Ars Electronica #2

In Monitor Man, Yassine Khaled creates an embodiment of virtual communication in public space. The artist wears a helmet affixed with an iPad which offers a real-time connection to a person outside of Europe and the Western world. Through the use of technology and his own body, Khaled uses the performance to transgress actual, national borders which separate people. The performance is an opportunity for people to meet with someone who is physically far away and restricted in their freedom of movement. Pleace click here for a video.

Ars Electronica #1

Last weekend the Ars Electronica Festival, a festival for art, technology and society, took place in Linz. The festival premiered in September 1979, but only this year I had the opportunity to see some of its exhibitions. This year's theme of the festival was "Error - The Art of Imperfection". One of my favourite exhibits was "SEER", a simulative emotional expression robot by Takayuki Todo. The robot is attached to a camera censor and imitates the facial expressions of the viewer. Please click here for more information and a video.

Breaking The Rules: Excursion to Linz #3

The Trinity Column on the main square of Linz is 20 metres high and made of white marble. It is a typical symbol of the baroque period and was erected in gratitude by those who had survived a variety of disasters. The column should also protect the citizens from war, fire and plague.

Breaking The Rules: Excursion to Linz #2

Façades in the city center of Linz.

Breaking The Rules: Excursion to Linz #1

Some weeks ago I made an excursion to Linz, the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria. In this photo you can see a small street in the city center and the spire of the New Cathedral. With 20.000 seats, the cathedral is the largest, but not the highest, church in Austria. The originally-planned, higher spire was not approved, because in Austria-Hungary at the time, no building was allowed to be taller than the South Tower of the St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. At 135 m, the New Cathedral is two meters shorter than the Viennese cathedral.