michael naimark
 
Ars Electronica t+25 Timeline
The 25th anniversary of Ars Electronica in 2004 was marked with the special theme "Timeshift: The World in 25 Years." As Symposium Guest Curator, two timelines were produced: one looking backward 25 years and the other looking forward 25 years.

The "t-25" timeline, designed as a physical exhibit spanning the length of the Brucknerhaus lobby, included a chronology of Ars Electronica as well as an extensive list of relevant global events relating to art, technology, and society (for which an international committee was assembled).

The "t+25" timeline was a web-based experiment in open and collective predictions. Year by year, from 2005 to 2029, anyone could enter any prediction, and anyone could vote on any prediction. The t+25 timeline was launched in August 2004 at Siggraph in Los Angeles and ran through the duration of the Ars Electronica Festival. On 7 September 2004, the final day of the Fesitval, t+25 was frozen. Five-hundred predictions were posted, with almost 18,000 votes.

The predictions experiment proved better than the voting experiment (largely due to the ability to get around the open voting protocol). As a result, students in the Interactive Media Division, USC Film School, collectively ranked the 500 predictions to select their top 10%. These "top 50" predictions represent a biased but provocative snapshot about the international "Ars" community hopes, fears, and dreams.