About

From 18th to 21nd March, the third edition of the media arts festival DIGITAL SPRING is taking place. This year’s festival motto is STAND BY. This does not just refer to the standby modes of electronic devices – neither on, nor off, but always ready. It also raises socio-political connotations and questions.

STAND BY describes the economy of attention of users of digital media and social networks in terms of a permanent standby mode. STAND BY tells of a changing political sphere of action, from which we are not absent, but never present either. STAND BY represents the ‘sleeping’ technological devices, which still use considerable processing power without their user’s knowledge. STAND BY deals with an almost passive human subject facing the complexity and rapidity of technological progress. STAND BY questions the value of human work in a time of digital capitalism.

The festival presents eleven interdisciplinary pieces, somewhere between installation and performance, interaction and boredom, dialogue and immersion. DIGITAL SPRING 2020 – STAND BY is hosted by ARGEkultur, subnet (platform for media-art and experimental technology), and the Center for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) of Paris Lodron University Salzburg in cooperation with Salzburger Kunstverein, Artspace Fünfzigzwanzig and FS1.tv.