Strolling with Data

A collection of projects about data and their representation in phisical space, in order to explore different ways of interaction and storytelling in museums, exhibitions and public spaces. #exhibit #visualization #interaction #infographic #design #space #data #storytelling #installation This analysis was born as part of our thesis project at Density Design Research Lab (Politecnico di Milano), but we really enjoyed it, and so we keep going on. Tumblr curated by Stefania Guerra and Marco Bernardi. Please feel free to contact us for any other reference! FB: \strollingwithdata

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Next Generation Scientific Poster (2014, Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts)

The interactive poster is a a new method of presenting scientific topics in an attractive way, offering the user an easier access to the contents and a clearly improved possibility of comprehension. The illustrated topics are supposed to function self-explanatory and long-lasting which means that the viewer can decide on the depth and duration of the information process. The interactive poster can be used for various purposes: for the internal demonstration of the research projects (poster sessions), on expert conferences and conventions in an international context. The newly developed technology -LED displays with a touch frame- can be used in a more reliable and long-lasting way than conventional projection technologies.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Taxonomy of Data Visualization in Exhibition

Hi everybody!! Here we are with an analysis of the works collected since we started. Studying this collection -although not representative of the totality of existing cases- we were able to lend to some conclusions The analysis of the case studies for obvious reasons could not be based on the effective interaction with the installations, but through the study of the material provided by the authors (video, reports, descriptions) and retrieved from the web. The first step of the analysis was the definition of a categorization based on existing taxonomies in this field, together with original aspects referring to these specific installations. As a result, we have built a matrix to cross and group the selected cases in order to discover connections and relationships between the various categories, interpret recurrent patterns or highlight shortcomings. All the results have been represented in the following visualizations. (hd res here http://bit.ly/1a7YFKY)

Taxonomy used to analyze case studies

Matrix filled with case studies and their analysis

Topics color-coded

Projects localized on a map, and color-coded by topic

Matrix of places where installations took place and topic they dealt with.

Grouping of projects by interactive task and author objective

Matrix that shows the frequency of combination of tasks

Relationships between data type and author goals, color-coded by topic Goals In general, the case studies are located more in the category inform, followed by advocacy, experiment and minimally promote. Analysing with more details, we note that when we talk about environment and society, appears often the advocacy component, since the intent is to create awareness on issues too uncomfortable. The category experiment instead covers more diverse thematics and in some cases they are purely works on the border between generative art and data visualization. The cases advocacy have the explanatory function as predominant, since they already have a specific theme to tell; inform cases instead have a majority of the exploratory function: they are those in which the user has to build its own story and select the one that it's more interesting to him. Advocacy is also the one that contains the data type hierarchy. Interface The cases examined are divided in a rather balanced way between physical media and digital media, and 11 cases have both of the types of media simultaneously. Curiously, the subject population is always displayed in the material way: represent metaphorically the number of people is very effective, although little modifiable. Great materical views have a predominant role when it comes to advocacy: it is very effective to put persons in front of the magnitude of the problem on which you want to raise awareness. Data view and specification The instrument filter is very technical, and it appears indeed predominantly only in cases belonging to university, spaces where the public is more specialized, the interest in the analysis of the display is bigger and so is the time spendable. It is also the only place where it appears the search tool. Details on Demand appears to be the most recurrent tool, and disappears only when the goal is to experiment and the intent to inform the user has less importance. Interactive Elements Exactly half of the cases examined have interactive elements. In public space there were no cases of use of controller or touchscreen, probably because of the risk of damage or theft. In museum however, there is a clear predominance of the controller, in demonstration of the need for a more engaging interaction and suitable for all ages. On the contrary in company is there is a predilection for the touchscreen. Conclusions The research activity has proved to be useful under different points of view. First, the survey that was carried out has allowed us to collect a sample of project benchmarks and analyze them in a precise and complete fashion. Secondly, the creation of a specific taxonomy is a useful tool for cataloging other case studies whenever happens an expansion of the sample to be analyzed, and it is also a resource for other researchers in this field. Finally, the analysis is of fundamental support for the choices to be made in the design field, both concerning the technological aspect, the level of interaction or the type of data to be used.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Immaterials – the form of meta data (2011, Onformative)

Designers are increasingly faced with the problem of understanding and visualizing data-filled space and making it inhabitable. In their book Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, who conduct research in the field at the Royal College of Arts, speak of the electro-climate and the electro-geography – which can effect architecture just as the real climate can – and refer to it as »hertzian space.« The two designers think of electromagnetic fields full of data. But in times of geospatial data and location-based services data also assumes this wave field-like materiality. Are screens an appropriate medium for this? What is the form of these metadata? Now that location-based metadata waft through the space, thereby redefining contexts and places, a new field opens up to designers: How will information be usefully integrated into the physical space? Inspired by the fictional illustrations by Ingeborg Marie Dehs Thomas, who interprets the spatial expansion of radio waves, we attempted to lend metadata a form. Using the light painting technique, we placed our idea of these data in a room, making it haptic. The resulting forms depict possible data sets and examine the design possibilities between technoid holograms and personal notes.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Behance Reviews (2013, Domestic Data Streamers) Behance is one of the biggest creative communities in the world, a platform to showcase and discover new work in any creative field. DDS was invited to participate in the Barcelona Portfolio Review in order to create a voting system for the candidates for the last talk of the event. Seven panels were displayed with the work of each designer that could do the talk. By generating an ephemeral laboratory where data is literally turned into liquid, they were able to measure and visually perceive the votes made by the assistants.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

