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Data Spaces

In the current age, data has become a driving force in our daily lives. Our information channels, interactions and digital footprints are seamlessly and ubiquitously captured, collected by algorithms and analysed in data centres to steer the world we live in.

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The use and treatment of data, often seen as a more scientific and technical matter, is now an increasingly important aspect of a designer's toolkit, processes, and knowledge.

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Data exists in various forms, spaces and formats, often as values stored in databases, sensor data processed in real time, AI systems trained on large datasets, or simply as numbers written on paper.

1

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A Cloud, a basement, a Data Center? The Deep Lab book, image taken from a chapter by Ingrid Burrington, Datacentertips. link and link to book (online version)

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Part of a network

by Kontinentalist, displayed at SAM Tanjong Pagar Distripark.

The internet was supposed to be society's greater equaliser. But the past decade has shown that information hinges on the presence (or absence) of stable, high-speed internet. A complex network of undersea cables carries information across continents and connects countries across oceans–but it also underpins the power structures of our tech-driven world.

At Kontinentalist they tell data-driven stories about Asia.

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Part of a network

by Kontinentalist, displayed at SAM Tanjong Pagar Distripark.

The internet was supposed to be society's greater equaliser. But the past decade has shown that information hinges on the presence (or absence) of stable, high-speed internet. A complex network of undersea cables carries information across continents and connects countries across oceans–but it also underpins the power structures of our tech-driven world.

0

Internet speed

superfast

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Datareportal, 2022, Daily time spent using the Internet. link

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Datareportal, 2022, Daily time spent using the Internet. link

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Finding Correlations –– data via Datareportal, 2022, Daily time spent using the Internet. link

Mobile Speed

Daily Internet Use

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Data from the James Webb Space Telescope. Does space really look like this, do we trust that gigantic sensing device out there? It looks beautiful though.

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Time reconstructions (blue) and instrumental data (red) for Northern Hemisphere mean temperature (NH). link

The Hockey Stick

Michael Mann is most famously known for the "hockey stick," a plot of the past millennium's temperature that shows the drastic influence of humans in the 20th century. Specifically, temperature remains essentially flat until about 1900, then shoots up, like the upturned blade of a hockey stick.

That stick has become a focal point in the controversy surrounding climate change and what to do about it. Proponents see it as a clear indicator that humans are warming the globe; skeptics argue that the climate is undergoing a natural fluctuation not unlike those in eras past. But Mann has not been deterred by the attacks. "If we allowed that sort of thing to stop us from progressing in science, that would be a very frightening world"

Behind the Hockey Stick in Scientific American, 2005. link

22–23

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Time reconstructions (blue) and instrumental data (red) for Northern Hemisphere mean temperature (NH). link

The Hockey Stick

Michael Mann is most famously known for the "hockey stick," a plot of the past millennium's temperature that shows the drastic influence of humans in the 20th century. Specifically, temperature remains essentially flat until about 1900, then shoots up, like the upturned blade of a hockey stick.

That stick has become a focal point in the controversy surrounding climate change and what to do about it. Proponents see it as a clear indicator that humans are warming the globe; skeptics argue that the climate is undergoing a natural fluctuation not unlike those in eras past. But Mann has not been deterred by the attacks. "If we allowed that sort of thing to stop us from progressing in science, that would be a very frightening world"

Behind the Hockey Stick in Scientific American, 2005. link

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99% of Sea Turtles are now born female.

Global warming is creating a crisis in sea turtles' gender ratios, where 99% of them are being born female. Sea turtle populations have been facing a significant population decline further exasperated by climate change.

Discovery.com, August 2022.

Climate change is affecting the gender balance of sea turtles.

Rising temperatures over the past four years in Florida have led to a disproportionate number of female sea turtles to be hatched, perhaps as many as 99% of the total eggs laid. Unlike many animals, the sex of a sea turtle isn’t determined when the egg is fertilized. Instead, whether you get a male or female all depends on the temperature of the ground the eggs incubate in.

If it stays below 81.86 degrees Fahrenheit, they’ll be male, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Anything above 88.8 degrees and they’re female. (If the sand temps hover between those two ranges, it’s a mix of genders for the eggs.)

