Under the motto ‘Bridge the Gaps’, the Festival University 2022 is giving 200 students from around 70 different countries the opportunity to discuss the greatest challenges of our time together and to think beyond borders during the Ars Electronica Festival. After several weeks of workshops, lectures and joint work, the highlight of the program during the festival this year will be a simulation of a court hearing on the climate-related topics dealt with. The project is made possible again this year through the cooperation of Johannes Kepler University Linz and Ars Electronica and due to the support of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. Karin Gabriel, program manager, provided us with exciting details and insights behind the scenes.
Young people on the way to the future
200 participating students between the ages of 16 and 26, representing around 70 nationalities. “What is special about the participants, as well as the program and the speakers of the Festival University this year, is the great variety of internationality, interculturality and transdisciplinarity,” emphasizes Karin Gabriel. The academic backgrounds of the students also cover various areas: from art to artificial intelligence, from economics to psychology.
An international faculty
Over the entire four-week period of the Festival University, the students are accompanied and supported by an international faculty consisting of scientists and top-class experts from art, culture, journalism, business and civil society. Diversity is also reflected here. Karin Gabriel says: “The speakers also cover various subject areas, from journalism and storytelling to robotics, artificial intelligence and, this year very importantly, law”.
Among others, the former Federal Minister and EU Commissioner for Agriculture Franz Fischler, Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed (Director of the Global Research Communications – RethinkX; Special Investigations & Global Trends Reporter – Byline Times), Head of BBC News Lab Miranda Markus, Mike Artner von Fridays for Future, Afghan journalist Emran Feroz, Karen Palmer (Storyteller from the Future), Sarah Newman (Co-Founder – Data Nutrition Project, Director of Art & Education at metaLAB at Harvard), Manthia Diawara (filmmaker, cultural theorist, scientist, Art historian), Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker (environmental scientist, former member of the German Bundestag and former vice president of the Club of Rome), Jayati Ghosh (development economist, chair of the Center for Economic Studies NJU), Giulia Foscari (architect, founder of UNLESS, project manager Antarctic Resolution) and JKU scientists such as Barbara Krumay (JKU Institute for Economics informatics), Thomas Gegenhuber (JKU Linz Institute of Technology) participate in the program and interactively impart methodological and technical knowledge from different disciplines and perspectives to the students in exciting lectures, panel discussions, hands-on workshops or excursions. For the first time this year, the Medical Campus of the JKU will also be the venue for the Festival University: the students will experience, among other things, “Virtual Anatomy” in the JKU medSPACE, which was developed by the Ars Electronica Futurelab team.
to build bridges
“The city of Linz is literally building new bridges, and Linz is therefore the ideal venue for this international program.”
‘Bridge the Gaps’ – according to this motto, the students deal with the topic of climate change and its consequences. Boundaries should not only be crossed physically. Karin Gabriel continues: “In particular, we are investigating the question of how bridges can be built between different cultures and countries and which building blocks bring us from the current to the ideal state when it comes to climate change.” challenges of our time. Action is required.
Action – but where?
It does not specifically emphasize the responsibility of each individual, but above all the importance and urgency of government action in relation to environmental and climate problems. Specifically, three essential contemporary aspects are discussed: water, migration and energy.
“Is water a public good or a commercial good? Who is entitled to migration and when is it considered a climate refugee? Should nuclear energy or fossil gas be classified as ‘green’?”
The special highlight of the Festival University follows the joint work: the ‘International Environmental and Climate Court’ (IECC). This is a simulation of a fictitious international court hearing. Karin Gabriel explains in more detail: “The topics mentioned will be worked on by 6 groups of students, 2 groups per topic. This means that a group of applicants and opponents stand opposite each other in the courtroom. In addition to the six court groups, a group of students is dedicated to academic and journalistic output.”
Festival University 2021 Impressions
Credits: vog.photo
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Festival University 2021 Impressions
Credits: vog.photo
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Festival University 2021 Impressions
Credit: vog.photo
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Convicted in court?
The most exciting part of the Festival University, especially for spectators, is the court hearing, which takes place on the weekend of the Ars Electronica Festival on the ‘Festival University Stage’ in front of the library at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz. Each day is dedicated to one of the topics covered. But how should such a court session actually take place? Negotiations will start on Friday 9 September at 10:30 am with the issue of water. This is followed by Migration on Saturday 10th September and Energy on Sunday 11th September. After preparation by experienced legal experts, it is now the turn of the students to bring their concerns to court. After the opening speeches, evidence is presented and witnesses are heard. The pronouncement of judgment follows the closing arguments. Finally, the results obtained will be announced. “All visitors to the Ars Electronica Festival are invited to these simulations of a court hearing, and we look forward to a large audience,” concludes Karin Gabriel.
Karin Gabriel has headed the Future Thinking School by Ars Electronica since September 2020. Her professional path has brought her from Austria to Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE. Karin has 10+ years of international experience developing and leading programs focused on innovation, emerging technologies and start-ups for decision-makers in both the public and private sectors.–
The Festival University is part of the Ars Electronica Festival 2022 program, among other things. Details will soon be available online on the official festival website.
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