Start Art Week: Visualization, AI, and upcoming Challenges in Design
Start Art WeekVisualization, AI, and upcoming Challenges in Design
Start Art Week: Visualization, AI, and upcoming Challenges in Design
Last week, I was invited to give a talk about visualization, AI, and upcoming challenges in design at this year's Start Art Week in Düsseldorf. I'm grateful to Nick Esser for inviting me and for the interesting program, which also included a panel discussion featuring Prof. Tanja Godlewsky, Sumaya Islam, Bianca Creutz, Mona Neubaur and Jan-Paul Laarmann.
Furthermore, the 10-day-long event consisted of various workshops for practitioners as well as sessions from numerous initiatives within the creative industry of North Rhine-Westphalia. It was inspiring to see such a vibrant creative community coming together to explore the intersection of art, technology, and design.
Night of Science: From Data to Knowledge
Night of Science
From Data to Knowledge
Data Visualization in the Information Age
Never before have so much data and information been available as they are today. The ability to understand this data, extract value from it, and communicate it effectively will be of crucial importance in the coming years.
In this session, Professor Kay Schröder introduces the fundamental aspects of information visualization and demonstrates how we can use these principles to make data clear and comprehensible. He addresses the influence of cognitive perception on interpretation and explores how we can leverage these insights to keep pace with increasingly complex content.
This presentation examines the intersection between human perception and data representation, offering practical approaches to transform overwhelming information into meaningful insights. By understanding the psychological foundations of how we process visual information, participants will gain valuable tools for creating more effective and intuitive data visualizations in their professional work.
Re:publica | Berlin
Pleasure, Arts and Science Festival
Audio Version (german)
The Project
Climate Communication Talk auf der Re:Publica Berlin
Die Klimakrise wurde lange Zeit durch steile Kurven und abstrakte Zahlen dargestellt, die viele Menschen nicht erreichten. Der präsentierte Ansatz war anders: Komplexe Klimadaten wurden in fesselnde Geschichten verwandelt, die Erstaunen, Erkenntnis, Mitleid und auch Wut auslösten – und so eine völlig neue Sicht auf unsere Welt eröffneten.
Warum herkömmliche Klimakommunikation scheitert
Viele Aspekte der Klimakrise sind seit Jahrzehnten bekannt, doch die wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse scheinen „zu schwer“ zu sein, um echte Wirkung zu entfalten. Die Dimensionen erscheinen zu groß und unbegreiflich. Die Erzählungen von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Experten prallen an vielen Menschen ab.
Der Grund: Daten allein bewegen nicht. Datengetriebenes Storytelling wurde in diesem Projekt als eine Form der Rhetorik verstanden. Jede konzeptionelle Entscheidung bei der Visualisierung von Daten beeinflusst das subjektive Verständnis – und kann den Unterschied zwischen Information und Inspiration ausmachen.
Das Projekt: Die Klimakrise durch neue Perspektiven erlebbar
Die Präsentation bot eine faszinierende Übersicht über den aktuellen Stand der wissenschaftlichen Erzählungen zu weltweiten Wasserproblemen als Teil der Klimakrise. Dabei wurden Datenvisualisierungen mit ungewöhnlichen, überraschenden Zugängen gezeigt und diskutiert.
Mit dem Projekt „certain uncertainty“ wurden Klimadaten in der echten Welt erlebbar gemacht. Das Projektergebnis wurde bei der re
präsentiert und schuf einen Raum für Dialog: Betrachter*innen kamen miteinander ins Gespräch über die entscheidende Frage: Helfen diese neuen Erzählformen beim Verstehen der Klimakrise?
Eine neue Reise durch die Daten
Das Publikum wurde auf eine interaktive Reise in die Welt der Klimadaten mitgenommen, wobei Wow-Momente und neue Sichtweisen erzeugt wurden. Die Welt wurde gezeigt, wie sie wirklich ist – und wie sie so noch kaum jemand kannte.
Die Präsentation gab Anstöße und sammelte Feedback: Fehlt eine Betrachtungsdimension? Welche Aspekte helfen beim Verstehen? Und vor allem: Welche Erzählweisen unterstützen den gesellschaftlichen Diskurs und politisches Handeln? Diese Fragen bildeten den Kern einer neuen Art, über die Klimakrise zu sprechen – einer Art, die Menschen nicht nur informiert, sondern berührt und zum Handeln inspiriert.
Foto: Stefanie Loos/re:publica
Cultura Nova Festival: Generative AI in Arts
Cultura Nova Festival
Lightning Talk: Generative AI in Arts
The Project
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to deliver a lightning talk at the Royal Theater during this year's Cultura Nova Festival. The topic of my talk was "Generative AI in Art," and I was truly inspired by the program and the other presentations.
