Ars Electronica Futurelab / Roof

Ars Electronica Futurelab / Roof forms part of the Ars Electronica Center in Linz, where technology, research and media art meet. The space is wheelchair accessible and supports artistic experimentation. Research here explores how people, digital avatars and robotic systems can interact through extended reality, interactive installations and performances. One project, Sharespace, brings together fourteen partners from eight countries. Mobile sensors capture social movements, while XR environments reconstruct shared hybrid spaces for sport, health and art. Media artists have developed works including Converge, Falcon Heavy and State of Play for Deep Space 8K.

Another strand sends illuminated drones into choreographed formations above the city and beyond. The Spaxels project began with a large formation flight in Linz during the Klangwolke festival in September 2012. Further experiments examine real-time interaction between drones and people, while Fluxels use ground-based robots with LED displays to form mosaic-like images viewed from above. Swarms+Art shares research on swarm art, operating systems and patents with artists and partners.

One striking detail comes from the sky: Spaxels turn drones into moving points of light, making technical coordination visible as an artistic performance.