Fortune.com, August 2022. link

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Cambridge Analytica Scandal

Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach. Whistleblower describes how firm linked to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon compiled user data to target American voters

via The Guardian, The Cambridge Analytica Files, March 2018 link

A whistleblower has revealed to the Observer how Cambridge Analytica used personal information taken without authorisation in early 2014 to build a system that could profile individual US voters, in order to target them with personalised political advertisements.

Christopher Wylie, who worked with a Cambridge University academic to obtain the data, told the Observer: “We exploited Facebook to harvest millions of people’s profiles. And built models to exploit what we knew about them and target their inner demons. That was the basis the entire company was built on.”

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Your Data Mirror

This portal is a starting point to learn about the mechanisms of data collection and the impact it can have on society. Find out how you can protect yourself and others from manipulation - and strengthen democracy in the process!

link

Digitalisation and social media have fundamentally changed our lives.

Never before has knowledge been so widely available. Through our smartphones the wider world lies in our palms. We communicate with, and impact each other with a swipe or a click - globally across great distances.

And yet, these same technologies that connect us are also driving us apart, fuelling division and mistrust. People are being presented with so much information and at such incredible speed, and have, quite worryingly, started questioning even basic facts that are presented by reliable news sources. Many people, perhaps more than ever, believe that what they feel is “the truth”, rather than fact-checking information from various angles and coming to informed decisions.

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Social Media

Lobo spiegel article

Serendipity

The expectation to find something somehow interesting without looking for it.

In the 21st century, serendipity is the digital form of curiosity in the literal sense of the word: the craving for something new–with a twist that has become crucial due to the content overload of the Internet. New is not enough, it has to be new and interesting for the respective person, because actually nothing is more individual than the satisfaction of curiosity. The TikTok algorithm is currently by far the best at satisfying digital curiosity.

"if I only want to look at it for two minutes and then sit in front of it for an hour. That's really absurd."

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Singapore: Southeast Asia's testbed for smart city solutions. Singapore is en route to becoming the world’s first Smart Nation. What does this mean for companies and how can they leverage this opportunity? link to edb.gov.sg article

Smart Cities (Singapore)

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The Senseable City Laboratory is a research initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that looks at the transformation of cities through design, science and data. website link

Senseable Lab

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How to automate Surveillance easily with Deep Learning, link

CCTV Object Recognition with AI

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Multi-label image dataset (Tencent ML Images), contains nearly 18 million images, multi-labeled with up to 11,166 categories.

Labeled image datasets

In machine learning, the algorithm is fed large data sets, many of which are images. These images have been labeled and classified so that the algorithm can find patterns and similarities in the input images that it is not aware of at first. This is basically how many machine learning algorithms work. They are trained on large data sets, these data entries are then broken down into smaller fragments and patterns so that the algorithm can recognize input images that it has not seen or known before. Similar approaches are applied to audio and other sensor-data.

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AI anatomy map

Anatomy of an AI system

Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler, 2018

An anatomical case study of the Amazon echo as an artificial intelligence system made of human labor. Zoom into this map via the pdf version.

Amazon Echo smart speaker

AI system powering Amazon Echo smart speaker

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AI anatomy map

Anatomy of an AI system

Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler, 2018

An anatomical case study of the Amazon echo as a artficial intelligence system made of human labor. Zoom into this map via the pdf version.

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The Age of Data is an anthology of genre-redefining data-based art, featuring 40 artists, designers and studios.

Refik Anadol in The Age of Data

Anadol works is site-specific public art, creating live audio/visual performances and immersive AI cinema installations with a parametric data sculpture approach. His work explores the space between digital and physical entities by generating a hybrid relationship between architecture and media arts with machine intelligence.

The systems, the hardware, the software around us is constantly changing, and the data becomes a new language between machines. But as humans, I think we have to learn this language as well.

in The Age of Data: Embracing Algorithms in Art & Design, 2022. link

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Pladis : Data Universe, by Refik Anadol, is an immersive environment project by Refik Anadol. Project is an integral part of artist’s ongoing ‘Temporary Immersive Environment Experiments’ which is a research on audio/visual installations by using the state called immersion which is the state of consciousness where an immersant’s awareness of physical self is transformed by being surrounded in an engrossing environment; often artificial, creating a perception of presence in a non-physical world.

link

Pladis : Data Universe, by Refik Anadol

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Weidi Zhang, astro. An immersive full-dome performance, and a projection on a facade as an extension of space. link

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Defasten, motion visual works where visual aesthetic exists as audio reactive, hyper3d real-time graphics, from deconstructed cyberspaces, to retinal virtual experiences. link

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Translating numbers into visual formats, data visualisations.