What stood out the most for me was the societal relevance of the discussions. The Philharmonie Zuid Nederland, for instance, showcased their project "uncertain Four Seasons," which employed generative AI to reinterpret Vivaldi's classics in the context of future climate models. It was a remarkable fusion of art and science, highlighting the power of AI in shaping our creative expressions and responses to critical issues.
I was equally captivated by the work of the Belgian art collective, Playfield, which utilizes machine learning to stimulate participation in societal debates. Their innovative approach underscores how AI can be a catalyst for engagement and dialogue in contemporary society.
The Cultura Nova Festival provided a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of AI and the arts, and I'm excited to see how these ideas continue to evolve. Kudos to all the brilliant minds behind these projects!
User Experience of Data – Visualizing Data for Actionable Insights
Generali Campus
User Experience of Data – Visualizing Data for Actionable Insights
The Project
I was honored to deliver a keynote presentation at this year's "User Experience of Data - Visualizing Data for Actionable Insights" conference at the Generali Campus. The event featured a comprehensive evening program with distinguished speakers including René Stoffels-Fuchs, Ji-seung Shin, Nicole Reinhold, and other industry experts.
Using data is like following a treasure map. You follow it wherever it leads to find the X and dig up the treasure hidden below the surface. This special event represented a collaborative effort between the Aachen Usability Meetup and the Aachen Data & AI Meetup, focusing on human-data interaction in spatial contexts. Together with three additional experts from the field, we presented diverse perspectives on uncovering the wealth of information buried within data.
The evening program explored several crucial topics:
-Standards in Data Presentation
-Real-time Insights with Animated Visualizations
-Understanding Your Customer with Data Storytelling
-Immersive Analytics - Visualization Beyond Two-Dimensional Displays
-Battle of the Viz – Which Solutions Work Best for Different Use Cases?
This cross-disciplinary approach highlighted the importance of thoughtful data visualization in transforming raw information into actionable insights across various industries and applications.
Dataviscamp: Bridging the Gap between Data and Humans
Dataviscamp:Bridging the Gap between Data and Humans
The Project
Our annual DataViscamp is over and it was a huge success.
We had more than 300 visitors, 4 workshop tracks and several surprises.
The first presentations are online now at www.dataviscamp.com
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Inauguration on the Brightlands Smart Services Campus
My formal inauration:Professor of Datavisualization
The Project
My formal inauguration was the longest day in my life (or at least one of the most thrilling ones). Thank you all for making this possible. It was mind-blowing to see so many enthusiastic people and familiar faces who have accompanied and supported me throughout the past years. I was especially touched that even my colleagues from Peter the Great University in St. Petersburg made the journey to be there.
This experience has reinforced my belief that great things happen when you work with great people. The collective energy, support, and shared vision that filled the room that day will continue to inspire my work moving forward.
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The Flemish Minister for Culture, Youth and Media visits us
The Flemish Minister for Culture, Youth and Media visits us
Project partner
The Project
Sven Gatz, the Flemish Minister for Culture, Youth, Media and Brussels in the Bourgeois Government, recently visited the Brightlands Smart Services Campus. During this significant visit, Kay Schröder had the opportunity to present the work of the Human Data Interaction Lab to Minister Gatz and numerous other political representatives from both the Belgian and Dutch governments.
Our presentation showcased the lab's comprehensive research agenda along with several ongoing projects in cutting-edge fields. We highlighted our work in sustainable finance, big data statistics, and data-driven decision-making initiatives. Among the featured projects were Carbon[X]plore, which focuses on visualizing and analyzing carbon footprints across various sectors, and the Maritime Trade Flows project, which provides insights into global shipping patterns and their economic implications.
The ministerial delegation expressed particular interest in how our visualization approaches can make complex data more accessible to policymakers, potentially strengthening cross-border collaboration on sustainability and economic development initiatives between Flanders and the Netherlands.
Pleasure, Arts and Science Festival
Pleasure, Arts and Science Festival
Project partner
The Project
We were honored to be invited to this year's Pleasure Arts and Science Festival to showcase our portfolio of ongoing projects. Our exhibition featured an extensive collection of cutting-edge Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality experiences that demonstrate the transformative potential of immersive technologies. Alongside these, we presented several innovative data-driven storytelling initiatives that translate complex information into compelling visual narratives.
The highlight of our participation was an inspirational talk titled "The Power of Vision," delivered in Maastricht. The presentation explored how visual technologies can reshape our understanding of information and create more meaningful connections with data. We were delighted to see the venue filled to capacity, with an engaged and enthusiastic audience that participated actively in the discussion. The questions and feedback we received afterward demonstrated a genuine interest in the intersection of arts, science, and technology that our work represents.
The festival provided an excellent platform to connect with fellow innovators and potential collaborators while sharing our passion for visual communication with a diverse and appreciative audience.