CODE_n (2014, Kram/Weisshaar) Contemporary data-driven innovation is represented and visualised as a massive repository of human culture and activity, able to tackle and articulate the complexity, breadth and depth of the information available within virtual spaces. A 3.000 square meter, floor-to-ceiling terapixel graphic makes manifest the largesse of Big Data, the theme of this year's CODE_n. The designers imagine systems beyond human perception and use custom code to plot massive amounts of data on spectacular canvases. Against this complex backdrop of Big Data, 21st century innovation is posited as a sequence of deeply connected ideas and intangible technologies that bolster the endeavours of 50 international startups from 17 countries, each hand selected by both CODE_n initiators GFT and global partner E&Y as the most promising business concepts in Big Data. PLATFORM In the centre of this re-imagined forum, an agora-like elevated platform serves as an ancillary block with a full range of gastronomical programming as well as an auditorium and curated public space. The two raised levels are flanked by wide-set monumental stairways, one of which is wrapped in a semi-transparent textile that acts as a cinematic screen. The result is a semi-public auditorium that is at once permeable and specialised.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

L-Bank Annual Report (2011, Jung von Matt) German agency Jung von Matt developed a novel visual concept to help illuminate the 2011 annual report for L-Bank, State Bank of Baden-Wuertemberg. Christian Stoll worked with the Jung von Matt creative team (creative director Holger Oehrlich, and art director Nadine Glasbrenner) to develop the imagery that would take the annual report audience on “a walk through a museum,” translating numbers and statistics into fine art-installations. For each of the 8 major business segments* of L-Bank, a fine art sculpture / installation was created and presented as if part of an exhibition shown in a museum for contemporary art. Each installation reflects actual numbers, i.e., L-Bank provided 109 business development programs per week in 2011, so the related installation involved 109 office-phones. * The 8 segments: business development, economic development, residential development, helping families, environmental and climate protection, infrastructure development, education, technology parks

[strollingwithdata-blog]

CyFi LAB (2014, We are Matik) We Are Matik in collaboration with Sonos for Re/code Code Conference 2014 created an immersive audio / visual experience exploring the transformation of Sonos’s HiFi sound into immersive “cymatics” patterns. Cymatics, being the study of visible sound and vibration, was the medium through which We Are Matik explored this naturally occurring phenomena. By capturing these one of a kind occurrences and translating the visual results into an immersive experience, the tech-world influencer attendees of the conference got to experience how nature "VJs" dynamic patterns responding to the sonic qualities of different music tracks without direct human influence. The installation consisted of 3 experiment stations, each featuring different Sonos speaker configurations resonating through various materials (microparticles, non-newtonian fluid and liquid). The results were captured by HD cameras in real-time and revealed via 47′x 12′ LED wall.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Interactive Media Table (2011, iArt) On 10 February 2011 the Raiffeisenbank opened a new branch: Raiffeisen Private Financial Consulting on the Kreuzplatz in Zurich. iart interactive planned, designed and realised a new interactive media table for the elegant premises designed by the consortium of Drexler Guinand Jauslin Architects Ltd and NAU Zurich.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

"Le 17" (2012, Faber Novel) “Le 17” is the showcase for SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT’s knowhow and expertise. Located on the 17th floor of the CB21 Tower at La Défense, the Group’s headquarters, this Showroom is an exchange forum for the Group’s various stakeholders. An experience by immersion made possible by cutting-edge technology which allows visitors to learn about the Group in a uniquely innovative way.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

