are encountered through artworks, prototypes and installations that allow participants to experience emerging questions rather than only discuss them.

A Long-Running Platform for Art, Technology and Futures

Founded in 1979, Ars Electronica has developed into an international ecosystem encompassing the annual festival, Prix Ars Electronica, Ars Electronica Center and Ars Electronica Futurelab. For people working with futures and foresight, the festival is particularly relevant as a place to discover emerging signals, encounter experimental technologies and explore how artists and researchers are making alternative futures tangible.