Collaboration has been a major issue for museums ever since, for reasons of knowhow, prestige or budget constraints. And since out local governments more and more often redirect our budget demands towards EU programs, networks for exchange and collaboration between our institutions have been successfully established.
But in a world of Google, Wikipedia, facebook etc., we have new kids on the block and participation has become not just a keyword, but a real demand, something that our visitors expect.
But how could such a new collaboration between museum and its audience look like?
Ars Electronica Linz GmbH is a corporation owned by the City of Linz. It consists of the following operative divisions: Ars Electronica Festival-Prix-Exhibitions, Ars Electronica Center, Ars Electronica Futurelab and AE Solutions as well as Management Services.
The Center is the Museum of the Future – the place where all the diverse blends of artistic genres, scientific domains and technological directions are displayed and processed. Biotechnology and genetic engineering, neurology, robotics, prosthetics and media art are juxtaposed here on equal terms and form experimental arrays conducive to testing ways in which we might be interacting and communicating with our surroundings and other human beings in the very near future, and getting the impression of what these changes will mean for us and our society. All exhibitions focus on issues having to do with how people can deal with their environment, and offer a variety of perspectives on our nature, our origins and our world. An extensive set of methodological tools is available to provide visitors with multifarious approaches to and ways of looking at the challenges posed by everyday life. Here, the emphasis isn’t just on interaction with exhibits on display; it’s on participation. The exhibitions are continuously being reworked and updated. What you won’t find here is a bunch of “Do Not Touch” signs; you’re cordially invited to enjoy a hands-on experience.
