A full-day concluding event of the AREA[404] series. Through workshops, talks, and hands-on sessions, we explore what it means to step outside Big Tech’s default settings: self-hosted cloud alternatives, Linux, AI bias, Meshtastic – independent mobile networks, and the real-world basics of quantum computing. Dive into the basics of understanding everyday tools and algternatives, to gather collective agency, and a clearer picture of what we can build together. No expertise required.
Over the last 11 months, AREA [404] has been running a series of workshops and talks across Vienna examining how digital infrastructure shapes everyday life. From self-hosted servers to EU data legislation, the conversations have been practical, political, and ongoing.
On June 6th, we compile. An afternoon of talks and workshops on digital literacy, data privacy, and the tools and policies defining how we exist online.
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3.30-13.45
Intro – Klimentina & Brookyln on AREA [404]
13.45-14.00
Eni One – Opt-Out Alternatives. Advice Station
A a dedicated space where you can get hands-on advice to help you move away from big tech tools. Come by to ask about open source, ethical alternatives for everyday software like cloud storage, messaging, or document editing, and get to know practical opt-out strategies that respect your privacy. Whether you’re curious about self-hosting, switching to Signal or Proton, or just reducing your digital footprint – let’s talk about it.
Eni One is an activist and ethical tech enthusiast on a mission to increase public awareness on the use of open source alternatives.
14.00 – 15.00
Nova Lux – Reclaiming your Data
In theory, user data could be distributed, but in reality most users host their data on Bluesky’s servers, at what point does a platform become a cloud? In this lecture & workshop on 6 June, we’ll explore how self-hosting your own cloud (using tools like Nextcloud or a personal server) lets you reclaim ownership of your data, moving beyond corporate servers. Come find out: if the cloud is just someone else’s computer, why not make it your own?
Nova Lux is a media & sound artist based in Vienna. She works across digital media, generative sound, audiovisual performances and installations, deconstructing the boundaries between content and art, serenity and serendipity.
15.00-16.00
Metalab – Linux Introduction – Install and Play
In this workshop, Metalab will show you what Linux is, where it comes from, which advantages it provides compared to other operating systems, and why you might want to use it. The workshop will first explain the basics; in the second part, Metalab will demonstrate a basic Linux installation. You are welcome to follow along, however Metalab won’t be able to provide 1:1 support. A follow-up event at Metalab will take place at a later date, where they will be happy to help you.
Metalab
The workshop is held by members of Metalab, a hackspace in Vienna. It is a space where you can pursue your curiosity, realize unique ideas, or meet and exchange with others. As Vienna’s oldest and largest hackerspace, Metalab offers an atmosphere where people of all skill levels interested in art, technology, society, and sciences come together to share knowledge and work on personal and collaborative projects. Join us to discover Linux!
16.00-18.00
Sarah Grant – Permissionless Networks with Meshtastic
Mesh networks are a form of decentralized communication infrastructure that route messages peer-to-peer rather than through centralized servers or cell towers. This session opens with an introduction to the concept, surveys different kinds of mesh networks, and then focuses on Meshtastic, a long-range LoRa-based protocol that runs on small, low-power devices. We will discuss scenarios where this kind of network becomes useful, from disaster response to community infrastructure to off-grid coordination. Hardware will be provided for the group to interact with, and participants are encouraged to install the Meshtastic app on their phones to explore the interface together.
Sarah Grant is an American media artist and educator based in Berlin. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Fine Art from UC Davis and a Masters of Professional Studies in Media Arts from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program. Her practice engages with the electromagnetic spectrum and telecommunication networks as artistic material, social habitat, and political landscape. With a focus on radioart and computer networking, she researches and develops artworks as educational tools and workshops that demystify computer networking and radio technology. She also runs Visceral Systems, a creative technology studio, and organizes the Radical Networks conference in New York and Berlin, a community event and arts festival for social justice activations, critical investigations, and creative experiments in telecommunications.
18.30-19.30
Ivona Brandić in conversation with Eva Fisher
How will Quantum AI change our privacy understanding?
Quantum computing promises capabilities beyond classical limits and is being explored for AI. This talk surveys the state of Quantum AI, how classical machine learning integrates into it, and its benefits and limits in particular addressing possible privacy threats. We highlight the continued role of classical computing, key challenges, and possible misconceptions.
Ivona Brandić is Professor of High Performance Computing Systems at TU Wien. Her research focuses on cloud and edge computing, distributed systems, sustainable computing, and hybrid systems. She leads the research area Computational Sustainability. She has received numerous awards for her scientific achievements, including the prestigious START Prize of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
Eva Fischer is an independent curator, festival director, and cultural manager in post-digital art, critical media and art, science and technology. As a trained art historian, she has been directing the media art platform Civa since 2021. In 2007 she initiated sound:frame – Vienna’s Festival for Audiovisual Art, from 2016 – 2019 she was head of production at the Diagonale film festival in Graz and from 2023 – 2025 COO of the International Screen Institute in Vienna. Since 2011 she has been teaching at various Universities and Austrian Universities of Applied Science.
Eva Fisher will present the book
Quantum and the Moving Image: Dialogues at the Intersection of Artistic and Scientific Research’, Issue 01 of The Black Cube
The publication ‚Quantum and the Moving Image’ marks the first issue of The Black Cube an editorial and research platform by Fondazione CinemaO. The publication brings together conversations with artists, scientists, and filmmakers exploring how quantum thinking is reshaping moving image-based practices. It emerges from selected conversations that Carlo Rizzo and Giulia Yoko Galbarini hosted and recorded during the 2025 edition of Civa |indeterminate⟩⟨apparatus| at Belvedere 21 in Vienna, focusing on the quantum realm. Curated by Eva Fischer and Ana Prendes
