Warm Data Lab and the Art of Coexisting | Warming Up Festival
Our Stories Matter
After a successful first year, the Warm Data Lab returns to the Warming Up Festival! This year, it is led by Illah van Oijen – artist, writer, and creative director of the Slovak NGO PUNKT, which has long been committed to care and connection.
Before the Lab begins, Illah will give a short talk about what inspired PUNKT to focus on strengthening communities and rebuilding trust — especially in times of polarization and radicalization. All of this stems from the belief that through connection and collaboration, we can transform the world.
PUNKT has dedicated its community activities to the theme “The Art of Coexisting.” A special part of this was a residency at Tolhuistuin, during which Illah returned to the Netherlands after 20 years and asked herself: Why do things together?
The following Warm Data Lab offers a lively space for listening and exchange. It’s not about finding solutions, but about exploring the complexity of our lives together — warmly, curiously, and without fixed patterns. It’s a chance to discover new stories and new ideas.
A Warm Data Lab, developed by Nora Bateson, is a global practice for exploring and deepening the stories that truly matter.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to explore the big questions of our lives together — free from old ways of thinking?
The Warm Data Lab, developed by Nora Bateson, is a workshop for groups who want to improve how they understand and discuss complex issues. It helps participants look at problems from multiple perspectives and collaborate toward more meaningful approaches to difficult challenges.
Many of today’s problems are deeply complex — so we need new ways to make sense of them.
Thinking about complexity means seeing things through several lenses at once. It’s not a skill we typically learn in school or at work, yet it’s essential for addressing the crises of our time and improving our lives together.
A Warm Data Lab is like an ever-evolving conversation, where people share knowledge and stories from different fields. The workshop builds on two key ideas:
Illah van Oijen is een veelzijdig kunstenaar, community developer en facilitator met een achtergrond die zich uitstrekt over Nederland, Slowakije en de VS. Ze heeft ruime ervaring in fotografie, schrijven, eventproductie en community projecten, vooral in Bratislava en Slowakije. Als executive creative director van NGO PUNKT in Slowakije richt ze zich op participatieve projecten die kleine gemeenschappen en buurten systemisch veranderen.
Ze is een ervaren Warm Data Lab-host en werkt samen met het Norwegian Bateson Institute en Nora Bateson. In augustus deed ze onderzoek in Tolhuistuin naar wat we kunnen leren van Amsterdam-Noord.
