Erich Berger, Mag. Phil.
born 1969 in Austria, works and lives in Helsinki/Finland
Erich Berger is a visual artist and trained as a communication engineer and in philosophy.
He has produced interactive art installations, artistic wearable interfaces, audiovisual
performances and sound-art, which have been shown internationally since the mid 90ties.
He also works as educator, curator, content developer and facilitator, focusing on the
intersection of art, technology and science.
Research interests include telerobotics and telematically mediated environments,
interactive participatory spaces, sonification and visualisation of real-time processes with
related questions in composition, semiotics and linguistics, generative processes,
feedback situations and autopoietic systems.
His research engages with hybrid space, deep time processes, biology and ecology and involves
the facilitation of interdisciplinary environments for working and learning. His research also
includes close cooperation with international partners within the arts and sciences.
Studies
1998-2004 Philosophy, University of Vienna, Austria
1990-1996 Mechatronics, University of Linz, Austria
1984-1989 Communication Engineering, HTL Steyr, Austria
Activities
2010- Director of the Finnish Bioart Society, Finland
2009- Lecturer, University of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria
2007-2009 Chief Curator at LABoral, Center for Art and Creative Industries Gijon, Spain
2006 "Interface & Society", Artistic Director, Atelier Nord Oslo, Norway
2004,2005 "Making Sense", Physical Computing for Artists at Atelier Nord Oslo, Norway
1999-2002 Researcher and Knowledgemanagement at "Ideal Communications" Vienna, Austria
1998,1999 Technical Director of the Ars Electronica Festival Linz, Austria
1996-1999 Working at the Ars Electronica Center Futurelab Linz, Austria
Awards
2010 File Prix Sao Paulo, Second Prize for Heartchamberorchestra
2010 VIDA 13.0 Art and Artificial Life International Awards, Special Mention for Heartchamberorchestra
2010 Prix Ars Electronica, Honorary Mention for Heartchamberorchestra
2009 Prix Ars Electronica, Honorary Mention for Climatescope
2007 Laboral Centro de Arte, Labcyberspaces
2002 VIDA 5.0 Art and Artificial Life international Competition, Honorary Mention for "Spinne"
2002 Intermedium2 Award, Bawarian Broadcasting Station / ZKM for "a sophisticated soiree"
2000 Prix Ars Electronica, Award of Distinction for "Telezone"
Exhibitions
2014 Fields, Riga (LV)
2013 Transitio Festival, Mexico City (MX)
2013 Super-Connect, National Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei (TW)
2012 Künstlerhaus Friese, Hamburg (DE)
2012 Aalto University, Helsinki (FI)
2011 Museumsquartier, Wien (AT)
2010 Ars Electronica Festival, Linz (AT)
2009 80+1, Ars Electronica, Linz (AT)
2009 Wearable technology, NIMK, Amsterdam (NL)
2009 Ich Maschine, Edith Russ Haus fuer Medienkunst, Oldenburg (DE)
2008 WAVES, Hartware MedienKunstvereein, Dortmund (DE)
2007 (in)visible sounds, Netherlands Media Art Institute, Amsterdam (Nl)
2007 Enter3 Exhibition, Prague (CZ)
2007 LAB_Cyberspaces, Laboral, Gijon (ES)
2007 Digitally Yours, Turku (FI)
2007 Mobile Journey, 52.nd Venice Biennale (IT)
2006 ARCO06, Madrid (ES)
2006 Zemos98, Sevilla (ES)
2006 WAVES, RIGA (LV)
2006 Matchmaking06, Trondheim (NO)
2005 11th IFCA, Maribor, (SLO)
2005 Ars Electronica Festival, Linz (AT)
2004 Kunstnerenshus Oslo, (NO)
2004 ISEA2004 Museum of Applied Arts Tallin (EST)
2004 ARS ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL 2004, Linz (AT)
