Kunstuniversität Linz

Salma Aly
Salma Aly (Cairo, Egypt) is an Artist and Designer, she received her Bachelor of Graphic Design degree from The American University of Cairo, Egypt. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in the Interface Cultures department at Kun­stu­ni­ver­sität Linz, Austria. Salma’s artistic exploration inves­ti­gates into a range of themes, with a strong focus on inves­ti­gat­ing tangible and intangible realms through Interactive Art. Her work explores the inter­sec­tion of Analog and Digital worlds, interfaces and tools making, and exploring themes like Culture & Identity, Senses & Emotions, Space & Immersion, Abstraction, as well as Glitch Art and Inter­ven­tion. Salma’s work has been exhibited in new media arts festival including Ars Electronica Festival and Cairotronica.

Alex Fallica
Alex Fallica (Lecce, Italy *1998) is a digital artist and artistic producer, currently attending the Interface Cultures MA at the Kun­stu­ni­ver­sität in Linz (AT) and col­lab­o­rat­ing, since 2021, with the Milan-based multimedia art studio, Tokonoma. Focusing on video art, AI, instal­la­tion and inter­ac­tiv­i­ty, their exper­i­men­tal research focuses on socio-anthro­po­log­i­cal aspects of human nature, with a profound interest in violence both as physical and psy­cho­log­i­cal phenomenon. Alex is also one part of the artistic and curatorial duo MAalex. Their latest exhibitions include Ars Electronica Festival 2023, Linz (AT), Speculum Artium Festival, Trbovlje (SLO), Pixxelpoint Festival 2023, Nova Gorica (SLO), Recto VRso 2024, Laval (FR).

Simon Hehl
Simon Hehl is an european artist, researcher and cultural mediator currently studying Time-based Media at the University of Arts Linz. Within his projects he tries to question different norms by rethinking the media regarding its form and content.

Martina Pizzigoni (She/​They)
Martina Pizzigoni (Italy, *1998) is a multimedia artist. They obtained a BA in New Media Art Tech­nolo­gies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, with a period of study at TU — Tech­no­log­i­cal University Dublin. In 2021, they graduated with an MA in Cultural Project management at the Università Cattolica and Politecnico di Milano. Their artistic practice focuses on the creation of interactive experiences, while the main interest of their research is the context in which we live, with the social and anthro­po­log­i­cal impli­ca­tions that char­ac­terise our digitally dominated society. They are currently attending the MA Interface Culture programme at the Kun­stu­ni­ver­sität Linz, (AT). They are part of the MAalex artistic and curatorial duo. Some of their latest exhibition include Ars Electronica Festival 2023, Linz (AT), Speculum Artium Festival, Trbovlje (SLO), Pixxelpoint Festival 2023, Nova Gorica (SLO) and Recto VRso Festival 2024, Laval (FR).

Sofia Talanti
Sofia Talanti is an Italian digital artist and 3D designer based in Linz, Austria. In 2018, they graduated in sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara and worked as an assistant for the artist Rob Voerman in the Netherlands. In 2019, they obtained a master’s degree in Exhibit Design at the Institute for Art and Restoration of Palazzo Spinelli in Florence. They are currently studying at the master Interface Cultures at the University of Art and Design in Linz. They recently par­tic­i­pat­ed in Ars Electronica Festival 2023, Linz, Austria and were shortlisted for the video category of the competition ​“Artefici del nostro Tempo” organized by the city of Venice. They exhibit in various digital programs and physical exhibitions in Italy and Europe: last exhibitions include Queer Pandemia, curated by Ultraqueer, Base, Milano — ReA! Art Fair, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milano — TALES, curated by MiDi Motori Digitali, Daste Bergamo.

Emma Silvana Tripaldi (she/​her)
Emma Silvana Tripaldi is an artist and visual designer from Florence (IT), based in Linz (AT). She holds a degree in Graphic Design and Multimedia and is currently a student in the Interface Cultures master program at Kun­stu­ni­ver­sität Linz. Her work spans digital media, sound and instal­la­tion art, to explore the inter­ac­tions and relations between humans, nature, and technology. Her work has been featured at Ars Electronica Festival (AT), Speculum Artium Festival (SI), and WIP Festival (CY).

Interface Cultures 
The Interface Cultures master programme at the University of Arts Linz teaches in the area of media/​digital art, interactive art, interface design and par­tic­i­pa­to­ry practices at the inter­sec­tion of art and design, technology and artistic research. Contents of the master programme are:

• Teaching on interactive art and interface technologies
• Research on cultural aspects of interface and interaction design
• Focus on current artistic devel­op­ments in the context of critical data and sustainable IT
• Support in conceptual and practical prototype development

In addition to method­olog­i­cal, conceptual and tech­no­log­i­cal com­pe­ten­cies, the master programme offers support for the development of independent artistic projects that are located between the physical and virtual worlds. Whether as an object, performance or immersive setting, students are accompanied from the artistic idea to the pre­sen­ta­tion and cooperation with various insti­tu­tions, inter­na­tion­al research partners and companies.

Kun­stu­ni­ver­sität Linz 
The University of Arts Linz is going to distinguish itself artis­ti­cal­ly, creatively and aca­d­e­m­i­cal­ly as a place of unre­strict­ed, brave and visionary thinking and a zone of critical exper­i­ment­ing. With the clear goal of qualitative and quan­ti­ta­tive growth, the university commits to four profile-defining points of focus: Con­tem­po­rary Art and Beyond, Postdigital Cultures, Sustainable and Critical Design, Trans­for­ma­tive Research and Education. These four points of focus are the further development of the previous three pillars of the University of Arts Linz’s profile. They accentuate the university’s high standards and its deter­mi­na­tion to act with an eye to the future and to adapt its contents and resources to meet the social/​societal, ecological and tech­no­log­i­cal challenges of glob­al­i­sa­tion and digital transformation.

Manuela Naveau
Univ. Prof. in Mag.a 
Manuela Naveau, PhD (*Linz/​AT) is a university professor, an independent curator and an art-based researcher. For almost 18 years she worked as head of Ars Electronica Export, curator and developed the Ars Electronica Export department together with Artistic Director Gerfried Stocker, which she led oper­a­tional­ly since its inception. Since 2020, Manuela Naveau has been a university professor for Critical Data at the Interface Cultures Department / Institute of Media at the University of Arts Linz, which she is heading since February 2023 and initiated the Critical Data Research Group since then. Previously, she has held teaching positions at the Paris Lodron University in Salzburg, the Danube University Krems among others and was invited as a guest­pro­fes­sor at the Technical University in Vienna (Future.Lab). Her monography ​„Crowd and Art – Kunst und Par­tizipa­tion im Internet“ was published by transcript Verlag, Germany. The book is based on her dis­ser­ta­tion, for which she received the Award of Excellence from the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy.