In collaboration with the Civic Data Design Lab, the LCAU exhibited “Distance Unknown” as part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Visualization & Visual Analytics Arts Program (IEEE VISAP) conference in Vienna, Austria from Nov. 6-15, 2025. Faculty director Sarah Williams and LCAU research associate Ashley Louie traveled to Vienna to represent the team.
Distance Unknown is a tapestry woven from paper currency as a physical data visualization of the financial sacrifices that Central American migrants make to journey to the United States. Based on data collected with the United Nations World Food Programme and the Migration Policy Institute, the project documents data from nearly 5,000 households in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras as well as more than 2,000 migrants at border locations about the factors contributing to migration. Additionally, an interactive map allows visitors to explore migrant journeys and the barriers they face along the way.
The team would like to thank the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology for their generous support of this exhibition.
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