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In 2009 Ars Electronica celebrated its 30th anniversary—a great reason to reflect on its development as well as the evolution of media art worldwide. The festival held September 3-8, 2009 was entitled “Human Nature.”

Linz was once again the setting for a dialog at the nexus of art, technology and society. Getting things underway was “Starry, Starry Night,” an encounter with the past, present and future of astronomy and space exploration. The guest institution hosting Campus09 was MIT of Boston MA, which presented ideas and projects about the linkup of digital phenomena and the reality of our corporeal & sensory perceptions. Two major symposia focused on human nature and cloud intelligence. The ORF – Austrian Broadcasting Company showcased Japanese game & manga culture on Linz’s Main Square. The winners of this year's Golden Nica awards were honored at the Prix Ars Electronica gala in the Brucknerhaus, and their works were displayed in the CyberArts show at the OK Center for Contemporary Art.

With almost 72,500 visitors, this year's Ars Electronica Festival set an attendance record. The 300 events during the festival week featured 800 artists from 31 countries. A total of 565 accredited media outlet representatives from 38 countries covered the goings-on. The 80+1. A JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD symposium was held in conjunction with ARS ELECTRONICA.


WHAT // Festival for Art, Technology and Society
WHEN // September 3-8, 2009
WHERE // Ars Electronica Center, Brucknerhaus, OK Offenes Kulturhaus Oberösterreich
www.aec.at/humannature