Federica Fragapane

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Translating numbers into visual formats, data drawings.

Stefanie Posavec and Giorgia Lupi

Dear Data

Dear Data is a year-long, analogue data drawing project between Stefanie Posavec and Giorgia Lupi, an information designer based in New York.

link

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Dear Data

Dear Data is a year-long, analogue data drawing project between Stefanie Posavec and Giorgia Lupi, an information designer based in New York.

link

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Dear Data

Dear Data is a year-long, analogue data drawing project between Stefanie Posavec and Giorgia Lupi, an information designer based in New York.

link

A week of clocks

Hi Giorgia! Still getting used to drawing again, hope I get better! Lots of the car radio clocks at 4am are because I had to leave too early to fly back from holiday! Other insights I've learned: I'm addicted to my phone I always check the time in bed even before the alarm goes off hence the 5am clock-watching! I obviously am an early riser :)

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Air Transformed. Translating numbers into visual formats, physical objects, data physicalisations.

Data Physicalisation

Data physicalisations or physical visualisations are data-driven physical artefacts. They are the physical counterparts of data visualisations. Such artefacts may involve the use of computers, either to fabricate them or to actuate them. A closely related term is physical data sculpture.

Stefanie Posavec, Air Transformed, Necklace link

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The Future is Red, Yoon Chung Han, 2021.

The Future is Red

Yoon Chung Han, 2021. Interactive art, Data-driven design. Tools: D3.js, 3D printing

The Future is Red is a data art installation that provides an interactive audiovisual experience to reveal the reality of climate change to audiences. Audiences can participate in this interactive art that presents two regions' wildfire data in visual and audio forms.

The audience members can learn about the wildfire and related damages in detail by observing 3D printed sculptures made of recycled filaments. Red-colored prints represent the wildfires and black-colored prints attached at the bottom represent the air quality of two regions. Viewers can observe a correlation between two data and the causes and effects of wildfire.

link

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Joy Division, Album cover, Unknown Pleasures, 1979.

Binaural by Daniel Widrig & Shajay Bhooshan, 2007.

Reflection is a sound data sculpture by Andreas Fischer, 2007, link

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Zimoun

Listening to Wood

25 Woodworms

The kinetic-minimalist sound artist Zimoun’s video 25 Woodworms, Wood, Microphone, Sound System (2009) takes the sounds made by live woodworms at work as a starting point for the creation of an atonal, minimalist soundscape. A microphone mounted above a piece of bark amplifies the gnawing noises of the 25 woodworms enclosed in it, making these audible to the human ear.

The working woodworms become data by sensing and amplifying the sounds they emit. The data can be translated into the format of sounds itself or into visual representations like animations, or even physical objects.

link, video

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'Walk walk dance' is an interactive pathway of lines that trigger different musical patterns, transforming the act of walking (or waiting in line) into a collaborative performance. link

'Interface' by Jose Chavarría is an exploration on how to change the human perception of reality. 'Infrared Interface' senses other living creatures by sensing the infrared emission of bodies. Blurred vision allows the user to switch their attention to the new sense. Different infrared temperatures are felt by the user through pressure pads located on the cheeks. link

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Acoustic Territories

by Ong Kian Peng, for the Urban Explorations project Paris, 2015

'I took several metro rides during my fieldwork that sparked my interest in sonic representations of spaces. Deviating from how spaces can be conduits of emotional landscapes, I am allured by how sound is propagated in space'

Kian Peng used recorded sounds captured with the use of his custom-built device to create a dataset of sounds that he later analysed and used to algorithmically shape 3D-printed objects as representations of visited and recorded spaces.

Acoustic Territories, a custom-built sound recording device to capture sound intensity at various urban locations.

