SCI_ART BC 2026:

Sep 22 - Oct 8, 2026

After the Data/Cultural Climate Futures

SCI_ART 2026 convenes artists, scientists, and research institutions from Canada and the European Union for a transnational Artist-in-Residence program and festival taking place in Western Canada, from September 22 to October 8, 2026, across Vancouver Island, Vancouver, and the Okanagan.

At its core, SCI_ART is a science-based art initiative that positions artistic practice as a form of research capable of engaging environmental transformation through critical inquiry, experimentation, and public activation. Grounded in a science-based approach to artistic practice, the program positions art as a mode of inquiry; one capable of translating complex environmental, technological, and social systems into forms that can be experienced, questioned, and collectively understood. Under the theme After the Data/Cultural Climate Futures, we seek proposals that move beyond representation to engage climate systems, Northern research, and technological infrastructures through embodied, immersive, and critically situated methodologies.

September 22 - October 1: 360 Horizons Residency (Vancouver Island)

MOVE37XR’s 360 Horizons Residency is a specialized program for a 15-person cohort composed exclusively of Indigenous and equity-deserving individuals.

October 1-4: Vancouver 
Production, programming and involvement in the Vancouver International Film Festival and Signals Festival. Dome showcase and infrastructure workshops, production opportunities and programmed and unstructured time to attend VIFF, Signals, and explore Vancouver’s cultural scene.
https://viff.org/institute/signals/

October 5 & 6: SCI_ART & Immersive Symposium Vancouver

Participation in two days of showcases, workshops, talks, panel discussions and more at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre and other immersive art venues in Vancouver:
 

"Creative Collisions" Open Screen Immersive Jam Night in collaboration with local Vancouver Artists

Immersive Dome presentation of SCI_ART projects, VR, and immersive artwork showcase

October 6-8: UBCO Kelowna Residency for SCI_ART artists

Critical workshops, scientific research lab tours, idea testing at the Critical Future Studio/Lab, regional visits, and coming together as a group to reflect on the festival's themes.

ABOUT SCI_ART

Aligned with European and Canadian priorities in climate adaptation, cultural innovation, and inclusive research ecosystems, SCI_ART 2026 strengthens EU Canada cooperation through cross sector partnerships with UBC Okanagan, the Vancouver International Film Festival, and Signals Festival. These collaborations extend the residency into public symposia, screenings, exhibitions, and knowledge sharing platforms that amplify both artistic experimentation and science communication.

SCI_ART 2026 foregrounds British Columbia as a living laboratory of environmental urgency and innovation. By embedding artists within scientific and institutional frameworks, the festival advances new models of research creation that contribute to climate literacy, sustainable cultural production, and long-term international collaboration. The program cultivates durable networks among emerging, mid-career, and established practitioners, positioning art not as illustration of science, but as a co-productive methodology for imagining and enacting resilient futures.

This is the 4th edition of SCI_ART. The event is presented through collaborations and partnerships. SCI_ART 2025 was presented by the European Union, through its Delegation to Canada, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Slovenia, the Embassy of Slovenia, SAW, and the University of British Columbia, in partnership with Artengine, the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Austrian Embassy, Culture Ireland, the Embassy of Denmark, the Embassy of Ireland, the Embassy of Italy, the Embassy of Mexico, the Embassy of Poland, the Embassy of Portugal, the Institut français du Canada, and the Italian Cultural Institute of Montreal.