AREA[404] Round Table N2 – “The Collective Exit: A De-Google Workshop”

After getting to Naubaugasse 40a, there is a bell for Medienwerkstatt Wien when pressed, the doors open automatically. Once you are in the inner yard, just continue walking to the second door, which also with a bell and an automatic ring. You will see the flag of SHIFT there and posters to lead your way.  The space itself is on the second floor.

About Medienwerkstatt Wien

The Medienwerkstatt Wien was founded in 1978 as a non-commercial video studio. By the early 1980s, it had become Austria’s most important center for independent media production through the implementation of several participatory media projects. It is thus one of the longest-standing models operating as an artist collective, reflecting, communicating, and contributing to the continuous development of media art in both technological and theoretical areas. Initially, it primarily provided a technical infrastructure that enabled artists to work continuously at a professional level. Today, it is a comprehensive educational concept that ensures continuous discourse in the field of media art. The regular event program bridges the gap between production and discourse, making it one of the few places in Austria where the exchange of media theory and practice is made publicly visible.The second important area in this context is the long-term archiving and distribution activities in the field of independent media production. With the publication of Video Edition Austria since 1993, the Vienna Media Workshop has created a continually expanding compendium of Austrian media art and documentation, allowing for collecting, research, and, above all, making Austrian video art history accessible. Many of these works are being restored and made available online.With its approach based on an innovative modular system, organized on a project-by-project basis, the Vienna Media Workshop has become a recognized model in the international film and video scene. The keen interest shown by a young generation of media artists in the work of the Vienna Media Workshop demonstrates that a center where production, mediation, and archiving are carried out in parallel enables the greatest possible synergy in cultural revenue.