*Gosh! What cheery news!
Big crowds at the new Ars Electronica Center:
12.500 Visitors in Three Days!
(Linz, 5.1.2008) 12.500 visitors packed the new Ars Electronica Center during Open Days January 2-4. “The turnout was just incredible,” said Ars Electronica Artistic Director Gerfried Stocker. “Of course we expected that lots of people would be curious to check out the new facility. But we didn’t anticipate attendance on such a massive scale.” Some early birds had to spend as much as an hour in line before being able to explore the new Ars Electronica Center. Even in the wake of expansion to 6,500 m2 of space, the massive turnout necessitated staggered admission.
New Views of Mankind (((I could do with some)))
The new theme exhibition in the Main Gallery got rave reviews! Peering inside ones own body (“Holoman”), photographing ones own retina (“Visucam”), remote-controlling robots (“Plen Park”), beard stubble enlarged 20,000x (“BioLab”), 16x9-meter ultra-high-resolution graphic worlds (“Deep Space”)-thousands of visitors accepted the invitation to experience astounding New Views of Humankind. “We’re especially pleased that the new theme exhibition has garnered such an enthusiastic reception,” Gerfried Stocker said. “For one thing because it’s the core of the new facility; for another because its content is opening up a completely new direction for us.”
Extraordinarily Distinctive Architecture
In addition to the content of the exhibits, the architecture of the new Ars Electronica Center itself-the spectacular new highlight of the Linz cityscape-was the center of attention. Many visitors remarked on how tiny the old AEC seems in comparison to the spacious new facility. The expansive new Ars Electronica Plaza and the panoramic view from the so-called Upper Deck got a terrific reception. After dark, this was a nice turnout for the first artistic display of the full-color capabilities of the AEC’s more than 5,000-m2 LED façade. Hundreds of spectators gathered on the Nibelungen Bridge across the Danube and at the Lentos Museum of Modern Art on the opposite bank to enjoy the premiere.
Opening Hours
The new Ars Electronica Center is now open Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays from 9 AM to 5 PM, Thursdays from 9 AM to 9 PM, and Saturdays & Sundays from 10 AM to 6 PM. The Ars Electronica Center is closed Mondays. For admission prices, discounts, and complete details about special offers and guided tours, log on to www.aec.at .
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Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
a pdf of the text above, a best-of selection of print-quality images (13x18 cm; 300 dpi) and videos of the official grand opening of the Ars Electronica Center are available in our digital press kit at www.aec.at/press .
With best regards,
your
Ars Electronica MediaService
Christopher Ruckerbauer, 0043.732.7272-38, [email protected]
Mag. Robert Bauernhansl, 0043.732.7272-32, [email protected]
www.aec.at/press
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Ars Electronica Linz GmbH
Hauptstraße 2-4
4040 Linz, Austria, www.aec.at
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UID.Nr. ATU 39679503, Handelsgericht Linz, FN 136733 D, DVR-Nr. 0946516
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