2004 PD-Convention, Graz (AT)
2004 NuMusic Festival, Stavanger (NO)
2004 Pinklight, Museumsquartier Vienna (AT)
2004 Tronddelag Senter for Samtidskunst, Trondheim (NO)
2003 Russian Museum, Marble Palace, St. Petersburg (RU)
2003 Galleria Otso, Espoo (FI)
2002 Sonarmatica at Sonar Festival, Barcelona (ES)
2002 Electrohype Festival, Malmoe (SE)
2000 San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco California (USA)
2000 Art Center College of Design, Pasadena California (USA)
2000 Austin Museum of Art, Austin Texas (USA)
2000 Atlanta College of Art Gallery, Atlanta Georgia (USA)
1999 - 2003 permanent installation at the Ars Electronica Center Linz (AT)
1998 Global Village, Vienna (AT)
1997 Ars Electronica Festival Linz (AT)
Audio-visual performances
2012 Media Archaeology Festival Houston (USA)
2012 Aalto University Helsinki (FI)
2011 ElectroniK, Rennes (FR)
2011 Centro dos de Majo, Madrid (ES)
2011 Mehrkanal, Linz (AT)
2010 Centro Parraga, Murcia (ES)
2010 File Festival, Sao Paulo (BR)
2010 Pixelache, Helsinki (FI)
2009 Steirischer Herbst, Graz (NL)
2009 Todaysart, Den Haag, (NL)
2006 Trondheim Matchmaking (NO)
2006 Sound of Mu, Oslo (NO)
2006 STWST, Linz (AT)
2006 Postgarage, Graz (AT)
2006 Mal au Pixel, Paris (FR)
2006 XXXXX ICA, London (GB)
2006 Sterischer Herbst, Graz (AT)
2005 GeneratorX, Oslo (NO)
2005 Another Happy Day, Oslo (NO)
2005 Pixelached05, Helsinki (FI)
2005 CRASH ICA, London (GB)
2005 Piksel05, Oslo (NO)
2005 Spazibar, Oslo (NO)
2005 Spazibar Oslo (NO)
2004 Chateu Neuf, Oslo (NO)
2004 Musikkafeen, Aarhus (DK)
2004 Piksel04, Bergen (NO)
2004 Kunstforeningen, Trondheim (NO)
2004 Dans vor Voksne, Oslo (NO)
2004 Pinklight, Museumsquartier Vienna (A)
2003 dotcoma, Helsinki (FI)
2003 Waino Aaltosen Museo, Turku (Fi)
2003 The Nursery/Fylkingen, Stockholm (SE)
2003 Tue Scene, Stavanger (NO)
2003 Avantgarden, Trondheim (NO)
2003 KYE, Oslo (NO)
2003 Piksel03, Bergen (NO)
2002 Wien Modern, Vienna (AT)
2002 Berliner Festspiele Maerzmusik Berlin (DE)
2002 Intermedium Bavarian Broadcasting Station + ZKM Karlsruhe (DE)
2001 Ars Electronica Festival Linz (AT)
2001 Musikprotocoll Steirischer HerbstGraz (AT)
2001 Potsdam/Berlin (DE)
Workshops/Lectures/Presentations/Panels
2014 Helsinki University, lecture (FI)
2013 Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, presentation, (FI
2012 Theatre Academy Helsinki, group advisor, (FI)
2012 Aalto University, lecture Helsinki (FI)
2012 University of Applied Art Vienna Digitale Klasse, lecture, (AT)
2011 Rixc, lecture, Riga (LV)
2010 M-Cult, workshop, Helsinki (FI)
2010 Sibeliusakatemie, presentation, Helsinki (FI)
2010 Kuvataide Akatemia, lecture, Helsinki (FI)
2010 Academy of Fine Art, lecture, Vienna (AT)
2009 Superhuman, curatorial masterclass, Melbourne (AUS)
2009 Kuvataide Akatemia, lecture, Helsinki (FI)
2009 Univ. for Music and Performing Arts, workshop, Vienna (AT)
2009 Univ. Applied Art, Transmediale Klasse, workshop, Vienna (AT)
2009 Univ. Applied Art, Transmediale Klasse, workshop, Graz (AT)
2008 Ars Electronica, lecture, Linz (AT)
2008 Art Futura, lecture, Barcelona (ES)
2008 LOOP 08, round table, Barcelona (ES)
2008 Sonar, presentation, Barcelona (ES)
2007 Atelier Nord, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2006 Atelier Nord, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2006 Atelier Nord, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2006 Mal au pixel, workshop, Paris (FR)
2006 Atelier Nord, I&S workshop, Oslo (NO)
2006 Servus.at, workshop, Linz (AT)
2006 Atelier Nord, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2005 GeneratorX, lecture, Oslo (NO)