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Data Spaces is a project that invites students to look at data from different angles and explore how data can be creatively gathered, quantified, experienced, and presented in physical and digital spaces.

2

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Gathering and Quantifying Data

Collecting

Sampling

Counting

Recording

Probing

Measuring

Analysing

Input

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Experiencing and presenting Data

We can experience data by creating artefacts that represent or embody data. This can be achieved through printed materials, physical objects, interactivity or immersion.

Output

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In this class and over the course of this semester we will look at different forms of data and ways to give form to data. We want to apply different methods when collecting, analysing and expressing data.

3

We can do so through digital means like software tools, digital devices or code, but also through analog means such as measuring, counting, sampling, drawing or using craft.

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Warm-up activities

In a series of warm-up activities, students playfully engage with numbers, datasets, and data spaces.

Week 1, 2, 6

Urban Fieldworks

Students work in small teams where they collect and translate data into an artefact.

Week 3–5

No Code

Requires few to no code to quickly build an application. This doesn't mean there is no code involved, the code just all runs in the background. Often purely UI, pull-down and drag-and-drop based.

Similar to NoCode, however, some code is exposed in the application building environment you are using. Although often related to visual programming environments, a basic understanding of coding concepts is useful.

Cargo

Readymag

Webflow

Figma

Prompting

Limited to the tool

Some customisation possible

Some coding skills required

Build your own

Wordpress

Unreal Engine

TouchDesigner

html, css, JavaScript

Coding frameworks (p5js)

Python

Scripting

Unity

Text Editor

Any programming language

Command Line

Git

Knowing and understanding some code as a designer can help you collaborate better and communicate across disciplines when technical know-how is required. Basic knowledge and practice in web or app development.

This is when you are able to build your own software with ease. Needless to say this needs time and practice.

Low Code

Some Code

All Code

What are we learning?

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We will begin with visual exercises that will then incrementally grow in duration over time, and will culminate in a self-directed project. Here you will practice to work on briefs over shorter and then longer timespans.

2

All activities will revolve around the theme of data applied in different contexts and spaces. Here you will learn and need to generate, select, and synthesise ideas that can then translate into presentable visual outcomes.

Time management

Independent and self-directed learning and working

Collaboration

Apply technical skills

Develop and contextualise ideas

Communicate visually

How are we learning?

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We have organized a set of activities that occur both in the classroom and beyond, encouraging you to step outside your comfort zone. The classroom will serve as a space for interactions, discussions, and feedback.

3

In the briefs you will be given, you will be asked to learn more independently, make choices and to develop and implement your own ideas on a given topic. The implementation here leaves room for interpretation and challenges you to apply different computational techniques through digital or physical means.

Approach

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The approach we are taking in this class is to start with a more fragmented approach, like a puzzle, and then put the pieces we have learned together into a deliverable that brings together the various activities we have undergone and completed at the end of the semester.

1

Explore

Ideate

Make

Test

Share

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Weekly Schedule

We will meet on a weekly basis every Thursdays at 2.30 in C501. For a breakdown of the weekly schedule, navigate downwards.

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Data and numbers

1

Datasets, collecting data

2

Urban Fieldworks 1

3

Urban Fieldworks 2

4

Introduction to the class and the data spaces topic, followed by warm-up activities centred around the visual representation of numbers.

In a series of activities, numbers are collected and organised into a data set, then visualised in multiple charts.

Urban Fieldworks is an exercise that explores the ordinary happenings and encounters in an urban landscape through the gathering and presentation of data.

In this session, we will review the data collected on your field trips to discuss with your peers and lecturers to prepare the design of an artefact.

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Weekly Schedule

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 3 continues

22–23

Urban Fieldworks 3

5

Data Spaces

6

Project: briefing Data Spaces

7

Project week

8

Students present their findings together with their artefact to conclude the Urban Fieldworks exercise. Outcomes to be documented in a digital format.

Introduction to the data spaces topic. From a list of data space options, students select and define a starting point and initial interest for their Data Spaces project.

The development of ideas and formulating a concept begins with group discussions, sketches, planning, and feedback to prepare a project proposal based on chosen Data Spaces topic.

no class, but you may want to continue with your project development, go on a field trip, browse the web for data, or train an AI.

