Artificial Territories

[...] TERRITORIES

Connect and Play

“It’s like a mini Ars Electronica,
just a little cozier and here in Vienna.”

- Visitor of Ludic Territories

THE FORMAT

//WHAT:

In contrast to our ARTWALK, a transdisciplinary project outside, we curate a transmedia group exhibition inside of Das LOT, featuring exclusively interactive artworks blending art and science. [...] TERRITORIES retains its first editions concept of "ludic art," emphasizing playfulness, interactivity, and audience engagement. In this form, the lines between artist, artwork, and audience blur, encouraging participation and exploration. The last edition focused on Artificial Intelligence.

//WHY:

As Big Tech and established mass media significantly control the aesthetic flow of information, we are increasingly moving away from the true emotional effect of the content we encounter. These “intermediaries”, driven by algorithms, marketing strategies, and commercial interests, often dictate what we see, hear, and experience. [...] TERRITORIES represents the bold attempt to bypass these intermediaries and restore a direct connection between the audience and the medium. In doing so, we encourage visitors to explore, experiment, and marvel - an effective antidote to the passive consumption of information and art characteristic of the digital age. Last but not least [...] TERRITORIES is one of the rare spaces showcasing new media works in Vienna.

//HOW:

Most of the exhibited pieces come to life only through active audience interaction. For the duration of the exhibition Das LOT completely transforms into a dark labyrinth to be explored: reminiscent of a computer's main board, creating as many differing corners, and angles and perspectives for experiencing the artworks.

“[...] TERRITORIES” is a transdisciplinary exhibition with exclusively interactive artworks of a physical, performative and digital nature - with the aim of re-establishing the emotional connection between the audience and technology.

LUDIC & ARTIFICIAL:

Each edition has its own focus. Last year's edition focused on ludic art: “[LUDIC] TERRITORIES”, this year the focus is on artificial intelligence and is entitled: “[ARTIFICIAL] TERRITORIES”.

[ARTIFICIAL] TERRITORIES

Transmedia Exhibition - Connect and Play

“It's your fiction that interests me. Your studies of the interplay of human motives and emotion.” ― Isaac Asimov, I, Robot

Welcome to [ARTIFICIAL] TERRITORIES
– our interactive transmedia exhibition at Das LOT. Here, art meets science and new media sparks playful curiosity. You’re invited to become part of 12 interactive media-artworks created by 23 artists, which explore the use of artificial intelligence as a creative tool – playing, shaping and subverting it while raising critical questions. Connect and play to shape the future!

BUILDING ON [LUDIC] TERRITORIES
"When visiting an exhibition, you're often told not to touch the artworks. However, at [LUDIC] TERRITORIES, we were encouraged to interact with everything." This concept was the driving force behind the success of our first edition - transforming Das LOT into an engaging, playful environment where visitors became active co-creators of their experiences. This year, we are taking the concept a step further: [ARTIFICIAL] TERRITORIES retains its primary focus on playful engagement and participation. In addition, we are expanding the conversation to artworks that use AI at their core, critically exploring its implications and creative possibilities.

LET’S SHAPE AI
We recognize both the potential and the challenges posed by AI in art. While AI-generated works often draw on pre-existing artistic material, raising significant ethical and copyright concerns, we believe that AI can also democratize media art - making creative tools more accessible and empowering a broader range of voices. Alongside interactive artworks, we are extending our concept and inviting works that shape AI rather than letting AI shape art. We invite artists to reflect on these issues and present works that critique, embrace, or creatively misuse AI technologies.

EXPLORE INSTEAD OF VISIT

We invite you to step into Das LOT’s transformed space - a dark, immersive labyrinth resembling a motherboard, with hidden corners and shifting perspectives spread across two levels. In [ARTIFICIAL] TERRITORIES, art becomes an active experience rather than passive observation, an antidote to the digital age's passive consumption. Wander through the exhibition, take a look behind the curtains and up on the balcony, explore the installations, and engage with works that invite you to connect and play.