Ars Electronica Center

The Ars Electronica Center (AEC) is a museum in Linz, Austria, dedicated to new media art and emerging technologies. Opened in 1996 and often called the "Museum of the Future," it serves as the headquarters of Ars Electronica Linz GmbH, an Austrian cultural, educational and scientific institute founded in 1979. The center explores the interconnections between art, technology and society through interactive exhibitions, research and public programs, making it a significant institution in the field of digital and media arts.

Ars Electronica was established in 1979 by Hannes Leopoldseder, Hubert Bognermayr, Herbert W. Franke and Ulrich Rützel, with its first festival held that September. The festival was initially biennial, becoming annual in 1986. The Prix Ars Electronica awards were inaugurated in 1987. Ars Electronica Linz GmbH was incorporated as a limited company in 1995. The Ars Electronica Center opened in 1996 in Linz-Urfahr, alongside the Futurelab research facility. In anticipation of Linz serving as European Capital of Culture 2009, the center underwent a major renovation and expansion costing approximately 30 million euros, reopening on 2 January 2009. Since 2014, the organization has been led by artistic director Gerfried Stocker and financial director Diethard Schwarzmair. Funding comes from the City of Linz, the Province of Upper Austria, the Republic of Austria and private partners. In 1998, the center received the Austrian Museum Prize for its "Museum of the Future" project.

The AEC's exhibitions weave together art, science and technology, addressing fields such as biotechnology, neuroscience, robotics, prosthetics顺, media art, and global developments including climate change, population growth and environmental pollution. All exhibitions are oriented around the question of how humans interact with their environment, and visitor participation is explicitly encouraged. The museum offers guided tours, workshops and school programs. Since 1996, the in-house Futurelab has conducted research and development at the intersection of art, technology and society, working on artificial intelligence, robotics, media architecture, interactive technologies, new aesthetic forms and swarm intelligence inspired by nature. The center also confers the annual Prix Ars Electronica for computer art, and since 1999 has jointly awarded the Marianne-von-Willemer-Preis with the City of Linz and ORF.

The museum's holdings and installations emphasize interactivity and immersive experience. The Deep Space 8K offers wall and floor projections, each 16 by 9 meters, with laser tracking and 3D animation in 8K resolution, presenting imagery from medicine, geology and astronomy. The Main Gallery houses the "New Views of Humankind" exhibition across four themed labs: Brain-Lab (human brain, perception and medical advances), Bio-Lab (biotechnology), Fab-Lab (3D printing and rapid prototyping), and Robo-Lab (robotics and prosthetic systems). The CAVE in the basement is a three-meter cube used as a projection screen for virtual reality experiences. The flight simulator "Humphrey" uses VR goggles and full-body cable connections. The Telegarden on the ground floor features a robot tending a flower patch. The Sky Media Loft at the top functions as a café, bar and event space with views over the Nibelungenbrücke and Linz's main square, and has served as a studio for ORF local newscasts.

The Ars Electronica Center stands on the site of buildings dating to 1873, including the former Bruckmüllerhaus at Hauptstraße 4, which was demolished in 1991 for the original center. The 2009 renovation and expansion, designed by Treusch architecture ZT GmbH following a competition, added a new "twin-tower" structure and the Main Gallery exhibition hall. The complex now totals 6,500 square meters, with 3,000 square meters for exhibitions, 100 square meters for research and development, 400 square meters for workshops and conferences, 650 square meters for catering and 1,000 square meters of public event space. The entire building is enveloped in a 5,000-square-meter glass skin of 1,100 panels, each equipped with LED bars capable of changing color, transforming the structure into a giant display. A forecourt runs parallel to the Danube, rising at its eastern end to form seating steps. The restaurant CUBUS on the third floor offers panoramic views of the Danube and the city.

The Ars Electronica Center is located in Linz, Austria, on the Ars-Electronica-Straße in the Urfahr district along the Danube. It is owned and operated by Ars Electronica Linz GmbH. The center is accessible via an exterior elevator that allows entry without museum admission. Visitor numbers have grown significantly, reaching 171,800 in 2015, an increase of 8.4 percent from the previous year, which officials attributed to the Deep Space 8K presentations. In 2015, a children's research laboratory for ages four to eight was established. The Austrian Post AG issued a commemorative stamp featuring the building on 1 May 2011 as part of its Kunsthäuser series.