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Weekly Schedule

Exercise 3 concludes

Exercise 4

Project starts

Project: sharing of ideas and experiments

9

Project: consultation

10

Project: development

11

Project: work check

12

Based on your proposal, in a short presentation you will share your ideas and project concept. From the feedback you receive you should be confident to move forward.

We will offer consultation session to review your project development and provide feedback. This is a good opportunity to clarify any questions you may have as you move from the idea phase to the experimentation phase. Ad-hoc workshops possible.

This week will be mostly self-directed and independent study. Your lecturers will be on campus in case you want to receive feedback. You are expected to further develop your experiments. Ad-hoc workshops possible.

To better understand how your work is progressing, we will conduct a work check, do bring all necessary materials to your consultation so we can help you to progress to the next stage of your project, presentation and documentation.

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Weekly Schedule

Project: show and tell

13

Independent Study

14

Independent Study

15

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Weekly Schedule

This is our last shared session prior to your independent study and submission. We ask that all projects be physically set up and presented so that we can view and discuss them with you.

Work independently on your project, focusing on your documentation and submission preparation. In urgent cases or if you need help, there will be a non-compulsory clinic session during this week.

This week it is best to prepare for submission.

Submission Assessment

16

Introduction to the class and the data spaces topic, followed by warm-up activity centred around the visual representation of numbers.

Data and Numbers

1

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By Experimental Jetset, link. learn more about the studio in this talk.

What constitutes a number visually?

Activity 1

five

Primitive Shapes, composed by hand.

Generative type, link to code.

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Nobert Filep, drawing, pencil on paper.

What constitutes a number visually?

Activity 1

Stefan Sagmeister, Beautiful Numbers. link and video

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Hiromasa Fukaji, nature/code/drawing AR book.

What constitutes a number visually?

Activity 1

Nigel Cottier Experiments in type, process and pattern.

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What constitutes a number visually?

Activity 1

Work in small groups of 4-7 and take your time (120 mins) to design and then print a single digit number each on an A4 paper (portrait format). Take more than one attempt if necessary.

How

Software

Code

Printer

Pencil

Scissors

Paper

Marker

Use

You can chat, share ideas with each other, ask your lecturers for advice. Use digital or analog tools to design your number. When done, print.

Some inspiration has been provided, but don't hesitate to look for your own, share with your peers, discuss with your lecturers.

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What constitutes a number visually?

Activity 1

colorful

black-white

busy

minimal

small

big

Criteria

position your design within the three criteria on the right.

You can reposition the black triangles according to your own preferences.

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What constitutes a number visually?

Activity 1

Now that you have designed a number, give it some context by mentally adding a unit like cm, seconds, kg, degree celsius, etc.

Now

5

kg

Example

When you look at your number and its unit together, has the meaning of your design changed? Do you need to adjust your design?

5 kg is about as heavy as a cat.

The Measure of Things

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What constitutes a number visually?

Activity 1

What

The expected result is a designed one-digit number printed on an A4 paper in portrait format. Paste your printout on the glass windows in the studio so we can look at it and discuss it as a group. Take a photo of your print, keep a digital copy of your design.

Deliverables are underlined, bring refined and one printed copy next week.

Image via @ecal_ch

In a series of activities, numbers are collected and organised into a dataset, then visualised in multiple charts.

Datasets, collecting data

2

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What constitutes a number visually?

Activity 1

What

Paste your printout on the glass windows in the studio so we can look at it.

We will then need all printouts nicely organised on the glass windows for the next activity.

Deliverables for this Activity 1 are digital copies of your design work.

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First like, then count.

Activity 2

Now that all printouts are nicely pasted onto the glass windows, each student will get a set of stickers to like your peers outcomes based on the following criteria.

How

Spreadsheet

Stickers

Use

favorite

most colourful

least busy

very small in size

Criteria

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First like, then count.

Activity 2

Populate Spreadsheet based on stickers counted on each printout.

What

Link to Spreadsheet

Deliverable for this Activity 2 is a digital copy of your printout after stickers have been pasted.

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First like, then count.

