On the other hand, all of the art performances were a lot of fun.

‘The File Cabinet Project’ by Istvan Kantor created a strange atmosphere for the whole space of Brucknerhaus, using the huge file cabinet as a metaphor of virtual sex. ‘Sperm Race‘ developed in the center of the Linz Square, Austria, and ‘D.A.V.E.’ showed us the new possibility and beauty of body expressions using a dancer as a screen. These radical and completed performances were gathered at this year’s festival and they carried the audience with them from the beginning to end.

The thematic event ‘Sperm Race’ focused on the problem of decreasing human sperm counts that are on the increase and aimed to choose the strongest sperm in the world. It’s a gambling event where the female visitors place a bet on their personal favorite. ‘Bug Race’ was held last year based on the theme ‘Life Science’ to choose the most fastest cockroach in the world and this year’s nomination was a sperm. Both races were organized by a local casino in Linz and it was developed as a legal gambling event.
The ‘Sperm Race’ was held in the center of the Square with enlarged visuals from a microscope, and it was really amazing to see someone shouting ‘sperm!’ ‘sperm!’ repeatedly through a microphone.

The winner of the first day was a British sperm. It was not popular and was rated highly because it was a foreign sperm. The most popular sperm of the second day was the sperm called ‘Sportsman’. However, only 1% of people bet on the eventual winner. The theme itself was no more than a satire, but the audience fully enjoyed themselves. I found a great possibility that these fun and interesting events could change electronic art into something that everybody could admire.