13 April 2025
Vienna Digital Cultures 2025, Theme 'Model Collapse': A Guide to Festival Venues and Highlights
Fashion.at reviewed the program of the first Vienna Digital Cultures Festival, taking place from 5 to 18 May 2025 at various locations across the city. The debut edition explores the theme "Model Collapse," a concept that describes the failure of systems—technical, ecological, economic, or social—when the models they rely on become inaccurate, obsolete, or unsustainable. The festival addresses the fragility of algorithmic infrastructures, the instability of political and ecological systems, and the cultural consequences of relying on artificial intelligence, automation, and prediction models. Through exhibitions, talks, performances, and digital works, the festival sets out to communicate critical perspectives on how digital technologies shape societies, questioning the limits of control, knowledge, and design in the face of complexity and crisis. Held across multiple venues in Vienna, VDC 2025 brings together international artists, researchers, theorists, and musicians to examine the implications of digital transformation and explore counter-models, glitches, and failures as productive spaces for thought and resistance.
Below is a guide to the main locations and what visitors can find there:
Kunsthalle Wien Karlsplatz
Address: Treitlstraße 2, 1040 Wien
The main exhibition site for VDC 2025. From 6 to 18 May, Kunsthalle Wien Karlsplatz presents the group show "Model Collapse" featuring works by Arvida Byström, Kate Crawford & Vladan Joler, Joey Holder, Eva & Franco Mattes, and Matthias Gramoso. The exhibition investigates the collapse of dominant techno-cultural models through speculative installations, critical data visualizations, and narrative environments.
Also featured is the AR installation //ONTOLOGICAL_GLITCH://, which explores the instability of perception in digital spaces, created by Belma Bešlic-Gál, Catherine Spet, and Markus Wintersberger in cooperation with Kultur 1.
Additional daily programming includes:
- Curator-led tours with Nadim Samman
- Talks and artist conversations
- Evening DJ sets at the on-site café
Angewandte Interdisciplinary Lab
Address: Otto Wagner-Postsparkasse, Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Wien
This venue opens the festival on 5 May with a keynote by researcher and author Kate Crawford, titled "Model Collapse: The Cascading Failures of Algorithms, Ecosystems, and Economies."
REAKTOR
Address: Geblergasse 40, 1170 Wien
A key site for performances and screenings:
- AI cinema programs on 10 and 11 May, featuring works by Silvia Dal Dosso, Troika, Inès Sieulle, and others
- Lecture-performances by Lil Internet and Malpractice
- Experimental films and post-truth explorations by artists such as S()fia Braga and Clemens von Wedemeyer
PRST.club
Address: Praterstraße 18, 1020 Wien
On 10 May, this club venue hosts Digital Music Night, a late-night event with performances by DJ Terror, Etapp Kyle, Phase Fatale, and Antonia XM.
Haus der Republik (Wiener Festwochen) – Funkhaus
Address: Argentinierstraße 30A, 1040 Wien
On 17 May, the Funkhaus becomes a stage for Arvida Byström's performance "A Cybernetic Doll's House", followed by a club night featuring Amanda Mussi, Anthea, and Malounadou.
Online Platform
Website: viennadigitalcultures.at
Starting 5 May, online artworks extend the festival beyond physical venues. Highlights include:
- The Woosphere by Joey Holder
- The Bastard Fields by Most Dismal Swamp
An Invitation to Critical Reflection and Dialogue—at an Accessible Price
By addressing the collapse of technological, ecological, and social models, Vienna Digital Cultures 2025 invites critical reflection and open dialogue about the future of systems we depend on—and the possible alternatives when those systems fail. With an entry fee of just €5 per day or €25 for a full festival pass, the event offers an accessible opportunity to engage with international artists, theorists, and musicians exploring urgent digital questions. Further details about the program and participating venues can be found on the Kunsthalle Wien website at kunsthallewien.at.
Image: Arvida Byström, A DOLL'S HOUSE, 2022. Courtesy of the artist.
Arvida Byström's work is featured in the 'Model Collapse' exhibition at Kunsthalle Wien Karlsplatz during the Vienna Digital Cultures 2025 festival. Byström, a Swedish artist based in Stockholm and Paris, is known for exploring themes of femininity, digital culture, and identity through lens-based media, performance, and sculpture. Her work often delves into the social, aesthetic, and economic implications of the internet, employing a hyper-feminine aesthetic to challenge traditional norms. In addition to the exhibition, Byström will present a performance titled A Cybernetic Doll’s House on May 17 at Haus der Republik (Wiener Festwochen) – Funkhaus, further engaging with the festival's exploration of technological and societal shifts.
|