Activity 2

pair 2 counts red stickers, and keys amount into the spreadsheet under favourites then pass to pair 3

pair 3 counts yellow stickers, and keys amount into the spreadsheet under most colourful then pass to pair 4

pair 4 counts blue stickers, and keys amount into the spreadsheet under least busy then pass to pair 5

pair 5 counts green stickers, and keys amount into the spreadsheet under very small in size then pass to pair 6

pair 6 takes picture of printout (top view), uploads pictures to shared folder, then sorts printouts by number

Now we need to be patient, focused and organised. We need 4 groups each 12 students in size to split into 6 pairs

pair 1 takes down printouts one by one and adds a white sticker with a number on it (top left), then pass to pair 2

Link to Spreadsheet

How

link to shared folder

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Activity 2 done. Hello Activity 3.

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Numbers to charts, a report.

Activity 3

Now that we have organised our data in a spreadsheet, we can start visualising these datasets.

What

We will do so in a report like style using 3 types of charts: line, donut, bar.

How

Feltron 2007 Annual Report, an example. Nicholas Felton is a designer whose work focuses on translating data into meaningful objects and experiences. He is the author of numerous personal annual reports that condense the events of a year into a tapestry of maps, graphs and statistics.

For this activity you need to plan fast, make decisions quickly and work efficiently. Keep it simple but well designed.

Challenge

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Numbers to charts, a report.

Activity 3

For this activity we will look at three types of charts: line, bar and donut.

A line chart displays the evolution of one or several numeric variables. Data points are connected by straight line segments. A line chart is often used for time-based data.

A bar chart shows the relationship between a numeric and a categoric variable. Each entity of the categoric variable is represented as a bar. The size of the bar represents its numeric value. Bar graph is sometimes described as a boring way to visualise information. However it is probably the most efficient way to show this kind of data. Ordering bars and providing good annotation are often necessary.

A donut chart is a circle divided into sectors that each represent a proportion of the whole. It is often used to show proportion, where the sum of the sectors equal 100%. Alternatively use a pie chart.

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Numbers to charts, a report.

Activity 3

Your bar charts should allow you to find correlations between the different datasets collected. Here revisit the example from last week (internet coverage / internet speed).

how do you need to prepare your bar chart?

Does it need to be sorted or can remain unsorted? Which direction is best horizontal, or vertical?

Which number was represented the most, and which the least? Visualise this with a donut or pie chart.

For your line chart, be explorative and look for subjects of your own interest that may align with your activity work, use Google trends. What trends can be observed?

link to trends.google.com

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Computation in Design 3

Data Visualisation

From the data we have collected, find the most appropriate chart type for favourites, most colourful, least busy, very small in size. In the spreadsheet the data can be found under the 'sticker-likes' tab.

From the 'number-distribution' tab, use a pie or donut chart to visualise the collected data. Keep in mind that this type of chart is good for small amount of data which totals to 100%.

Since we don't have data that is suitable for a line chart, explore trends.google.com and use one or multiple search terms that you see fit for your report.

How

Report

The Numbers Report is intended to provide students, lecturers, and other interested parties with information about the activities and design performance of the class. Aim to make it meaningful.

Start from an A3 portrait format to design your report. You can use Illustrator as your tool. The report should include the following:

Numbers to charts, a report.

Activity 3

→ Title

→ Description of what the report is about, any findings?

→ Data charts as outlined on the left

→ Sample image(s) of number(s) designed (your own?)

→ Label images and charts

link to trends.google.com

1

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Data Visualisation Tools

You can use any of the following tools to convert data (numbers) into charts (you can consider to trace them in illustrator):

→ Draw manually

→ Illustrator

→ Datawrapper, build your own chart online

→ Charts in Google Sheets link

How

Numbers to charts, a report.

Activity 3

2

Inspiration

Take inspiration from the projects and designers below:

Dear Data Project link

Giorgia Lupi link

Federica Fragapane link

Moritz Stefaner link

Feltron (click on any of the years 2004–14) link

Data to Viz link

Data Visualisation Glossary link

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Numbers to charts, a report.

Activity 3

Approach

You can work in teams of 2 or on your own. Manage your time so that you have a printed version by 5pm. If in doubt, speak to your lecturers.

