DATAS – The Data and the Sovereign

DATAS: The Data and the Sovereign is an international art and research programme that brings together artists, theorists, and technologists to explore how digital infrastructures, AI, and algorithmic governance impact personal and political sovereignty. In an age where big data corporations and algorithmic systems increasingly shape global political and social dynamics, DATAS uses the lens of art to challenge the normalisation of surveillance, data extraction, and digital control.

The project aims to develop and present new art projects that explore the impact of computation and automation on existing ideas of sovereignty and seek ways to redefine it. In the context of rapidly evolving artificial intelligence technologies and the increasing algorithmic influence on our decisions, DATAS raises questions about the maintenance of personal and national sovereignty in the contemporary information society and the role of art in reflecting these changes.

The programme of the two-year project includes two research and development residencies of international or local artists selected through an open call, and is characterised by strong professional support for the artists-in-residence, who will work with renowned experts, curators and other mentors from the local and international scene during the residency. Through pop-up exhibitions and a discursive programme in the form of guided tours, panel discussions and talks with artists and other experts, it will engage the wider public in the discourse and stimulate critical reflection on the interplay between new technologies and sovereignty. The project will culminate in a final group exhibition of all the new productions created during the residences at the Rudolfinum Gallery in Prague, and a comprehensive publication. Such an extensive approach will provide artists with greater exposure, more in-depth and long-term collaborative opportunities, and create an important platform for innovation at the interface of art and new technologies.

The project is a collaboration with international partners Goethe Institut from Germany, Izolyatsia from Ukraine, Tallinn Art Hall from Estonia, MeetFactory and Rudolfinum Gallery from the Czech Republic. The project will establish appropriate infrastructure and links, especially in the context of the realisation that this field of arts research is less developed in Eastern Europe than in the rest of the European area. Thus, this project will particularly focus on supporting artists from this area who address information technologies as an integral part of society.

Image: Márk Fridvalszki

Projekt Atol Institute

(Leader) Ljubljana

All projects of Slovenian producer

Foreign producers in the supported project

Česká filharmonie (partner)

Czech Republic (EU)
Goethe-Institut EV (partner)

Germany (EU)
International charitable foundation Izolyatsia (partner)

Ukraine
Sihtasutus Kunstihoone (partner)

Estonia (EU)

Funded projects

LIVEUROPE – 2017–2021 (4. year)

LIVEUROPE – 2017–2021 (3. year)

LIVEUROPE – 2017–2021 (2. year)

Soft Control

Future Architecture Platform – 2017–2021 (4. year)

Future Architecture Platform – 2017–2021 (3. year)

Future Architecture Platform – 2017–2021 (2. year)

Future Architecture Platform / FuturA – 2015–2017 (2. year)

Aerowaves – 2017–2021 (4. year)

Aerowaves – 2017–2021 (3. year)

Aerowaves – 2017–2021 (2. year)

Aerowaves – 2014–2017 (3. year)

Aerowaves – 2014–2017 (2. year)

Story Time – Connecting People with the Power of Art

European film screening in 2024

European film screening in 2023

European film screening in 2022

European film screening in 2021

European film screening in 2020

European film screening in 2019

European film screening in 2018

European film screening in 2017

European film screening in 2016

European film screening in 2015

European film screening in 2014

European film screening in 2013

The Film Corner Clubs 2026-2028. From virtual to real (TFCClubs)

Here I am! (HIA)

EUthentic Detectives – Fostering Media literacy of people who face cognitive challenges, their caregivers and young volunteers

CEE Animation Workshop (CEE AW) – 2026

Film in Hospital 3.0 - a pan-European Film Initiative for Young Audiences in Healthcare Structures

THE FIRST DOG (TFD)

36. and 37. Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe)

The 22nd and 23rd Kino Otok - Isola Cinema International Film Festival in Years 2026 and 2027

The 12th and 13th edition of FeKK - Ljubljana Short Film Festival

Animateka International Animated Film Festival (AIAFF)

Young Stories from the Old Continent (YSOC)

Bookmark – Marking Europe's Best Narratives

No Person Is An Island (NPII)

Immersive European Cultural Heritage Outreach (Immersive ECHO)

European Media Art Platform Extended (EMAP Extended)

EHIN - European Hybrid Intelligence Network

W.Write – Women, Writing, Rights, and Rites: reimagining the ecosystem of Literary Arts

RE-MIND: A Mindfulness-Based Capacity-Building Model for Digital Wellbeing and Intergenerational Audience Engagement in Museums

New Steps: EU’s first steps towards career transition support for dancers

Brave Creative Producers (BCP)

stART point - a platform where performing arts and young people get connected (stART.)

Heritage Understanding & Participation Hackathon: Co-creating Cultural Heritage Experiences with and for youth (Hup Hackathon)

Artificial Intelligence for Artistic Futures and Creative Talents (ARTIFACT)

CULTIVATOR

Architecture With an Approach to Regeneration and Empowerment (AWARE)

Upsala – SUITCASES

Invisible painting (IP)

BRIDGE: Building, Revising, Including – Diaspora and Gender Equality

Studio Virc – Mini Slate 2025: Izzvenelo bo, Dolasilla, princesa usode, Tujek, Pobeglo srce

NOSOROGI – Mini Slate 2025: Three Waters Meet, The Healers, Liar, Thief, Flea-Eater

Mono O – Mini Slate 2025: The Happiest Day, The Last Roast, After Sunday

Cvinger – Mini Slate 2024: Before the Eyes Turn Black, Reckoning by the Sea, Project North

Venice Eastern Gate

Innovation through media collaboration: Digital assets exchange platform (MEDEXCHANGE24)

Animation HUB (A-HUB)

Word: Enhancing European Graphic Novel Perception, Circulation and Market Development

Roma Soul Food (ROMASOUL)

Tying the European Cultural Landscapes with Knots and Patterns (Knots and Patterns)

Hiking Heritage Trails (INHERIT)

Sensory Artistic Experiences for the Blind (Multisensory Art)

PASS – Pass the Street (Art), Shake the Hand

Slow Performing Arts Festivals for Improved Wellbeing, Mental Health and Social Inclusion (Festival SPA)

Staragara – Slate 2024 (The Colour of the Doubt, Black Swan, Removal, We would have told each other everything, Kozmonavti)

PAGE: Project for Advancing coGnitivE accessibility in publishing

NEB COOLTOURS: Transforming Tourism Through Cultural Innovation and Environmental Stewardship in Alpe-Adria

Bridges

Transition to 8: European societies in flux

ENACT – Easy-to-understand News for Collaborative Transformation

THRIVE – Talent Harvest: Rural Intangible Heritage and Value Empowerment

CAFE: Redefining Historic Cafés as European Cultural Heritage

ArtElevate – Fostering Inclusive Cultural Expression in Europe

CARE – Culture for Mental Health

Glassmaking Between Tradition and Innovation (GTMI)