Post City, the former Austrian Postal Service logistics facility at Linz’s downtown train station and the main location of this year’s Ars Electronica Festival, isn’t a likely setting for tender plants. The austere, grey halls have a hard-core industrial look; lush greenery doesn’t come to mind.
Not far away, and a few meters higher above sea level than the Festival location, are the Linz City Gardens. Situated on an idyllic spot overlooking the Danube, colorful blossoms proliferate in the greenhouses and small trees dot the slopes. The plants that start out life here normally end up decorating such urban infrastructure as islands amidst traffic circles and beds in public parks. This year, they’ll be adding swatches of color to Post City too.
Over 50,000 plants are being cultivated here at the moment, right on schedule for full bloom in early September in the decommissioned postal distribution center. The large conference hall will be setting for 36,000 of them, a floral tribute to the refugees who were temporarily quartered here over the past year. Master gardener Erwin Reichör gave us a tour of the facility and showed us the seedlings we’ll soon be admiring at Post City.
Credit: Vanessa Graf
Before the seeds can be planted, the containers are filled with potting soil. That job is the specialty of this machine.
Credit: Vanessa Graf
The next step is to distribute the flower seeds into the various compartments, and there’s a practical gadget to do this job too. Each tube brings seeds into their own slot.
Credit: Vanessa Graf
The seedlings for the 2016 Ars Electronica Festival are still tiny …
Credit: Vanessa Graf
… but in September they’ll be this high. And bear colorful flowers.
Credit: Vanessa Graf
The young plants grow quickly! The back row was sowed only a week before the ones in front, but they’re already almost twice as big
Credit: Vanessa Graf
Herr Reichör takes good care of his plants. Here, he’s examining a few of the 2,500 Helichrysum Italicum—better known as the curry plant—being raised for the Festival.
Credit: Vanessa Graf
The plants being watered here also provide a foodstuff that quite a few of us are familiar with: Ipomoea Batatas, sweet potato.
Credit: Vanessa Graf
About 100 of these hanging bean plants will add lots of greenery to this year’s Festival venue.
Credit: Vanessa Graf
Planting the seedlings entails the most labor. During the ensuing weeks, they take their time growing; nevertheless, regular inspection tours are a must.
Credit: Vanessa Graf
What lovely hues will emerge from these buds?
To find out, visit Ars Electronica! The media art festival will be held September 8-12 at various locations in Linz. The 2016 theme is “RADICAL ATOMS and the alchemists of our time.” Once again this year, the main venue is Post City located next to Linz’s main train station. To find out more, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Co., subscribe to our newsletter, and check out https://ars.electronica.art/radicalatoms/en/.