A few of the TDL team went on a trip to the Big Bang Data exhibition at Somerset House.
There has been a mass explosion in data recently, with ninety percent of what exists in the world today being created in the last 2 years. The exhibition explored this datafication of our world through the work of artists, designers, journalists and visionaries.
Read on to see our best bits from the exhibition.
DEAR DATA
Two artists (Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec) living on either side of the Atlantic collect and measure a particular type of data about their lives. From this information they create a piece of data viz artwork on a postcard, which they post to each other. Eventually, the postcard arrives at the other person’s address with all the scuffmarks of its journey over the ocean: a type of “slow data” transmission. There are so many you must follow the link and have look through! They are not only lovely to look at but use interesting and unique ways of representing data as well giving quirky and personal insights into their lives. Sammi and Tomoko’s Top Pick!
Annual Reports by Nicholas Felton
Since 2005 he has produced a yearly report about himself and his life. Just like Dear Data they show personal information but in the sharp style of an Annual report.
Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Hospital Administration, (1858)
Florence Nightingale produced the chart below to represent the number of soldiers who had died in the hospital she worked in during the Crimean war. The special form of pie chart became known as the Nightingale Rose Diagram. We all appreciated the step back in time to some truly original information design.
Datatron by Ryoji Ikeda
An audiovisual installation that aims to convey the vastness of the web through binary code and pixels. From thousands of dots to whizzing lines of code it creates a mesmerising and dizzying experience that left us feeling overwhelmed by data and slightly nauseous. Niki’s Top Pick!
World Processor by Ingo Gunther
A series of globes that graphically describe data on political, economic, geographical, social, historical, environmental and technological issues.
Images found at:
- Dear Data, screenshots from – http://www.dear-data.com
- Annual Reports – http://feltron.com
- Florence Nightingale – http://bigbangdata.somersethouse.org.uk/artist/florence-nightingale/
- Datatron – http://bigbangdata.somersethouse.org.uk/artist/ryoji-ikeda/