Proposal
Exhibition projects explore how data can become experience — something we see, hear, touch, question, or sit with.
Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. — Edgar Degas
Think of the exhibition not as a display of charts, but as a space for encounter. Your role is to translate data — however you define it — into a form that invites attention, curiosity, and reflection.
Writing Your Proposal
An exhibition proposals clearly connect the data, the way it’s gathered, and the form of visualization. They also showcase how the work helps audiences notice relationships between environments, infrastructures, and lived experience in a fresh way.
These prompts are here to support you as you draft your submission.
- What’s the idea in one line? – What are you trying to show, question, or make people notice?
- What counts as “data” in your project? – Data can be numbers, but also photos, interviews, notes, drawings, archives, maps, WhatsApp responses, sound recordings, or sensor readings. Tell us what you’ll use, and why.
- Where will the data come from? (your method) – How will you collect it (or how have you collected it)? For instance: field visits, conversations, workshops, observation diaries, scraping public sources, simple sensors.
- How will you turn it into an artwork / experience? – Will it be a print, poster series, screen-based piece, installation, projection, sound work, interactive station, or something else? Reference images help, but are optional.
- Why does it matter here? – How does your project connect to ecology and everyday life—heat, water, air, floods, food systems, urban change, or more-than-human worlds?
- What do you need to make it happen? – List essentials like power, table / wall space, projector, speakers, internet, sensors, laptop, etc.
- Can you finish it in time? –Tell us if it’s already made, in progress, or a new idea, and outline a simple, realistic timeline.
Types of Exhibits
We are looking for exhibits beyond charts and screens: Projects that really stretch what data visualization can be.
Experiences you can touch, sit with, walk through, listen to, or interact with.
| Format | Description |
|---|---|
| Sculptural / Object-Based | Physical manifestation. Data as material form. |
| Projection / Screen-Based | Moving images. Data unfolding over time. |
| Print Series/Posters | Sequential viewing. Data across surfaces. |
| Interactive Station | Audience participation. Touch, play, manipulate data. |
| Sound & Sonification | Listen to data. Sonic landscapes and narratives. |
| Participatory Work | Co-created with the audience. Contributions become data, or data drives the audience in activity. |
| Sensory Experience | Seeing, hearing, touching, feel data. engage smell, temperature, texture, light. |
What counts as data?
Expand your definition about what data can be. Data can be numbers, but also...
- Archives: Photos, documents, maps, historical records
- Voices: Interviews, WhatsApp responses, conversations, oral histories
- Observations: Field notes, drawings, observation diaries
- Sensors: Environmental readings, DIY tech, simple monitoring devices
- Sounds: Audio recordings, ambient noise, soundscapes
- Public Sources: Scraped data, open datasets, government records
- Fictional Narratives: Using the above can also be considered
What makes a strong proposal?
We are looking for work that makes data tangible, ecological, and felt — not just read.
- Clear connections: Data source → Method → Visualization form
- Shows relationships: Helps audiences notice connections between environments, infrastructures, and lived experience in fresh ways
- Be specific about:
- Your data and why it matters
- How you'll gather or have gathered it
- The experience you want to create
- Technical needs and timeline
We value experimentation, resourcefulness, and projects that make ecological change tangible