The Intersect: Art in Tech and Tech in Art - The Art of Questioning Technology: From Data to Democracy

Greetings from Juergen

Hi all,

This week, I'm exploring how art shapes our understanding of technology and vice versa. From Boston Cyberarts' new exhibition using artistic practice as a tool for data literacy to the Academy Awards' new rules on AI in Oscar-eligible films, we're seeing significant shifts in how creativity and technology interact. I'm particularly struck by Pasadena's public art walking tours—a refreshing approach that makes art the destination rather than just background.

I've also included thoughts on NASA's "Painting with Jupiter" (is applying a filter to satellite imagery really painting?), theater's potential role in democracy, and how AI is reimagining photographic histories. Plus, there's a look at European museums' thoughtful integration of technology that goes beyond spectacle to create meaningful engagement.

Follow "The Intersect" podcast to hear these stories in audio format, with additional context and reflections that bring the art-tech relationship to life.

Data Driven Art

“Data Fluencies” Exhibition Series Kicks Off at Boston Cyberarts

Boston Cyberarts just launched “Data Fluencies: Rivulets,” the first in a three-part exhibition series reported by HOLO. Curated by Roopa Vasudevan, it brings together artist-researchers like Jazsalyn, Lai Yi Ohlsen, Kristoffer Ørum, and Caroline Sinders to expand how we think about data and machine learning—through art. Vancouver and Lexington are up next in May and June.

What caught my attention is the way this show uses artistic practice as a tool for data literacy. That’s something I find both urgent and overdue. We’re bombarded with data every day, but very few of us are trained to question what we’re seeing—or how it’s shaped. Art can slow us down just enough to ask better questions, and that’s where things get interesting.

I’ve said before: we don’t need more dashboards—we need more room to feel what the data means. This show seems to offer that, and I’m here for it.

What’s one piece of data you’ve never quite trusted, but never stopped to really question?

Film & Video

The Academy Awards Have New Film Rules. AI Is Now Okay for the Oscars

The Academy’s new rules, reported by Nadeem Sarwar at Digital Trends, confirm what many in Hollywood already suspected: generative AI is officially allowed in Oscar-eligible films. The Academy insists that AI tools “neither help nor harm” a film’s shot at a nomination. What matters is the final product. But that’s a slippery idea when the tools involved are capable of scripting, voicing, and visualizing entire scenes.

What caught my eye isn’t just the rule itself, but the way responsibility gets offloaded. By leaving the decision to voters, the Academy is essentially saying: “It’s up to your gut.” That opens the door to every kind of personal bias—techno-optimist or AI-purist—shaping what gets considered worthy.

“The Academy and each branch will judge the achievement, taking into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship…”

How long before that “degree” becomes a spreadsheet and not a feeling?

Public Art

Pasadena Pulls Focus on City’s Public Art With Redesigned Walking Tour Brochure

Pasadena Now reports that the city has released a redesigned Public Art Walking Tour Brochure, featuring eight self-guided routes highlighting over 177 permanent public artworks. These 30-minute tours—walkable or bikeable—showcase everything from interactive sculptures to video installations, reflecting Pasadena’s commitment to art as a part of everyday life.

I’ve lost count of how many times, while traveling, I’ve picked up a walking tour brochure only to be led from one famous historical plaque to another. Which is fine—but imagine if more cities turned the spotlight onto public art instead. Pasadena’s approach reframes how we explore—and who we celebrate—by making art the destination, not just the backdrop.

When I travel, I look for art in the margins—on buildings, in parks, sometimes tucked behind a row of cafés. Having a city actually map that out for me? That feels like someone finally gets it.

What would it look like if every town treated its art like part of its history?

Art & Science

Painting With Jupiter

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day featured “Painting with Jupiter”—a processed image by citizen scientist Rick Lundh using data from JunoCam. Captured during Juno’s close flyby in December 2017, the raw data was modified with an oil-painting software filter to create a post-impressionist rendering of Jupiter’s swirling clouds. The image is undeniably striking—but let’s talk about the method.

I’m all for bending tools to unexpected ends, but calling this painting feels like a stretch. Slapping a preset filter on a satellite image doesn’t quite earn the brushstroke metaphor. There's a difference between digital artistry and automated style transfer. One involves choices—the other, presets.

The world’s longest paintbrush? While I like the idea, I’m not sure that applying an “oil painting software filter” to a satellite image capture applies…

Is it still art if the artist is mostly the algorithm?

Art and Politics

How Theatre Should Help Save Democracy

Salon’s recent piece, How Theatre Should Help Save Democracy, explores an idea that feels both ancient and urgent: that democracy needs spaces for public reflection—and that theater was once exactly that. The piece draws from classical Athens, where drama wasn’t just entertainment but civic engagement. Tragedy offered lessons in justice and leadership, while comedy took on current politics with satire and sharp critique.

This stuck with me. In Athens, theater was a civic duty. Not just a night out. It helped people imagine consequences before casting votes. We don’t really have anything like that today. Not in mainstream media, not in the comment sections, and certainly not in our political campaigns. I'm not sure TikTok or Instagram reels quite count.

“Voting is not, all by itself, foundational to democracy. Indeed, without careful deliberation about the consequences of policies, voting can even be anti-democratic.”

Can a play still teach us how to think like citizens rather than spectators?

Exhibitions & Events

‘Trained Histories’ Explores AI’s Intersection With Photography and Historical Narrative

The team at fstop Magazine spotlighted the exhibition Trained Histories at Indianapolis’s Aurora PhotoCenter, curated by Mary Goodwin. Featuring work by Minne Atairu, Michael Borowski, Jim Naughten, and Phillip Toledano, the show explores how AI can reimagine photographic histories—sometimes inventing them entirely. Each artist plays with AI differently, from subtle restoration to overt fabrication, raising questions about memory, authorship, and what photography even means now.

I’m always curious about curatorial intent in AI-heavy shows. This one avoids the usual spectacle. Instead, it leans into ambiguity—how AI can fill in historical blanks or conjure entirely new records. Photography used to be about evidence. Now, it might be just as much about possibility.

What stuck with me was this line from the curatorial text: “AI allows for the reconstruction or imaginative creation of moments absent from photographic records, filling gaps left by erasure, exclusion, or loss.”

What happens when the tool used to remember also becomes the thing that invents?

Future Trends in Art and Tech

How Museums in Europe Adapt to Modern Technology

Museums in Europe aren’t just protecting art—they’re rethinking how we connect with it. A recent piece from Lab Kultur outlines how institutions like the Louvre, the Rijksmuseum, and the British Museum are layering in AR, VR, interactive displays, and mobile apps to make exhibitions more accessible and immersive. Social media and online collections extend their reach beyond physical walls, and the focus isn’t just on spectacle—it’s on meaningful engagement.

What strikes me is that the real difference between many EU museums and those here in the U.S. isn’t the tech itself—it’s how well-supported these institutions are. Public funding, cultural policy, and private investment all play a bigger role there in keeping museums current, not just operational.

A few years ago, I visited a museum in Berlin where a centuries-old manuscript was paired with a digital screen showing its full translation and context. It wasn’t flashy—it was just thoughtful. And it made the entire experience feel alive, not buried in the past.

Are we underestimating how much cultural value we lose when we treat museums as afterthoughts in our budgets?

The Last Word

Thanks for spending time with these stories and reflections. I'm constantly fascinated by how art and technology push and pull at each other, creating tensions that spark new possibilities. I'd love to hear which of these topics resonated with you or what you're noticing in your own creative or technical worlds. Your perspectives often open doors to conversations I hadn't considered.

Best, Juergen