Data Art & Science Initiative

Data Art & Science Initiative / Toyota Coniq, Ars Electronica Futurelab - Photo: Nicolas Naveau

Open Futurelab EXHIBITION / Futurelab Night / For Innovators

Exhibit

Data Art & Science Initiative

How Can Interdisciplinarity Revitalize Rural Communities?

Toyota Coniq (JP), Ars Electronica Futurelab (AT)

Explore a preview of the future Data Art & Science (DAS) Center in Hikone, Japan, featuring data-driven artworks and visions that connect art, science, and civic engagement. Hikone is part of the Shiga region, known for its natural beauty and cultural heritage. Yet it faces serious challenges including depopulation, aging, vacant housing, and natural disaster risks. The DAS Center aspires to revitalize the community and foster civic participation through data-based artistic exploration.

This preview builds on the Shiga Future Thinking Week, held in March 2025 in a former bank building in Hikone. The event showcased diverse projects from across Shiga that merge data science and art, encouraging reflection on the region’s past, present, and future. Under the theme of a “Water-Centric Society,” the week aimed to engage local stakeholders in imagining the region’s future and supporting the realization of the DAS Center.

POSTCITY, First Floor, Open Futurelab

  • Data Art & Science: Deep Dialog

    Toyota Coniq (JP), Ars Electronica Futurelab (AT)

    Data Art & Science (DAS) combines data science and art to explore future change. Since last year, it has supported regional revitalization in Shiga, Japan. The DAS Showcase presents its approach and prototypes. Visitors are invited to reflect on local futures through dialog.

  • Photo: Bettina Gangl

    Ars Electronica Futurelab

    The Futurelab is the Ars Electronica’s artistic R&D laboratory and atelier. Together with worldwide partners, the Futurelab strives to create works that reveal the transformative force that emerges when art, technology, and society converge. The goal is to use these works as a catalyst for future innovation and societal change. The outcomes build on the Futurelab’s Art Thinking method, Art Science Research, and Future Impact Creation for experimental, exploratory future prototyping.

Credits

Ars Electronica Futurelab: Manuel Dobusch, Nicolas Naveau, Hideaki Ogawa, Johannes Pöll, Cyntha Wieringa Ars Electronica Ambassador: Kyoko Kunoh PARTNER: Toyota Coniq