Austria can be best described as a No-Scene-Zone. Many people trying
hard to get projects going (some of them are quite good), but overall not much
happens here, especially nothing that could be called a "scene." People
quarrel and generally give each other a hard time (the main issues being
misunderstood "political (un)correctness", money and career strategies,)
flaming was quite envogue some months ago
(http://www.digit-ALL.or.at/digit-ALL/). And it's hard to get everybody
together to collaborate.

Anyway, check out these servers for an overview of what's happening:

For some chic macho-fun try this year's winners of Prix Ars Electronica:
http://www.etoy.com

If your into academic arts, try Vienna's branch of The Thing:
http://www.thing.or.at/thing/

Architecturally inclined will love:
http://www.lot.or.at/LOT/

Cyber-trash for insiders can be found at:
http://www.digit-ALL.or.at/digit-ALL/

Anybody into the political, societal and technological aspects of
communications technologies might enjoy:
http://www.t0.or.at

And last but not least one of my favourites:
http://www.t0.or.at/~siberian
hosting various projects by Eva Wohlgemuth (some in collaboration with Kathy
Rae Huffman).

Austria's media art "scene" is probably best known for Ars Electronica
Festival, which used to be an interesting conference, featuring
international projects and hip topics. After last years radical changes in
organizers, it looks as if Ars Electronica is becoming a rather mediocre
comercial festival, aiming to be Siggraph for Europe, but not quite
suceeding. Let's see what will happen. For program information and the like
check http://www.aec.at.

Quite obvious though is the small number of Austrian women working with the
Internet. - namely Eva Grubinger with her C@C project, Margarete Jahrmann, Eva
Wohlgemuth, and a few others.

As usual, Austria is a little behind, but in general the Net has come to host a
growing number of projects done by women, about women, for women. Starting with
the obvious tampax.com, which hosts a site for young girls (you know it's
swimming, riding and just generally feeling good….) and ending with the
wonderful Australian geekgirls (http://www.next.com.au/spyfood/geekgirl/) and
artists groups like VNS Matrix.

It is quite obvious that the social structures of the art world have been
imported to the Internet (which of course can also be seen in the broader media
art scene) and are reproduced in most projects. Whatever the reasons are,
it certainly needs to change. Which is why I will focus on women's projects
- not necessarily Austrian - in the next few months.

More links to Austrian Art servers can be found at:
http://www.t0.or.at/~wien.at/.
and http://www.thing.or.at/thing/links/atkult.html.

For the incurably informed try:
http://www.t0.or.at/msguide/ws-gd1.htm

www. tampax.com:
Women spend 2,480 days or 59,530 hours, of their life having their period.