Curious about the depths of our universe? What about the future of artificial intelligence, or how it might interact with humanity? These are the kind of big questions that lead you to the Ars Electronica Center in Linz, Austria, this month’s featured Sofar space.
What’s Ars Electronica exactly? Well, it’s a lot of things. It started back in 1979 as an arts festival, celebrating art in all forms, including digital. But it’s taken on multiple forms since, primarily as a museum.
“[We] take a look at technology and art and humanity or society, how those aspects interact with each other, and also change each other,” said Katrin Fenninger, who works as a kind of general right hand for Ars Electronica.
One of Katrin’s biggest roles with the museum is as a project manager for Deep Space, one of the crown jewels of the museum. The giant room houses a variety of exhibitions, but what makes it so universally appealing is the room’s ability to project images with a resolution of 8000 pixels, the most powerful resolution possible.
“It gives us the opportunity to take a closer look at a lot of things,” Katrin said. “We can present projects in 3D, we can interact with the room, draw in there, play games in there, but it’s also a room where you can discover the known universe.”
Now, imagine bringing live music into that discovery? That’s what we get to do with Sofar. Lights bounce across the room as performers sing into the atmosphere, creating an otherworldly vibe, discovering the bounds of space alongside good local music.
If you’re close by, keep an eye out for upcoming shows in Linz for the chance to experience live music in Deep Space, or go check out the museum to look around. Will you unlock the secrets of the universe? Maybe not, but that’s not really the intent with Ars Electronica.
“The goal would be to go out with more questions than you came in with,” Katrin said.
Looking to host a Sofar show? Check here for details.
Words by Sofar Editorial Team
Photo credit: Ars Electronica’s Deep Space Room, photo by Laurenz Hintermayer
