MARS Exploratory Media Lab, Frauenhofer Institute for Media Communication
MARS is an experimental research laboratory, in which interdisciplinary teams of architects, artists, designers, computer scientists, art and media scientists are developing tools for the art of tomorrow, are concerned with life in a networked society (living in mixed realities), and are designing future models of networked knowledge and communication spaces. Their objective is to make artistic strategies for developing media technology productive and to promote media-technological skills in art, culture and education.
The lab's research projects, productions and products originate at the interface between interactivity, interface design and interface development, and investigate strategies for combining real and virtual space. A main focus of the lab's activities is on developing hardware and software within the context of artistic projects. The MARS exploratory media lab collaborates continually on interdisciplinary and international projects. The results of these projects are presented regularly to the public at conferences, exhibitions and workshops. In this way a wide audience gains access to advanced forms of art: interactive installations, mixed-reality systems and art on the Internet.
MARS was founded in 1997 by » and » Wolfgang Strauss at the former GMD Information Technology Research Centre - today the » Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (IAIS). With its focus on integrating IT research and media art, the MARS research group is unique in Germany.