Inspired by Jules Verne’s world-famous classic, Ars Electronica, voestalpine and Linz09 are embarking on a ‘round-the-world journey on June 17. “80+1 – A Journey Around the World” is the title of this globe-spanning expedition underway until September 5, 2009. But this won’t entail any physical travel; the mode of transportation will be satellite hook-up and fiber optic cable, and the stops along the way will be 20 locations, each one of which stands for a theme of crucial importance to our future. For climate change or tapping new sources of energy. Coexistence. Markets. For growth and progress. “Jules Verne gave us a wide-angle view of the world at the end of the 19th century. What we aim to capture is a stop-action image of the year 2009,” project director Michael Naimark (USA) explained. In this spirit, 80+1 will be accompanying the motorized deluge flowing through Switzerland’s Gotthard Tunnel (traffic), and inquiring into European immigration policies on the Italian island of Lampedusa (migration). Following the historical traces left by human civilizations in Jerusalem (cultural heritage). Establishing contact with the ISS (exploration) and ultimately getting lost in the endless expanses of the WWW … Dealing with these specific global issues constitutes 80+1’s approach to limning our own personal relations to the future, our hopes and fears. “After all, our future isn’t something abstract. Our future has to do with human beings. First of all, with us, of course—but also with lots of other people in our globalized world. That’s the whole point of this 80+1-day journey: to reconnoiter the cultural and economic forces that can enable us to master the future. A consummate Capital of Culture project,” stated Linz09Artistic Director Martin Heller. Gerhard Kürner, voestalpine AG’s director of communications, agreed: “80+1 is also to a certain extent emblematic of our company’s thematic diversity and cultural breadth. We’re active in more than 60 countries, and our international staffers already make up more than half of our total workforce.”
