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.