Welcome at the Interface Culture program website.
Acting as creative artists and researchers, students learn how to advance the state of the art of current interface technologies and applications. Through interdisciplinary research and team work, they also develop new aspects of interface design including its cultural and social applications. The themes elaborated under the Master's programme in relation to interactive technologies include Interactive Environments, Interactive Art, Ubiquitous Computing, game design, VR and MR environments, Sound Art, Media Art, Web-Art, Software Art, HCI research and interaction design.
The Interface Culture program at the Linz University of Arts Department of Media was founded in 2004 by Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau. The program teaches students of human-machine interaction to develop innovative interfaces that harness new interface technologies at the confluence of art, research, application and design, and to investigate the cultural and social possibilities of implementing them.
The term "interface" is omnipresent nowadays. Basically, it describes an intersection or linkage between different computer systems that makes use of hardware components and software programs to enable the exchange and transmission of digital information via communications protocols.
However, an interface also describes the hook-up between human and machine, whereby the human qua user undertakes interaction as a means of operating and influencing the software and hardware components of a digital system. An interface thus enables human beings to communicate with digital technologies as well as to generate, receive and exchange data. Examples of interfaces in very widespread use are the mouse-keyboard interface and graphical user interfaces (i.e. desktop metaphors). In recent years, though, we have witnessed rapid developments in the direction of more intuitive and more seamless interface designs; the fields of research that have emerged include ubiquitous computing, intelligent environments, tangible user interfaces, auditory interfaces, VR-based and MR-based interaction, multi-modal interaction (camera-based interaction, voice-driven interaction, gesture-based interaction), robotic interfaces, natural interfaces and artistic and metaphoric interfaces.
Artists in the field of interactive art have been conducting research on human-machine interaction for a number of years now. By means of artistic, intuitive, conceptual, social and critical forms of interaction design, they have shown how digital processes can become essential elements of the artistic process.
Ars Electronica and in particular the Prix Ars Electronica's Interactive Art category launched in 1991 has had a powerful impact on this dialog and played an active role in promoting ongoing development in this field of research.
The Interface Cultures program is based upon this know-how. It is an artistic-scientific course of study to give budding media artists and media theoreticians solid training in creative and innovative interface design. Artistic design in these areas includes interactive art, netart, software art, robotic art, soundart, noiseart, games & storytelling and mobile art, as well as new hybrid fields like genetic art, bioart, spaceart and nanoart.
It is precisely this combination of technical know-how, interdisciplinary research and a creative artistic-scientific approach to a task that makes it possible to develop new, creative interfaces that engender progressive and innovative artistic-creative applications for media art, media design, media research and communication.
PHD KOLLOQUIUM SoSe 2026
19. bis 20. Mai 2026 Kunstuniversität Linz, Domgasse 1, Audimax
PhD-Kandidat*innen präsentieren ihre Arbeiten und laden zur Diskussion.
Das PhD-Kolloquium findet einmal im Semester statt und stellt einen Knotenpunkt im PhD-Programm der Kunstuniversität Linz dar: PhD-Kandidat*innen bekommen die Gelegenheit, ihre Arbeit Kolleginnen und Kollegen in einem öffentlichen Forum zu präsentieren. Darüber hinaus ist es ein wichtiges inhaltliches und soziales Austauschformat. Es bietet Gelegenheit, andere PhDs und Kolleg*innen aus dem Haus kennenzulernen, über Berufliches, Forschendes und Privates zu reden. Wir unterstützen dies mit der Bereitstellung von Getränken und Essen. Es wird erwartet, dass alle PhD-Kandidat*innen an der Veranstaltung teilnehmen!
Call #1: PhD Poster Presentation (May 19, 4.00 p.m.)
PhD candidates of the University of Arts Linz are invited to submit a poster presentation of their PhD project. The Poster Session forms the opening of the colloquium and enables informal yet focused discussions on all scientific and artistic aspects of the PhD. Candidates may visualise the entire project or highlight a specific element that benefits from external input. The poster format encourages dialogue in a relaxed setting and supports cross-disciplinary exchange. Alternative visual or spatial formats are welcome, but must be organised independently and are the responsibility of the candidate.
Candidates are responsible for printing their posters. The physical poster (recommended size: A2) must arrive at the PhD Office by 19 May, 10:00.
The poster presentation counts as an official presentation requirement within the PhD programme.
Each PhD candidate is expected to briefly introduce their poster (approx. 10 minutes) and engage in discussions with colleagues and visitors.
Call #2: PhD Presentation (May 20)
PhD candidates of the University of Arts Linz are invited to submit a presentation of their PhD project. The Colloquium enables in-depth discussion of all scientific and artistic aspects of the PhD. You may present the entire project or focus on one specific aspect, depending on where feedback is most needed. Various formats are possible (e.g. lecture, performance, experimental formats). Alternative formats outside the Audimax are welcome, but must be organised independently and under the candidate’s own responsibility.
Each PhD candidate is allocated a 40-minute slot: 20 minutes presentation + 20 minutes discussion.
Submission documents
Submissions may be made in German or English. You may present in the language you commonly use in your academic work. Posters should preferably be designed in English to ensure broad accessibility.
Please submit:
- Name, title of the PhD project, name(s) of the supervisor(s), start of the PhD project, expected end of the PhD project
- Input: title, language (German or English), format of the presentation, abstract (max. 1 page), possibly 1-2 images (min. 300 dpi, indication of image rights)
If accepted, the submission documents will also be used for the accompanying PR material for the colloquium.
Deadline
February 16, 2026, 11.00 a.m.
Please submit all documents by February 16, 2026, 11.00 a.m. via the submission platform calls.
You will receive a confirmation email within two weeks. If you do not receive it, please get in touch.
Save the Date
If other PhD-related events take place at the University of Arts Linz between May 18 to May 22, 2026, please register them at phd.office@kunstuni-linz.at so they can be advertised.