WorldIndexer Installation (2011, Mendis & Hsiang) Bimal Mendis, an assistant dean at Yale, and Joyce Hsiang, a member of Plan B Architecture & Urbanism, work on an ambitious project named "The City of 7 Billion" which aims to study the impact of population growth and resource consumption at the scale of the whole world. A part of the research consists in finding the way to integrate existing, interconnected metrics into a spatial model, and they have now already done this with one measurement of urbanization: the world’s population distribution relative to land use. They first visualized the data with a 3D software and then turned that spatial visualization into a physical installation at the 2011 Chengdu Biennale in China. They modeled the population distribution of the entire world in a kind of inverted map that visitors could walk into, inside a 10-by-10-by-10 foot room, with North America on the ceiling, Asia on one wall, Africa on the other one. That installation made tangible what academics sometimes describe as the “spikiness” of global development. “People know these things abstractly,” Hsiang says. “But it’s entirely different when you actually can see it.” Now, they're currently working to do something similar with a vastly more complex scenario, which connects not just land use with population density, but also income data, carbon dioxide levels, and geographical terrain. And we're anxious to see the development.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Iraq Suicide Attack Pillow Project (2007,Benjamin June) The Iraq Suicide Attack pillow Project is a memorial of the kamikaze attacks occurred from the US invasion in 2003 till 2007. Every column of pillows represents the number of death during a period of two weeks, and reaches a total of 1,702 pillows made, accounting for 18,500 deaths. The installation si based on the contradiction between the softness of the pillows and the brutality of the attacks, which is the contradiction between fragility and comfort, and chaos and destruction.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Clo Wine Bar (2009, New York) Reinventing the wine tasting experience, the Potion's interactive bar at Clo, an ultra-modern wine bar in New York's Time Warner Center, gives patrons the opportunity to become their own sommelier and pour their own wine. Potion designed custom software, hardware, and projections to achieve Clo's goal of creating a self-curated experience for patrons. Acting as both menu and guide, the 20-foot touch-sensitive surface invites patrons to simultaneously access detailed sommelier notes, wine prices, and a map that leads them to their next personalized tasting. Working closely with the design firm 2x4, Potion placed careful attention in the bar's overall design, integrating software and electronics to create a seamless, self-service experience. After locating their wine of choice on the interactive bar, patrons use a smart card to dispense a 4 oz pour of anything from an $8 Riesling to a $76 Chateau Mouton Rothschild from wine dispensers located around the perimeter of the space. All of the bar's electronics are mounted in the ceiling, safely away from any spills, providing patrons with a unique and unhindered experience.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Light Matters (2008, Potion) Responding in real-time with mesmerizing visualizations, Potion's "Light Matters" display for Nike's exhibit at the 2008 Beijing Olympics highlights Nike’s attention to performance and lightness in every aspect of shoe design. The interactive, which features a glowing scale and wall projection, invites visitors to weigh their own shoes. The projection then visualizes the extra weight a visitor will lift over the course of their lifetime by wearing those shoes. The visualization expresses this weight in terms of the weight of a variety or very large animals, such as gorillas, horses and even blue whales. Having experienced this visualization, visitors walk away with the understanding that a little weight goes a long way.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Centograph (2009, Tinker) Centograph is a physical representation of information, in the form of a set of dynamically (and fastly!) moving bar graphs. Users can search for specific keywords. The system then looks up the frequency of keywords on Google News Archives for related news articles over the past 100 years, and displays them by moving the physical bars up and down. Each bar thus represents a decade from 1909 to 2009. Centograph allows one to view the 'shape' of the past century in relation to different news topics: from the progression in computing technology, to times of war and peace, to changing sources of energy. The pictures might be underwhelming, but the short video below is definitely worth watching.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Think (2012, Lee Green) It was surprising to wander down Broadway and find a 123 x 12 foot digital wall sloping down below street level displaying what looked like a bathtub’s worth of blue LED bubbles draining into the parking garage. That’s but one image that sparkles across this massive screen, mounted in conjunction with an exhibit celebrating IBM’s 100th anniversary, which visualizes, in real time, the live data streaming from the systems surrounding the exhibit, from traffic on Broadway, to solar energy, to credit card fraud, to air quality--to the amount of water that is systematically leaking from New York’s aqueduct system.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Grower (2004, Sabrina Raaf) Grower is a small 'rover' vehicle which navigates around the periphery of a room. It hugs the room’s walls and responds to the carbon dioxide levels in the air by actually drawing varying heights of 'grass' on the walls in green ink. The Grower robot senses the carbon dioxide (CO2) level in the air via a small digital CO2 sensor. This sensor is mounted high on a wall of the exhibition space and sends data wirelessly to the robot. The number of people in an exhibit space breathing in oxygen and exhaling CO2 has an immediate effect on the sensor. My robot takes a reading of the CO2 level every few seconds and in response it draws a vertical line in green ink on the wall. The line height pertains directly to the level of CO2 (and therefore also the people traffic) in the space. The more CO2, the higher the line is drawn - the maximum height being 1ft. Once Grower completes a line, it moves forward several millimeters and repeats the process. By the end of an exhibition, the bases of all the walls in the space are covered with fine green lines which together resemble a cross-section of a field of grass.

[strollingwithdata-blog]

Ce.real (2013, Marion and Oliver Hanke) The interactive installation »ce.real« provides a new way to explore statistics through an experimental interface. Grains represent values of the worldwide production of cereals. The grains serve as a display and as an interface. The user fills the grains into the glass-tubes by hand. Subject to the quantity of grains the corresponding country is determined and displayed. By rotating the glass tubes, other data such as the level of energy consumption relating to a specific country can be queried.