2025 edition

At the Creative Days Vienna 2025, immersive games meet biocomputing, fashion tech meets film art.

The international creative industry will meet for the sixth time in Vienna to discuss the latest developments at the intersection of technology, culture and the creative industries. What role will digital technologies play in the cultural experiences of tomorrow? This central question is the focus of the Creative Days Vienna, which will take place on 14 and 15 May 2025 as part of the ViennaUP start-up festival. International Experts from the fields of artificial intelligence, immersive technologies like augmented reality, gaming, film, fashion, music, and creatively utilised spaces will discuss the interactions between technological innovations, social change and the creative industries.

The opening event at The Hoxton Vienna will feature speakers Claire L. Evans and Sean Bidder, two pioneers in art, technology, and music.

Claire L. Evans is a renowned American cultural theorist, musician (YACHT), and author of Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. As a speaker, she explores what life sciences and computer technology can learn from ant colonies and slime molds. Evans connects biology, technology, and digital culture, showing how emerging technologies—from biocomputing to xenobots—are shaping our understanding of nature.

Sean Bidder, in his keynote, will highlight the relevance of analog listening experiences. He focuses on how digital platforms can complement, rather than replace, physical experiences. As Creative Director of London’s 180 Studios—a network of production and exhibition spaces—and of the leading art and music company The Vinyl Factory, the Brit curates multimedia exhibitions like Reverb (2024). He has collaborated with artists such as fashion designer Virgil Abloh, director Jenn Nkiru, and photographer/filmmaker Gabriel Moses.

Another highlight is the keynote by Eva Jäger, Curator for Art and Technology at London’s Serpentine Gallery, who will demonstrate how cultural institutions can actively shape AI. Fresh from her participation in EXPO 2025 in Osaka, digital artist Rebecca Merlic invites attendees at Creative Days Vienna to an immersive coffeehouse experience. Her award-winning game Kissaten Vienna, recognized by Content Vienna, brings to life past coffeehouse stories and experiences from Japan and Austria. With the voice of actress Adele Neuhauser, the game creates a digital space for the meeting of two cultures.

Exclusive tours, workshops, film, AI, and performance
Networking sessions and the festive opening at The Hoxton Vienna offer numerous opportunities for exchange among participants. The Making Spaces tour on the first day leads from Vienna’s established art incubator Creative Cluster to the up-and-coming multimedia studio house Palais Rössl, and to the interim use project of the association Never At Home. Since 2024, this project has provided over 100 studios to artists and creatives in the former ORF broadcasting house. Participants will gain exclusive insights into creatively used spaces and studios.

At the Austrian Film Museum, the focus is on film, art, and AI. Keynotes by Michael Loebenstein, Director of the Austrian Film Museum, and Eva Jäger will be complemented by the audiovisual performance Hallucinations by Claudia Larcher and Ursula Winterauer. In cooperation with Subotron, Daria Radu will lead the workshop Why You Should Integrate AI In Your Game Dev Workflow – And Why You Shouldn’t, which explores how AI can be applied in game development. Other workshops will explore fashion, technology, and augmented reality.

The Creative Days Vienna are part of the startup festival ViennaUP, initiated by the Vienna Business Agency, and mark the launch of Content Vienna, the competition for digital design.

Participation in Creative Days Vienna is free of charge. Full program overview and registration online: wirtschaftsagentur.at.