Data can be used in many different ways. It can be used to analyse information, but it can also form part of artistic creation processes. Although both approaches can share technologies and tools, they do not necessarily pursue the same objective.
Data Visualization and Data Art represent two different ways of engaging with information. Understanding their differences helps explain how data has evolved from being a tool for analysis to also becoming a resource for artistic creation.
Concept and Definition
Data Visualization uses graphical representations to make large amounts of information easier to interpret. Charts, maps, diagrams, and interactive representations make it possible to identify patterns, compare variables, and communicate results in a more accessible way.
Data Art, on the other hand, uses data as part of an artistic creation process. Rather than simply representing information in an understandable way, it can use data to determine forms, movements, sounds, images, or behaviours within an artwork.
The difference, therefore, does not necessarily lie in the technology used, but in the role that data plays. A visualization primarily aims to communicate information; a Data Art project can use that same information to generate an aesthetic, conceptual, or sensory experience.
Data at Technarte
This relationship between data, technology, and artistic creation is also present at Technarte, where different projects have explored data from perspectives that go beyond conventional representation.
One example is Soul of Sol, developed by Australian artist Jessie Hughes during a START Technarte artistic residency at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory. The project worked with real solar data provided by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and transformed it into an artistic installation.
The 2026 edition also featured proposals related to data-driven creation, such as Data Flow, by Theo Harper, and From Signal to Sensation: Designing Data-Driven Immersive Art, by Riccardo Torresi. These projects demonstrate how information can become an active component of artistic experiences, particularly when combined with immersive technologies, interaction, and new media.
The Technarte 2027 Call for Papers is now open.
The 21st edition of the conference will take place on 21 May 2027 at the Euskalduna Conference Centre in Bilbao. If you are working on a project exploring new relationships between art, science, and technology, you can submit your proposal until 15 October 2026 and have the opportunity to become part of the Technarte 2027 programme.
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