ORBIS PIXELORUM is the annual programme of Prater Digital for 2025/2026. During this period, the team at Prater Digital will focus on developing metaphors and communication strategies around digital sustainability, with a particular emphasis on the increasing water consumption driven by artificial intelligence.
The title is inspired by Orbis Pictus, an encyclopaedic children’s book from the 17th century. Orbis Pictus is Latin and translates roughly to ‘a world in pictures’. Just as this early work made knowledge accessible and visually engaging, ORBIS PIXELORUM will serve as a tangible and comprehensible collection of knowledge. One could translate its title as ‘a world in pixels’.
ORBIS PIXELORUM consists of three key components: an exhibition, a series of workshops, and the final documentation.
- The exhibition Thirsty Machines: AI on Tap serves as the starting point, offering a platform for critical discussions on the relationship between AI and water consumption. Featuring artistic works by Theresa Reiwer and Lauren Moffatt, along with scenography by Carla Streckwall.
- In the workshops, the themes of the exhibition will be explored in greater depth and collaboratively developed with the guidance of participating artists, curators, and attendees. The workshop leaders are Sarah Maske (curator), Dagmar Schürrer (artist), and Nadine Kolodziey (artist).
- The documentation will compile the ideas and insights generated in the first two components, ensuring their accessibility beyond the duration of the project.
The design concept for the project website was developed by Tobias Wenig and Karolina Pietrzyk.
As a municipal gallery, we invite our audience to uncover the previously invisible interconnections between water and AI, working together through the different formats and with the involved participants to foster a more holistic understanding of the relationship between digitality and ecology.
Concept: Dr Marlene Bart