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Paraflows

Digital art festival in Vienna, Austria

paraflows, stylised in lower case, is a festival and platform for digital art and digital cultures in Vienna, Austria. Held since 2006, it presents exhibitions, symposia, concerts, film programmes and other events dealing with media art, net culture, digital society and the cultural effects of networked technologies. In recent years, its programme has prominently included RE_COMPOSED, a concert series for contemporary music in a digital context.

Paraflows

paraflows, stylised in lower case, is a festival and platform for digital art and digital cultures in Vienna, Austria. Held since 2006, it presents exhibitions, symposia, concerts, film programmes and other events dealing with media art, net culture, digital society and the cultural effects of networked technologies.[1][2][3] In recent years, its programme has prominently included RE_COMPOSED, a concert series for contemporary music in a digital context.[4][5]

History

paraflows began in Vienna in 2006 as a festival for digital art and culture in the wake of the netznetz public net art funding process.[2] The first edition, paraflows 06, was discussed by the contemporary art magazine springerin under the title "Neben, über, drüber und doch ziemlich verstrickt". The article described the festival as a new annual convention for digital art and cultures in Vienna and noted that the edition focused on "Netze hinter dem Netz".[1]

The second edition, paraflows 07, took place in 2007 under the title Un_Space. ORF Wien described it as a festival for digital art and cultures and reported that it focused on invisible, inaccessible and immaterial spaces. The programme was held at the MAK Gegenwartskunstdepot / Gefechtsturm Arenbergpark and included 36 positions in media and net art, as well as a symposium and additional events. ORF Wien also reported that the festival aimed to establish itself between Ars Electronica in Linz and steirischer herbst in Graz, while focusing on local Viennese net cultures.[6]

In 2008, the third edition, Utopia, took place at the MAK Gegenwartskunstdepot in the Arenbergpark flak tower. Die Presse described the festival as a "progressive kleine Ideenbaustelle" situated between Ars Electronica and steirischer herbst.[7] The exhibition and curatorial framing of Utopia were also discussed in KUNSTFORUM International in an interview by Ursula Maria Probst with curator Judith Fegerl.[8]

The fifth edition, Mind and Matter, was held in 2010 at the Künstlerhaus Wien. Die Presse described the edition as a reflection on digital culture, the relationship between humans and computers, and the question of whether hardware and software can be considered separately.[9]

Later editions included Reverse Engineering in 2012 and Open Culture in 2013. The 2012 edition included an exhibition, symposium, film programme and concert series.[3] The 2013 edition focused on open access to technology, culture and information and was hosted by the Kunstverein das weisse haus.[10] In later years, the festival programme included projects such as Protestformen and the recurring concert series RE_COMPOSED.[11][4]

Programme

The festival combines exhibitions with discursive and performative formats. Its programme has included symposia, concerts, screenings and public events. Recurring topics include digital art, media art, net culture, open culture, public space, privacy, software, information politics and the social effects of digital technologies.[3][10]

The 2012 edition, Reverse Engineering, was structured around the idea of analysing existing systems in order to reveal, reinterpret or rebuild them. FM4 reported that the edition consisted of an exhibition, symposium, film programme and concert series, with the symposium divided into the phases "Open", "Dissect" and "Rebuild".[3]

The 2013 edition, Open Culture, dealt with open access to technology, culture and information. Ö1 reported that the programme included an exhibition, a multi-day symposium and the concert series re-composed.[10]

In recent years, paraflows has prominently included RE_COMPOSED, a concert series for contemporary music in a digital context. The festival's website describes the series as presenting contemporary composers whose works address the question of composing in a digital world.[12] The 2023 edition of RE_COMPOSED took place at echoraum in Vienna and was described as the 13th edition of re_composed.[5] The 2025 edition took place at Kunsttankstelle Ottakring and was described as the 15th edition of re_composed.[4]

The 2021 edition, Protestformen, dealt with political resistance as artistic practice and included an exhibition, artist statements, walks, radio work and a symposium.[11][13]

Publications

Publications have accompanied several editions of paraflows. The festival has published essays, catalogues and edited volumes on topics connected to digital culture, media art, public space and cultural activism. basis wien lists several paraflows-related publications, including Open Culture (2013), Intimacy (2014), Identity (2016), Digitale Kunst – Neue Wege des Ausstellens (2016) and Protestformen: Widerstand als kulturelle Praxis (2023).[2] The edited volume Protestformen: Widerstand als kulturelle Praxis was published by edition mono / monochrom in 2023 and is listed by the University of Vienna's research portal as a peer-reviewed edited volume.[14]

Organisation

Günther Friesinger is the festival director, and Judith Fegerl is the main curator.[2]

Reception

paraflows has been covered by Austrian public media and cultural publications including ORF Wien, Ö1, FM4, Die Presse, KUNSTFORUM International and springerin.[1][6][7][9][3][10][8] basis wien also lists further coverage of individual editions in Der Standard, Wiener Zeitung, Kurier and the Austria Presse Agentur.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Benzer, Christa (2006). "Neben, über, drüber und doch ziemlich verstrickt". springerin (in German). No. 4. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "paraflows - Festival für Digitale Kunst und Kulturen". basis wien (in German). Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Paraflows 7: Reverse Engineering". FM4 / ORF (in German). 12 September 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "re_composed 2025". paraflows (in German). Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 "re_composed 2023". paraflows (in German). Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Auf der Suche nach "Unorten"". ORF Wien (in German). 13 September 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 Huber, Christoph (11 September 2008). "Utopia im Flakturm: Der Roboter mixt Cocktails". Die Presse (in German). Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  8. 1 2 Probst, Ursula Maria (2009). "Utopien der Netzkunst". KUNSTFORUM International (in German). Vol. 196. pp. 394–397. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 ""Mind and Matter": Der Geist der Maschine". Die Presse (in German). 15 July 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2026 – via basis wien.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Paraflows". Ö1 / ORF (in German). 12 September 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  11. 1 2 "paraflows 2021". paraflows (in German). Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "re_composed 2022". paraflows (in German). Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Symposium P R O T E S TFormen - Die umkämpfte Stadt". paraflows (in German). Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "Protestformen: Widerstand als kulturelle Praxis". u:cris-Portal, University of Vienna (in German). 15 January 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2026.