From the outset, the Ars Electronica Festival and symposium have brought together experts in the sciences, philosophy, sociology, and art to debate and to encounter the rich possibilities of computers as fundamental to the future -- of art and no less of culture itself.

The vivid evolution of the works thus presented (artistic, historical, and theoretical) is documented in a series of publications that stand as crucial to any clear understanding of media art. Drawing on the abundant and inventive resources of the publications and archive, Ars Electronica: Facing the Future brings together many of the essential contributions that form the core of a contemporary art long dismissed as too technical or inaccessible.

Timothy Druckrey, an independent curator and writer, coedited Culture on the Brink: Ideologies of Technology and edited Iterations: The New Image and Electronic Culture: Technology and Visual Representation. He lectures internationally on the social impact of digital media, the transformations of representation, and communication in interactive and networked environments.