At the AEC Festival

Searching for hope for the planet

The former parcel slides are part of the attractive backdrop at Postcity.(Bild: Einöder Horst)

Once again, Postcity is the center of Ars Electronica: the construction for the festival from September 4 to 8 is in its final stages. Around 80,000 square meters of empty space are currently being filled with infrastructure for the festival, including 20 kilometers of cable. The theme this year is "Hope/Hope".

For the eighth time, Postcity - the empty postal distribution center near Linz Central Station - is the central playground for the Ars Electronica media festival. "We are currently in the hot construction phase," says technical director Karl Schmidinger during the "Krone" site inspection.

Karl Schmidinger: "We are completely setting up the area."(Bild: Einöder Horst)

"Fully on schedule"
Around 80,000 square meters of empty space will be filled with festival infrastructure. Everything has to be set up: from toilets to screens, from catering areas to exhibition rooms. Although there are repeated delays in the delivery of individual parts, they are "right on schedule. Nothing upsets me anyway," says Schmidinger calmly.

The entrance to Postcity.(Bild: Einöder Horst)

The topic is hope 
"The cable route gets longer every year. This year we need 20 kilometers of cable, 450 screens, 200 computers." The theme of the Ars is "Hope/Hope", it is about new perspectives in a time of crisis. Postcity will be open from 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 4. The opening with concerts and performances starts at 8 pm on Linz's Domplatz.

Information at ars.electronica.art