Artistic data visualization – reflections
Essay for Dynamic Visualization / Aalto Mlab.
Last Clock
Defined by its historical origins, visualization of data has a strong scientific background. In general, data visualization is usually perceived to have a rather neutral nature, serving purpose of being a presentational tool or a reflector of a certain perspective on a given data set.
Surely this notion position has not been left without a discussion. On the other side, some see that role of data visualization should be even more handled and strict, serving scientific objects with great efficiency (such as studying networks with hive plot). On the other hand, some identify data visualization as a simplifying or aesthetic methodology, which aims to clear out complicated data into information or even a narrative.
Another position, artistic data visualization, is brought up by Viegas and Watterberg.
Writers (Viegas & Martin) see that the purpose of artistic data visualization – on contrary to previous notions – is not to serve as a presentational tool or as a reflector but to be an artistic artifact itself, using scientific methodologies as ground surface for creation. This is similar to generative art, where conduction of selected scripts and algorithms results in a creation of new artistic pieces. In other words artistic data visualization is based on real data sets and distinguished from other types of visualizations by artistic intention.
As examples Viegas & Martin present, among others, Jason Savalon‘s blurry pictures, composed through blending numerous thematic photos into one ‘average’ frame; Golan Levin’s interactive study of numbers and cultural relationship to integers and visual Last Clock that creates digital watch using slices of surveillance video footage, also published with some modifications as an iPad application.
These static and interactive pieces are quite exciting and beautiful independent instances but is the notion ‘artistic data visualization’ accurate or even relevant?
Viegas and Watterbeng has a curious point: with this type of work “artists are committing various sins of visual analytics”. This is true: artists use data sets to draw a rough framework for artistic composition, not as an iron rule for valid visualization. I am not sure, whether the term is thus suitable. The more abstract the outcome, the further the artist takes the resulting artifact away from the initial data source. If I would for instans compress all available internet data into a one huge black cube, would that be still consider as artistic data visualization work? I could defend myself by saying that it’s real visualization of data, only extremely zoomed out.
References
Fernanda Viegas & Martin Wattenberg: Artistic Data Visualization: Beyond Visual Analytics. Visual Communication Lab, Cambridge. http://www.research.ibm.com/visual/papers/artistic-infovis.pdf
