Hello From The Data Vandals
(or free as air and water, or whatsoever things are true)
Three Days of events:
Sept 27–29, 2024
Supported by Flourish
“Hello From The Data Vandals (or free as air and water, or whatsoever things are true)” is the premiere exhibition by the New York City data-activist collective known as the Data Vandals (artist Jen Ray and data visualization expert Jason Forrest). It will be on view at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art’s Civic Projects Lab. The Data Vandals’ art focuses on starting conversations on universal issues through data visualization. Using sculpture, performance, music, and bold designs, the Data Vandals create dialogues that are relatable, accessible, and dynamic.
The art exhibition will be a fun look at the New York City’s East Village neighborhood through data past and present, filling the Civic Projects Lab with large data visualization paintings and sculptures, workshops, lectures, and a movie night. The Data Vandals projects can be interpreted as “fun,” but our watch words are activism and provocation.
Because of its location on Cooper Square, the focus of the exhibition will be on the data that defines the local community. The show will explore data on housing, changes in demographics, and the environment, as well as lesser-known statistics on what keeps the city running today. The Data Vandals have also created a modern-day pushcart exploring facts and figures on street vending while vending souvenirs of the event. Expect to catch it on the streets around the venue.
The three-day exhibition comes with a jammed-packed agenda. Activities will span from 10am to 10pm, featuring a panel lecture with noted design experts (names here), street tours by YouTube influencer Tom Delgado, a curated ‘movie night’, and maybe even some karaoke! Hands-on data storytelling workshops with Flourish, a data visualization tool part of Canva’s product family, will also be free to join.
An opening reception will be on Friday Sept 27th, from 5-9pm held in conjunction with The Cooper Union’s Alumni weekend, hosted by Flourish.
About The Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (www.cooper.edu) is a distinguished private college of art, architecture, and engineering founded in 1859 by inventor, industrialist, and philanthropist Peter Cooper. From its beginnings, Cooper has been dedicated to the idea that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but also to civic virtue and harmony. Today, the college continues that tradition through a curriculum that focuses on helping graduates acquire technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice. The institution provides close contact with a distinguished, creative faculty and fosters rigorous, humanistic learning that is enhanced by the process of design and augmented by its urban setting in New York’s East Village.
About Flourish
Part of the Canva family since 2022, Flourish is a leading data storytelling platform that empowers everyone — from data professionals to beginners — to tell compelling stories with data. It offers an extensive library of no-code templates, enabling users to create interactive visualizations that truly inform and inspire. Since its launch in 2018, Flourish has been on a mission to make data storytelling more engaging and impactful, whether in boardrooms, classrooms, or public exhibitions like this one at The Cooper Union. With millions of graphics viewed more than 20 billion times, it has become an industry-standard tool used by newsrooms, corporations, NGOs, universities, and government departments worldwide. From the BBC and Sky to Deloitte and Moody’s, thousands of organizations rely on Flourish to create engaging, creative, and digestible data visualizations that bring more eyes and understanding to their content.
FRIDAY
VIP Preview - 1-5pm
Are you VIP or work in the media? Come on over earlier to see the show and talk to the Data Vandals. Drop us an email and we’ll find a time for you to drop by.
Opening night party! Friday - 6-9pm
It’s the opening! So you got to come out to be seen and rub shoulders with the data, design, and art movers and shakers!
Drinks provided by Flourish
SATURDAY
Breakfast with the Data Vandals - Donuts! 10am - Noon
Come hang out with us in the morning and we’ll feed you donuts and bagels! What could be more NYC than that?!?! It’s like a free brunch, but with people far more interesting than your family or friends.
Gallery Walk with the ‘Vandals - 12-noon
When the clock strikes twelve, we’ll give a lively gallery walk through the exhibition. We’ll be happy to answer questions and swap stories of the city.
NYC Open Data Ambassadors - Data Vandals edition! 1pm
The Open Data Ambassadors (ODA) program recruits, trains, and certifies digitally literate cohorts of volunteer ambassadors to teach about NYC Open Data across the diverse communities of New York City. Open Data Ambassadors help bridge data literacy gaps and promote neighborhood and issue-based dialogue.
This program is a collaboration between NYC Open Data and BetaNYC - and for today - the Data Vandals too!
Flourish Tutorial: BYOD (bring your own data) - 2pm
Come get to know Flourish, a new browser-based dataviz tool that works perfectly with Canva. You’ll get the inside scoop with hands-on training by Flourish experts. It’ll be fun, you’ll get to learn a new tool, and make new friends too!
https://flourish.studio/
Workshop: Data portraits by Accurat - 3pm
Have you made a data portrait? What better way to learn, then by joining Accurat co-founder Gabriele Rossi for a hands-on workshop to learn how to make one! No experience or preparation needed!
https://accurat.it/
Lecture: Data Through Design - 4pm
DxD is an annual exhibition celebrating tangible and multimedia expressions of New York City’s Open Data, providing space for creative engagement with data and new perspectives and understanding of its role in our society. Join head curator Sara Eichner as she talks about the impact of the annual exhibition over the last 7 years.
https://datathroughdesign.com/
MOVIE NIGHT + COMEDY! 8pm
Tom Delgado is a comedian, actor, writer, and tour guide in Brooklyn, New York and has been seen on Comedy Central, Travel Channel, Telemundo and tons of media outlets. His popular Youtube channel has over 8 millions views - plus he’s a Data Vandal’s favorite! Tom will be presenting his comedy special on the history of the East Village. After that join us for a curated barrage of clips about the neighborhood, the city, data, and being awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/@tomdnyc1/featured
SUNDAY
Breakfast with the Data Vandals - Bagels! 10am - Noon
Come hang out with us in the morning and we’ll feed you donuts and bagels! What could be more NYC than that?!?! It’s like a free brunch, but with people far more interesting than your family or friends.
Gallery Walk with the ‘Vandals - 12-noon
When the clock strikes twelve, we’ll give a lively gallery walk through the exhibition. We’ll be happy to answer questions and swap stories of the city.
Flourish Tutorial: BYOD (bring your own data) - 2pm
Come get to know Flourish, a new browser-based dataviz tool that works perfectly with Canva. You’ll get the inside scoop with hands-on training by Flourish experts. It’ll be fun, you’ll get to learn a new tool, and make new friends too!
https://flourish.studio/
Panel: Data & Design in the City: Visualizing New York - 3pm
Moderated by Cara DiEdwardo
- Bill Connolly (Sr. Director of Partnerships & Community, Monotype)
- Martha Norrick (Chief Analytics Officer, NYC Office of Data & Analytics)
- Data Vandals (Jen Ray & Jason Forrest)
How does design shape the look and feel of NYC? How does data inform how the city operates? How might data and design work more closely together to inform our communities and create a more equitable future? Join Martha Norrick, Chief Analytics Officer for the NYC Office of Data & Analytics (including the team behind NYC Open Data) and Bill Connolly, Director of Partnerships & Community at Monotype as they discuss these topics with the Data Vandals.
www.monotype.com
https://www.nyc.gov/content/oti/pages/data-analytics
Walking Tour: Urban Lettering Walk with Paul Shaw
Sunday at 4pm
Join legendary designer and historian Paul Shaw for a one-of-a-kind walking tour dedicated to seeking out beautiful, odd and intriguing examples of lettering in the streetscapes of the East Village. The tour will explore a wide range of lettering in terms of style, technique and materials: inscriptions carved or cast in stone, painted “ghost” signs on brick walls, decaying neon signs, graffiti and more.
https://www.paulshawletterdesign.com/
You’ll see stuff like this: