Deep Space 8K in China, Hangzhou
Opening of the second Deep Space 8K in China, Hangzhou | Photo: Ars Electronica / Michael Mondria
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| Science & Education

Linz deep space goes around the world

Deep Space, Ars Electronica (AE) Solutions,

Experience distant galaxies, famous buildings and paintings, interactive games in gigantic dimensions up close - what is known in this country from the Deep Space 8K in the Ars Electronica Centre is booming around the globe.

There are already projection rooms "made in Linz" in China, Mexico, Croatia and Switzerland, and more are being built.

"These are not 1:1 copies, deep space is basically so flexible as a technology that it adapts," explains Michael Mondria, Managing Director of Ars Electronica (AE) Solutions, in an interview with APA and emphasises that 8K resolution on 16 by nine metres in 3D at 120 hertz, as in Linz, is "still not very common in the world".

"I started exporting in Mexico in 2020. We won the Gold Export Prize from the Chamber of Commerce for it, which was of course a great thing for us as a cultural organisation." Further realisations are planned in Oulu, Finland, for the Capital of Culture 2026, in Hungary, in Munich and "we are in talks with the USA, which are already very detailed, and basically still in Asia outside of China," says Mondria.

Cultural heritage as a "super exciting" topic in China

A new complex is being opened in Hangzhou, the second in China. Customers are often science centres, where - as in the Ars Electronica Center and the JKU MedSpace in Linz - an educational mission is fulfilled. In China, the focus is more on entertainment, with "cultural heritage" being a "super exciting topic", "especially for Asia, where we bring cultural heritage from the western world".

On the other hand, there is an incredible treasure trove of cultural heritage in China. In Hangzhou, an 8,000-year-old civilisation, whose excavation sites were shown for the first time two years ago, is to be made accessible to the people, the governor of the province told him, according to Mondria.

Sustainable "travelling" thanks to technology

Sustainability also plays a role in the immersive worlds of experience. There is a great need for such "spaces that offer some form of emotional, social way for people to experience content", partly because travelling and experiencing these things in a different way is becoming increasingly difficult. AE Solutions offers a long-term partnership, builds the deep spaces on site, trains the operators and delivers content generated in Linz or by partners, or helps to develop content.

Different requirements

Mondria particularly likes "this cultural exchange" because "people in China may have completely different requirements for such immersive experiences than in South America, America or Europe". In China, it is an "absolute no-go" for children to simply sit on the floor, as is customary in Linz. Seat cushions are now handed out there. Other concepts are also necessary in some cases, because in China Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper" is not a household name as it is in Europe; more mediation is needed.

Eight projectors for 720,000 euros

In Switzerland, a private company purchased a deep space "for special purposes, for company presentations and for business". An expensive investment, considering that one of the eight projectors alone costs 90,000 euros.

AE Solutions generates around 15 to 20 per cent of its annual turnover of 3.5 to four million euros with Deep Spaces. In the coming years, it should be "closer to 40 per cent", according to Mondria, who emphasised that Solutions is the only operational business area within Ars Electronica that does not receive any funding. Exhibition infrastructures such as the Expo Pavilion 2020 and museums such as the Samurai Museum in Berlin are also being realised.

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