The VIS 2025 keynote talk will be given by Theo Deutinger.
Theo is an Austrian architect, curator, and theorist. He is the founder and principal of The Department (TD), a practice that integrates architecture, urban design, and analytical research across various scales—from global planning to graphic design and curatorial work. He is known for his publications that critically examine societal structures through architectural and visual means. Key publications include Handbook of Tyranny (2018), Ultimate Atlas (2019) and Joy and Fear (2023). Theo’s work has been featured in institutions like the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York, and the Swiss Architecture Museum in Basel.
In his capstone talk “A Diagrammatic Approach to the World” Theo will focus on the practice of data visualization. Starting from the 100th anniversary of the Gesellschafts- und Wirtschaftsmuseum, founded by Otto Neurath - member of the Vienna Circle and inventor of ISOTYPE - Theo will go back in time and try to decipher the origin of data visualization. In this context, he will show examples of his own work and explain his fascination with the forces of globalization and how data visualization is the way to get a grip on them.