This Sunday, May 17, we celebrate International Museum Day! A global initiative highlighting the important work of museums and inviting visitors to discover their incredible diversity.
The Ars Electronica Center is once again taking part in the program. Join a guided walk through the exhibition “Connected Earth” and explore the complex relationship between humans and the environment. And don‘t miss our Deep Space Special “Connected Life”, offering immersive insights into the connections that shape our world.
Credit: Connected Life / Sebastian Pichelhofer, Sebastian Postl, Valentin Postl, Claudia Puck, Johann Steinegger, Florian Wurster; photo: Ars Electronica /Magdalen Sick- Leitner
It’s not a classic hotel room - It’s an experience.
“A Mindful Space” brings together design, sustainability and innovation powered by modern recycling technologies. A room that goes beyond aesthetics. Where technology meets ethics and design becomes a statement.
What role does Ars Electronica Solutions play in shaping a new hotel room?
We’re only giving you a glimpse for now. But this is more than just a room.
@arcotelhotels @missfelidae_illustration
credit: Ars Electronica / Domas Schwarz
From September 9 to 13, 2026, Linz will once again become a hotspot for the international media art scene. Exhibitions, performances, concerts and conferences will be held at festival locations throughout the city.
“Future Begins” and “Negotiating Humanity” are the two thematic concepts of the year 2026—47 years after the first Ars Electronica Festival and 30 years since the opening of the Ars Electronica Center, which also initiated the development of Ars Electronica’s unique ecosystem.
Video: Ars Electronica / Yazdan Zand
The Prix Ars Electronica Jury Meeting 2026 is officially wrapped. Here are a few impressions from our jury members. Thank you again, and we hope to see you all again at the Ars Electronica Festival 2026.
How can artists and AI work together in a creative collaboration? This four-movement symphony, performed by the Bruckner Orchester Linz in November 2025 at Musikverein in Vienna, showcases possible outcomes.
"Walzersymphonie" (Waltz Symphony) is based on Ricercar, an AI-based composition and research tool for classical music. It has been developed since 2019 by AI researcher and classical musician Ali Nikrang in the Ars Electronica Futurelab and since 2023 in collaboration with the University for Music and Theatre in Munich. Ricercar is more than an application - it serves as a field of experimentation; a playground for composers that allows for setting and changing of any parameters in an exploratory, collaborative process.
"Walzersymphonie" was part of the celebrations around the 200th birthday of world-famous composer Johann Strauss II in 2025 on behalf of Johann Strauss Festjahr 2025 Wien. Aided by a series of Futurelab workshops, selected students of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Mozarteum University Salzburg, Zurich University of the Arts, as well as the University of Music and Theater Munich got the opportunity to create new compositions with Ricercar.
The resulting "Walzersymphonie" was performed by the Bruckner Orchester Linz in Linz and Vienna, accompanied by lectures, publications, and studies.
photos: Martina Draper
Throwback to 1996!
Here’s a look at the Ars Electronica Center shortly after its opening - a moment when digital art, electronic culture, and interactive media were only beginning to shape public imagination, alsongside a glimpse even further back, to the very beginnings of what would become the “Museum of the Future”
From day one, the vision was bold: to create a public laboratory for experimentation, creativity, and digital innovation in the heart of Linz.
As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Ars Electronica Center- and Futurelab in September 2026, we’re launching a special archival journey: Throughout the year, we’ll share monthly Throwbacks that trace key moments from the past 30 years of Ars Electronica – with a strong focus on the Ars Electronica Center and the Futurelab.
Do you remember your first encounter with the Ars Electronica Center? What moment has stayed with you the longest?
Fotos:
Archiv der Stadt Linz (@stadtlinz )
Travel through time and across continents with Cultural Astronomy—a 3D exploration of ancient sites and celestial stories. From Stonehenge to Angkor Wat, discover how cultures around the world incorporated the starry sky into their myths, architecture, and worldviews—uniting humanity under a shared firmament.
Experience “Cultural Astronomy” on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays at 1:00 p.m. at the Ars Electronica Center.
Cultural Astronomy is based on the open-source software OpenSpace.
Credits
video: Ars Electronica / Domas Schwarz
Angkor Wat 3D model from “Virtual Angkor” courtesy of SensiLab, Monash University
Dive into another month of discovery with us!
Join our holiday program, explore our fascinating Deep Space lectures or experience our Topic Weekend. Take a behind-the-scenes look at cutting-edge research at the intersection of art and science and explore some of the most exciting questions about the future.
Swipe through to see everything happening this month!
As the highlight of the Forest Worlds exhibition at the @gasometer_oberhausen , the 35-meter-high installation The Tree by Ars Electronica Solutions showcases the root system, trunk, and canopy from unusual perspectives. Visitors experience the tree immersively, from inside the roots up through the trunk to the canopy, accompanied by light, projections, and music.
The installation offers new perspectives on the dynamics and beauty of the forest and makes use of the Gasometer’s gigantic cylindrical interior for a unique spatial experience. Since March 20, 2026, visitors can explore the immersive installation themselves.
Video produced by HUBR (@felix_hubr ) on behalf of Ars Electronica Solutions.
From the artistically staged root systems to the dreamlike world high up in the treetops!
"Der Baum" (The Tree) by Ars Electronica Solutions is the centerpiece of the new exhibition, "Mythos Wald," (Forest Worlds) at the Gasometer Oberhausen, which opens today. Following the overwhelming success of "Planet Ocean," this installation once again transforms Europe's tallest exhibition hall into an immersive experience - this time taking visitors on a journey from the forest floor to the treetops.
Credit:
photos 1, 3&4: Domas Schwarz
photos 2&5: Thomas Wolf
@gasometer_oberhausen @ruperthubermusic
When we ask visitors what they remember most about their first visit to the Ars Electronica Center, we hear the same answer surprisingly often: the flight simulator that allowed them to fly over Linz – Humphrey!
Developed in 1995 by the Ars Electronica Futurelab, this project thrilled countless guests and quickly became a real crowd favorite. To mark our 30th anniversary, we are now bringing back this classic in a contemporary form. Inspired by Humphrey, the Linz-based start-up SimVenture has developed a new, immersive simulation that involves the whole body. You become the pilot and control your flight through a virtual world solely through your body movements. VR glasses, realistic sound effects, smells, and even wind make the experience so intense that reality and simulation almost merge.
The WingSim flight simulator can be experienced at the Ars Electronica Center until the beginning of April. Secure your appointment directly at the museum ticket office (12 euros), register—and take off!
@simventure_gmbh
Don’t forget to visit us this March at the Ars Electronica Center!
On March 8, International Women's Day is celebrated around the world. Already on the evening before, Ars Electronica Center invites you together with female artists working at the dynamic intersection of technology and society to bring women’s perspectives to the forefront of our future debates. Look forward to inspiring insights, artistic impulses, and engaging conversations with free admission on this special evening. So don’t miss out!
In addition, March features exciting Deep Space events, the nextcomic Festival taking place this year under the title “AM I AI”, as well as an exciting Family Days Easter program inviting visitors of all ages to participate, explore, and create.