2005 Atelier Nord, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2005 Kunst- og designhøgskolen i Bergen, workshop, Bergen (NO)
2005 Atelier Nord, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2005 Atelier Nord, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2005 Academy for Media Arts Cologne, workshop, Cologne (DE)
2004 Trondheim Electronic Art Center, lecture, Trondheim (NO)
2004 Atelier, lecture, Oslo (NO)
2004 Trondheim Electronic Art Center, workshop, Trondheim (NO)
2004 Atelier Nord, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2004 Turku Artschool Mediadepartment, workshop, Turku (FI)
2004 Atelier Nord, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2004 University of Art, presentation, Trondheim (NO)
2004 Atelier Nord, lecture, Oslo (NO)
2003 Atelier Nord, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2003 Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2003 University of Art & Design / Medialab, presentation, Helsinki (FI)
2003 Turku Artschool Mediadepartment, presentation, Turku (FI)
2002 Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo, workshop, Oslo (NO)
2002 University if Applied Arts, presentation, Vienna (AT)
2002 University of Art & Design, presentation, Helsinki (FI)
2001 Steirischer Herbst, panel, Graz (AT)
2000 Siggraph, presentation, New Orleans (USA)
2000 Prix Ars Electronica Forum, presentation, Linz (AT)
1999 Ars Electronica, presentation, Linz (AT)
1999 Institute for Artificial Intelligence University, lecture, Vienna (AT)
1999 Synworld Public Netbase, presentation, Vienna (AT)
1998 Global Village, panel, Vienna (AT)
Residencies
2003 Studiosupport - KIASMA Museum / Helsinki, Finland
1997 Ars Electronica Center -Futurelab / Linz, Austria
Grants
2013 Kone Foundation, Finland
2012 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, BMUKK/Medienkunst Austria
2011 BMUKK/Medienkunst Austria
2010 BMUKK/Medienkunst Austria
2010 AVEK Finland
2010 TKT Finland
2007 BMUKK/Medienkunst Austria
2006 Kulturrad Norway Fond for lyd og bilde
2006 Trondheim Kommune
2006 Sor Trondelags Fylkeskommune
2005 Kulturrad Norway Knyt
2005 OCA Travel Grant
2005 Atelier Nord Project Grant
2004 Sleipnir/NIFCA
2003 Kulturrad Norway Knyt
2003 Sleipnir/NIFCA
2002 .KUNST Bundeskanzleramt Austria
2002 AVEK (Audio Visual Art Center) Finland
2002 Central Art Comission of Finland
Selected publications
Beloff, L., Berger, E., Haapoja, T. (editors) (2013), From Landscape to Laboratory, Helsinki, The Finnish Society of Bioart
Votava, P. and Berger, E. (2012) The Heart Chamber Orchestra: An Audio-visual real-time performance for chamber orchestra based on heartbeats, in eContact! 14.2 Biotechnological Performance Practice, Montreal, http://cec.sonus.ca/econtact/14_2/index.html (last accessed 24.4.2013)
Berger, E. (2008) Shaping the World, in NOWHERE/NOW/HERE, Gijon, LABoral Centre for Art and Industrial Creation
Berger,E. (2008) Locating play in contemporary culture and society, in
HOMO LUDENS LUDENS, Gijon, LABoral Centre for Art and Industrial Creation
Berger, E. (2007) The art of implication, in EMERGENTES, Gijon, LABoral Centre for Art and Industrial Creation
Berger, E. (2007) Art as prototyping, in PLAYWARE, Gijon, LABoral Centre for Art and Industrial Creation
Berger, E. (2006) TEMPEST in Acoustic.Space #6, Latvia, RIXC
Berger, E. (2004) SEVENMILEBOOTS in Ars Electronica 2004, Ostfildern, Hatje Cantz
Berger, E. (2000) TELEZONE in Cyberarts 2000, Wien, Springer
Berger, E. (1997) Cyborg Detector, in Ars Electronica 1997, Wien, Springer