You can work in teams of 2 or on your own. Manage your time so that you have a printed version by 5pm.

Your Title here

Manage your time so that you have a printed version by 5pm.

Manage your time

Deliverable for this Activity 3 is a digital copy of your report and a series of photographs of the physical printout.

Due Week 3

Homework

Complete Activity 3

Activity 5

Project

What constitutes a number visually?

First like, then count.

Numbers to charts, a report.

Urban Fieldworks

Finding a Data Space

Project Data Space

week 1

week 2

week 2,3

week 3–5

week 6

week 7–13

CPJ

Publication

Process

Final

Deliverables

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At the end of the semester, students will produce a publication (per project-group ) documenting and summarising their process, findings and artefacts that they have worked on for the Data Spaces project.

This publication will be a website or a print publication. The format(s) chosen must well document and summarise the process, your findings and the final outcome produced.

All activities to be documented in your Creative Process Journal (CPJ).

2

Website publication (with video)

OR Print publication (pdf and printed)

1. Data Spaces Project Publication Deliverable

2. Activities Deliverables

All activities to be documented in your Creative Process Journal (CPJ)

Urban Fieldworks is an exercise that explores the ordinary happenings and encounters in an urban landscape through the gathering and presentation of data.

Urban fieldworks 1

3

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Activity 3

What

In class we will look at your printed A3 report. Use the tables in the studio to present your report.

The challenge for this activity was to plan fast, make decisions quickly and work efficiently while keeping the report simple but well designed.

Numbers to charts, a report.

Deliverable for this Activity 3 is a digital copy of your report and a series of photographs of the physical printout.

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Activity 3 done. Hello Activity 4.

Activity 3

Numbers to charts, a report.

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General

Some Observations

Read slides and files carefully they contain detailed instructions and information

Ask for advice when in doubt

Try to solve problems independently first, we are keen to see your creative approach and solutions

Self-learning and inquiry-led

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Activity 4

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Activity 4

Urban Fieldworks is an activity that investigates the ordinary happenings and encounters found within an urban landscape. It invites participants to explore, observe and sense their environment through digital and analog means to then visualise data and create an artefact from their findings.

The following will require you to take a number of steps to complete this activity over 3 sessions. These steps are explained in detail in the following. Together with your group members have a focused read and give it a good thought before you may ask for clarification or help.

1. Work in a group

2. Understand brief, discuss, ideate, plan

3. Conduct field trip

4. Collect data

5. Create an artefact

6. Present

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We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot

Exploration

T.S. Eliot, the 1948 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, is one of the giants of modern literature, highly distinguished as a poet, literary critic, dramatist, and editor and publisher.

Field trip

Data

Artefact

Urban Explorations Project Singapore, 2012

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Activity 4

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Activity 4

Judith Lee

Panting Trees

Singapore

2012

Temperature

Custom-built tool

SD card

Degrees

Patrick Kochlik

Scentscapes

Singapore

2012

Scent

Nose Henning's Odour System

Paper

Scale 1-10

Ong Kian Peng

Acoustic Territories

Paris

2015

Noise

Microphone

SD card

Sound level

Designer

Project title

Location

Year

Topic

Sensor

Recording

Number

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Dhiya traveled around the island of Singapore, looking for soil samples out of curiosity to see what those samples would yield in terms of consistency, colour and granularity. In the lab, the images were magnified and revealed beautiful micro-landscapes. Using custom-built software, individual height maps were created and then 3D printed.

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Eyes in the sky is an analysis of the intensity of surveillance in our surroundings.

Scan in the City is a data collection project of QR Codes in traditional hawker stalls.

Sample outcomes from previous years.

Investigating the duration of the ‘green man time’ and its correlation with the width of the signalised pedestrian crossings.

The Seeds reflects the greenery in an HDB estate.

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People walking out the MRT

Taken in Downtown line

Observing and analysing the total percentage of people wearing black short-sleeved t-shirts

People on their phones in a mall

Usual suspects. Expected spaces and topics for observing and collecting data.

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Less expected spaces and topics for observing and collecting data.

