Name: Data Vandals Exhibition workshop
Start: 2025-08-04T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2025-08-05T20:00:00+02:00
Location: Centraal Museum Evenementen

A 2-day workshop turning everyday objects into data art. Participants will draw, build, write, design, and perform their take on the data.
About this Event

Join us for a 2-day workshop turning everyday objects into data art provocations and performances.

In this hands-on, 2-day workshop, participants will collaboratively create a Data Vandals exhibition focused on community conversations and data activation. The theme for the exhibition will be about the relationship between the environment, technology, and city living.

This will be a whirlwind of activity, as participants will join the Data Vandals & Graphic Hunters to collaboratively draw, build, write, design, and perform their take on the data. Every aspect of the exhibition will be created by the participants in just 2 days, concluding with a public opening. We promise it will be an amazing, chaotic, and even dangerous adventure in data activism!

During this energetic two-day workshop, you'll explore creative ways to use data to facilitate meaningful interactions within your organization and community. These skills can be applied professionally to ideation sessions or help you inspire your organization in fresh, engaging new ways. For social or artistic projects, you will experiment with unusual tools to energize your thinking and reveal new insights. No matter your goal, this workshop will transform the way you communicate and activate data!

Skills learned:

Creative Data Visualization: Transform raw data into compelling visual artworks.
Real-Time Audience Engagement: Design methods to attract and interact with the public, collecting data live.
Physical & Tactile Data Objects: Experiment with crafting data into tangible, interactive installations.
Storytelling & Communication: Translate data into provocative narratives and experiences.
Rapid Prototyping & Improvisation: Quickly design, build, and adapt interactive projects collaboratively.
Activism Through Data Art: Discover and express your personal activism through creative data practices.

MONDAY, AUGUST 4

We are the Data Vandals! (30 min)

This 30-minute presentation will show examples of the work of The Data Vandals with an emphasis on the approach and handling of data through a variety of materials.

The lecture also reflects on lessons learned through community activation and gallery and museum exhibition design.

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Getting to know each other (30 min)

Workshop participants introduce themselves via an interactive exercise.

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Break (20min)

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Divergence: Exhibition ideation (1.5hr) (eg "unconference")

We review and discuss the data we collected on the environment, technology, and the city of Utrecht, then begin to generate ideas through a series of activities.

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Lunch (1hr)

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Getting Started (1hr)

Participants break into small teams to begin researching and sketching ideas on paper. The Data Vandals will circulate between teams to coach, encourage, and discuss ideas with each team.

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Converge: Group discussion (30min)

We convene as a group to show off our progress and ideas. As ideas converge and diverge, we begin to develop the focus of the exhibition.

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Exhibit design (1hr)

Participants break into small teams to continue the design of their project. The focus becomes making a more detailed sketch of the artwork/performance. The Data Vandals will circulate between teams to coach, encourage, and discuss ideas with each team.

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Converge: Group discussion (1hr)

We convene as a group to show progress and discuss. We continue to map out the overall exhibition and formulate a plan to begin day 2.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5

Good morning! Now get to work (1-2hr)

It's time to continue making things! The focus of the morning will be on painting, building, collecting, and generally making artwork. We expect participants to paint, get dirty, saw things, buy stuff from shops, etc. This will be wild and fun!

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Mid Morning check in (30min)

We meet as a group to check in, show progress, and identify any challenges or problems.

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Back at it (1.5hr)

Continued time for making and discussion

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Lunch (1hr)
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Exhibition installation begins - 1pm! (1-2hr)

While some teams continue to create their works, others begin to install the objects in the exhibition space. Things will be getting more intense by now!

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3pm call

Ok, it's almost time to finish the exhibition. We all meet to see what is left to do and how we can collaborate on getting it done. If there is a performance, we meet to rehearse it!

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5pm call

OMG we are DOING this thing! We should be at the last mile and have to collaboratively complete whatever needs to be done. As the installation is finished, we get ready for the opening.

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6pm opening

Open the doors and welcome our exhibition guests! Be mindful of conversations about and the collection of the data!

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8pm closing

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6

Breakfast retrospective & Cleanup! (2-3hr)

Let's meet for a chill breakfast to debrief on the workshop and opening! We'll discuss what went well, what didn't go well, and what we would do differently next time. Then we'll clean up the exhibition and give each other high-fives!

Tickets include: