The Ars Electronica Center is the architectural expression of what Ars Electronica is all about: a place of inquiry and discovery, experimentation and exploration, a place that has taken the world of tomorrow as its stage, and that assembles and presents influences from many different ways of thinking and of seeing things. This book pays tribute - not just to architecture and objects displayed but also to all artists and individuals, companies, and institutions that have contributed to this modern artistic synthesis. The photographic concept bears the hallmarks of eminent photographer Lois Lammerhuber, and of Nicolas Ferrando, a multimedia specialist and advertising photographer working on an international scale. In cooperation with Edition Lammerhuber, their work has resulted in a high quality coffee-table book. The camera immerses the readers in the virtual world of the AEC, guiding them on a startling tour with many an unexpected turn.

The Prix Ars Electronica is the most richly traditional media art competition in the world. Awarded annually since 1987, it is considered a trend barometer for global media art, thanks to its continuity and the large number of high-quality submissions. Containing many pictures, essays, and statements from the jury, the book gathers together the works awarded prizes in 2019 in the categories of Computer Animation, Digital Music & Sound Art, Artificial Intelligence & Life Art, and u19 – Create Your World. The book also again features a “best-of” the works selected for the STARTS Prize, sponsored by the European Commission. This highly lucrative competition focuses on innovative projects that intersect with science, technology, and art (= Science, Technology and ARTS).

Since 1979 Ars Electronica has tracked and analysed the digital revolution and its multiple impacts. The focus has always been on processes and trends combining art, technology, and society. Results of this artistic and scientific research can be seen in the form of an annual festival in Linz, Austria, where a five-day-long program involves conferences, podium discussions, workshops, exhibitions, performances, interventions, and concerts. The festival is planned, organised, and executed in collaboration with artists and scientists from around the world. A variety of controversial futuristic themes are always the center of attention. Richly illustrated and containing in-depth essays, this book is a companion to the Ars Electronica Festival.