We make data relatable, intuitive, and human.
What we do
Three ways we make data human.
Tools
Tools for better, faster decisions
Exploratory interfaces, digital twins, dashboards and bespoke software that let a team interrogate their data instead of being shown a conclusion.
Stories
Stories that create understanding
Editorial design, reports, films and campaigns that move an audience from “I saw the number” to “I understand what it means and what it costs.”
Experiences
Experiences people don’t forget
Sculptures, installations and participatory work in physical space — the format that makes a statistic impossible to scroll past.
Data in action
Our work
Center for BrainHealth – The University of Texas at Dallas · 2026
Toxic Habits Quiz
A custom-built survey platform and real-time display for the Toxic Habits Quiz, created for the Center for BrainHealth at the Concordia Summit 2026.
- 233
- participants
- 11
- survey questions
Mayor’s Office of Los Angeles · 2026
LA Loves
One question for Angelenos at the city's World Cup watch parties: what do you love about LA? A tent, a mural and a four-part sticker survey across five parks and nineteen days.
- 3,914
- sticker votes
- 103
- written comments
- 5
- parks in 19 days
Self initiated
Ray Family Story
Almost five thousand pages of handwritten research turned into a Neo4j graph; and from it, a 326-year family history that can be read, explored, and expanded.
- 4,495
- pages of source material
- 905
- people in the graph
- 2,209
- relationships
Data Vandals
Old Maps of NYC
Stand anywhere in New York City and swipe through 238 years of it. Thirty-six historical maps, pinned to the spot where you are actually standing.
- 36
- georeferenced maps
- 238
- years of New York
- Free!
- go check it out!
Crankstart · San Francisco · 2024
Streets to Stability
A report and website for Crankstart that shows San Francisco’s homelessness system the way an unhoused person meets it: as a maze, and as people.
- 8,300
- people unsheltered on a given night
- 232
- service providers mapped
- 128
- page policy recommendation booklet
The work we can’t put on a website
Our largest engagements are under NDA. Ask, and we’ll walk you through them.
A live, AI-driven attention tool built for a worldwide televised event. A four-act film explaining an AI methodology, deployed across a global recruitment campaign. The private deck covers process, team and outcomes — and it comes from Jason directly.
One reply, from a person. No list, no newsletter, no drip.
Our values
Core values
Have fun!
We are passionate about our work and we want to bring as much joy into it as possible.
Quality work is a team sport that follows the process.
Taking the time to make
Great work creates a bigger impact
(more interest, traffic, and opportunities.)
Constraints should be embraced
and fuel the problem-solving process!
Start every project with a conversation
to define your communications objectives, then move to paper and pencil.
We lift people up with everything we do
Creating a positive, supportive environment should be reflected in the way we work as well as our output.
The data is a stakeholder
explore and prototype your data before you commit to design and story
Study history in order to be inspired by it
Dataviz has been around more than 200 years – use it!
Ideas
Where the thinking happens.
The talks, workshops, exhibitions, interviews and essays where the thinking happens in public.
Nothing here yet.
See more
Frequently asked questions
Questions, answered.
Quick answers about our work, process, partnerships, and more. We’re happy to help.
Most projects take between 4–16 weeks, depending on the scope, complexity, and your team’s availability. We’ll share a detailed timeline upfront so you always know what to expect.
New York City. We work with clients across the US and Europe, and our public projects have run in New York, Los Angeles, London, Utrecht and Budapest.
Data Vandals are a NYC art duo creating public installations, workshops, and participatory exhibitions that turn data into art and create participatory experiences in cities around the world. Data Vandals are Jen Ray and Jason Forrest, who run a complementary studio practice and work closely with JFA. They have engaged thousands of people through exhibitions, performances, and workshops. More info at DataVandals.com
It all starts with a conversation. Email us at hello@jasonforrestagency.com - or use our form on this site - and we can figure it out.
Yes! The Data Vandals or JFA both run workshops from 1-hour to multiple days. We focus on data communication workshops for schools, organizations, or teams, and optimizing workflows using advanced AI techniques.
Let’s start a conversation.
Let’s talk about your annual report, a city’s 311 calls, climate risk, a museum installation, your board deck, a dataset nobody reads or extracting data from video.
Tell us what you’re trying to make understandable. We’ll tell you honestly whether we’re the right people for it.
hello@jasonforrestagency.com