The University of Applied Arts Vienna was established in
response to the First Industrial Revolution, 150 years ago. Its founder, Rudolf von Eitelberger, envisioned the Angewandte
as a place to “educate artists who can intervene in industry,” grounding industrial production in artistic practice. Today,
this vision demands renewal in the face of a new challenge: the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driven by data and artificial
intelligence. How can we develop and understand data-driven technologies, such as AI, “on the foundation of art”?
This symposium explores data as something physical and tangible that can and should be manipulated. It
examines the materiality of data and how it is embedded in artistic practices. Just as the
Wiener Werkstätten sought
to integrate art into everyday life by offering a functional alternative to industrial production, contemporary machine learning
can benefit from artistic intervention. Making data and its models graspable opens them up to discussion.
The
symposium asks: How can we bridge arts, humanities, and technical sciences in understanding data models? What role can artistic
practices play in addressing algorithmic bias, data representation, and machine learning ethics? How can we cultivate an artistic
education that enables critical, democratic engagement with AI? What new ideas emerge when computational methods integrate
knowledge from art and design?
These questions align with the Angewandte's commitment to shaping digital
transformation through artistic and critical knowledge, connecting to broader discussions around the cultural, social, and
epistemological dimensions of AI and machine learning. Recognising AI as a cultural phenomenon that demands interpretation,
critique, and imagination, rather than merely as a tool, speaks to the broader mission of developing transdisciplinary modes
of learning in relation to the complexities of digital transformation.
ProgrammeTuesday, 27 January 2026 – Auditorium | Public Symposium12:30
Welcome with an address by rector
Ulrike Kuch (University of Applied Arts Vienna)13:00–14:00
Intro:
Clemens
Apprich (University of Applied Arts Vienna)Keynote:
Hito Steyerl (Academy of
Fine Arts in Munich)14:00–15:30
Panel
“Arts” with
Kyriaki Goni (Artist,
Athens) &
Avery Slater (University of Toronto)Moderation:
Daphne Dragona
(Author/Curator, Berlin)15:30–16:00 Break
16:00–17:30 Panel
“Crafts” with
Diane Cescutti (Artist, Saint Etienne) &
Robin Holt (University of Bristol)Moderation:
Francis Hunger (Academy of Fine Arts in Munich)17:30–19:00 Panel
“Data”
with
Mat Dryhurst (Artist/Musician, Berlin) &
Victoria Ivanova (Serpentine
Galleries London)Moderation:
Paul Feigelfeld (Mozarteum University Salzburg)19:00–19:15 Closing Remarks
19:15–20:30
Film Screening curated by Sophie Publig & Mikkel RørboS()fia Braga: The Artificial Conjuring Circle (2023)
& Third Impact (2025)
Silvia Dal Dosso: The Future Is Weird AF (trilogy) (2023–)
Mark Cinkevich: DATAS: The
Data and the Sovereign (2025)
Most Dismal Swamp: Scraper (2023)
21:00–22:00
DJ-SetsBLUEBUNNY & twinflamegirl
DJ Ebhardy
Wednesday, 28 January 2026 – Auditorium, FLUX 1, SR 21
| Internal WorkshopsInternal workshops to collectively identify the university’s needs regarding AI expertise,
and to develop a profile in the arts, sciences and education.
Detailed information on content and registration will follow.
09:30 Welcome
10:00–10:30 Input:
Klaus SpeidelMapping Workshop: Digitality
& AI at the Angewandte10:30–12:30 Workshop Block 1
Moderation:
Naoki Matsuyama, Martina
Schöggl, Elisabeth Strasser Registration:
https://pretix.eu/CraftingData/ArtAI/(EN)
Fine Arts, FLUX 1, Vordere Zollamtsstraße 7, 3. OG
Discussion on artistic practices
with AI, questions of authorship, originality, and critical image production.
(DE)
Art Education,
Schools and Teacher Training, Auditorium, Vordere Zollamtsstraße 7, EG
Engagement with AI in educational
contexts: pedagogical potentials, didactic challenges, and social responsibility.
(DE)
Science and
Theory, Seminarraum 21, Vordere Zollamtsstraße 7, 4. OG
Theoretical perspectives on AI: knowledge, power,
aesthetics, and epistemological shifts.
12:30–13:00 Lunch
13:00–15:00 Workshop Block 2
Moderation:
Naoki Matsuyama, Martina Schöggl, Elisabeth StrasserRegistration:
https://pretix.eu/CraftingData/ArtAI/(EN)
Architecture and Research, Seminarraum 21, Vordere Zollamtsstraße 7, 4. OG
Focus on
AI in design, research, and spatial practice, as well as its impact on planning and simulation.(DE)
Design,
Auditorium, Vordere Zollamtsstraße 7, EG
Discussion on AI in the design process, between automation, creativity,
and critical design.(DE)
Arts and Art Mediation, FLUX 1, Vordere Zollamtsstraße 7, 3. OG
AI in the context of art mediation, institutions, and the public – between accessibility, critique, and participation.15:00–15:15 Coffee Break
15:15–16:45 Plenary Session
