In with the New.

THE ORGANIZERS OF THIS YEAR'S Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria, which takes place the first week of this month, seem untroubled by the deflating dot-com bubble; indeed, they are embracing what might be a "transitional" period for new media. By inviting unknowns rather than the usual suspects, they hope to regain the pioneering spirit of the event, conceived in 1979 as a summit for scientists, artists, and engineers to compare notes on emerging technologies.

In the past, the festival has showcased a number of established artists in the field--like Jim Campbell, who's slated for a solo show at MoMA's new Queens outpost next year--but this time the "new" in new media will prevail. "When the avant-garde is integrated into museums, this signifies a total loss of revolutionary and experimental power," says Gerfried Stocker, artistic director of Ars Electronica 2001. "While it's wonderful that 'new media' is getting recognized by brand-name institutions"--with two major museum shows this year in the US alone--"we can't forget that its function is to serve as a tool for innovation."

The event's title, "Takeover: Who's Doing the Art of Tomorrow?" alludes to corporate takeovers, which Stocker sees as metaphors for the technology industry's dominance in mainstream culture. (Could any artist today attain the name recognition of Bill Gates?) The subtitle refers to the roster of as-yet-unfamiliar artists, such as Japan's Haruki Nishijima, who, in his installation Remain in Light, 2001, transforms electrical waves from cell phones and radio broadcasts into colorful digital lights and buzzing sounds. Today's new media, tomorrow's art.