ARS Electronica - Futurelab Academy 2013
2013 was the first year QUT partnered with ARS Electronica Futurelab for the inaugural ARS Electronica Futurelab Academy 2013. This project was brought to life through the efforts of Lubi Thomas & Jared Donovan (QUT), Kristefan Miniski and Horst Hoertner and the ARS Electronica Futurelab Team.
The Academy is an opportunity for students to work in trans-disciplinary teams, on an applied research based project, aimed at creating real world outcomes. The ARS Electronica Futurelab Academy supports students to realise creative innovative projects, with elite practitioners from the Futurelab and QUT academics conducting workshops, seminars and mentorship activities. This semester long process culminates in the top projects being presented at the world renowned ARS Electronica Festival in Linz Austria. This year is QUT’s inaugural academy, enrolling students from across Creative Industries and Science and Engineering faculties with backgrounds in Interactive and Visual Design; Games and Interactive Entertainment; Marketing; and Technology Innovation. The 2013 academy topic was Layers of the City - finding new ways of expressing, uncovering and relating aspects of the urban environment.
Three projects presented at the ARS Electronica Festival:
1. Flow[er] - an interactive flower that responds to movement. As a user comes closer to the work, it senses their presence and slowly 'blossoms’ by opening up. Team: Jeniffer Heng and Vidhi Shah.
2. Pixel Streets - an interactive installation that engages a passing audience with a simple experience and thinks in new ways about urban decoration. Team: Michael Hiley, Declan Brincat and Yonghan Ji.
3. Trail of Traits - a collection of discovery boxes, taking participants on a treasure hunt as a means of exploring the urban space within a given location. Team: Alice Brown and Andrew Bates.
ARS Electronica created a Festival critical project, Bienenstock for QUT students attending the Festival. Bienenstock is an artistic experiment in the democratisation of documentation of civic events such as the Ars Electronica Festival. Team: Lincoln Savage, Brian Peel and Maurice Peckman.
The 2013 ARS Electronica Futurelab Academy outcomes where presented in the Shape of Things to Come.