For the past 40 years, Ars Electronica--which is not only a festival and a prize, but has also served as a museum and laboratory since 1996--has brought together art, technology and society in highly complex and lively relationships. What began in 1979, in Linz, Austria, as an experiment in art and communal politics, is today the defining model for such multimedia events. Since then Ars Electronica has become one of the best-known forums for the development of media art and the discourse concerning technological culture. Richly illustrated, and featuring numerous texts, an extensive list of projects and entertaining asides, this 512-page anniversary publication offers a look back at the development of the project, which has been focusing since its beginning on the future as it comes into being.