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Activity 4

Urban Fieldworks booklet

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Activity 4

Approach

In your group, take time to review the following slides and the documents linked within them. Read the slides carefully so that you have a good understanding of how to conduct this activity. Take notes and sketch out what is asked of you. If in doubt, check with your lecturer.

Urban Fieldworks booklet

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Description

Steps to take

Collecting data

Group work

Idea sparks

Activity fields

Going through the pdf document

The pdf document describes in detail the steps for you required to take. In your group, do read through the pages carefully, then discuss together the approach you want to take to collect your data. If unclear, do consult with your lecturers.

Urban Fieldworks booklet

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Description

Steps to take

Collecting data

Group work

Idea sparks

Activity fields

Going through the pdf document

Idea sparks

The purpose of the idea sparks is for you to define a scenario for your activity and then collect and record data. These sparks are suggestions for a field trip with a planned purpose in mind, as a starting point to explore and observe your surroundings with more detail.

What is an idea spark and how can I use it?

Idea sparks are divided into categories, each of which has a number of sub-categories. These are simply suggestions to get the ideation process started and help participants select sub-categories that most inspire them.

What is an idea spark used for?

The Idea Sparks are then used on the next page of the booklet, the activity fields, that define the scenario to collect data on your field trip.

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Description

Steps to take

Collecting data

Group work

Idea sparks

Activity fields

Going through the pdf document

Activity fields

The purpose of the activity fields is to define how you will conduct your data collection method during your field trip. This will help you narrow down the type of data you will collect, how you will collect it, and where you will collect it.

What am I supposed to do here?

Select one or more sub-categories from section idea sparks and write them inside the dedicated activity field.

Are there any examples?

See next slides

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Going through the pdf document

3. Our interest is in the audible and we are looking for beautiful sounds that we can find in traffic while walking through the city. We will use the mobile phone to record audio. Then we will rate the recorded sounds for each place on a scale from 1 to 10.

Example Activity fields

1. Enter the idea sparks that interest you the most

2. Draw connections between fields

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Going through the pdf document

Record Audio that is beautiful found in traffic while walking, use your mobile phone to record.

Example Activity fields

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Plan the places you want to visit and, as a group, conduct your field trip once or over multiple days.

Document your field trip(s) by taking photos, videos, audio recordings if applicable, these can later be used for documentation, the making of the artefact and a report (can be optional) of your field trip.

Collect at least 30 individual data entries per group, a data entry consists of a timestamp, geo location, numerical data (or audio, visual or physical samples)

Record your data. If your data is numerical, there is a spreadsheet template that you can use in the shared-folder.

If your data is samples like audio, visual or physical samples, digitally archive and organise you data. You can then evaluate your samples on a scale from 1 to 10 based on a criteria you set, then record that number in the spreadsheet for each data entry.

How to conduct the field trip

1

2

3

4

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The spreadsheet

First row is reserved for labels

Second and all consecutive rows are the data entries

Each data entry consists of

timestamp (YYYY-MM-DD-hh-mm)

latitude (decimal number)

longitude (decimal number)

data (integer or decimal number)

click spreadsheet to grab a copy from Google Drive.

If necessary you can add columns after column data to add more numeric data or filenames or labels.

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The spreadsheet

Data entries

What is a timestamp and how do I record it?

A timestamp marks the time that an event occured. To record a timestamp, read the time and date from your phone or watch. Later you will record the time taken in a given format so that it can easily be read by a program. See format to the right.

What is latitude and longitude and how do I record it?

Latitude and longitude are geographical coordinates which can be calculated by a GPS device like your phone. We will need both latitude and longitude in decimal degrees format (DD), usually they come formatted in Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS) you can use a converter like this

What is numerical data and how do I record it?

numerical data can be an integer or a decimal number, you can record these numbers, together with a timestamp and the geo-location, using a spreadsheet, alternatively write them down on paper or in a mobile app likes Notes. Later when you are back at your desk, transfer your records to the spreadsheet template provided.

What do I photograph or video record or sound record? And why?

This is to document your field trip, you can also use the geo-location feature of your camera app to record these details with each image taken (if enabled and available for your mobile OS). One way to extract this information is to manually extract the coordinates from an image using Photos and Preview (go to Tools, then 'show inspector') on mac OS. In a later session you will need these images and videos for documentation and presentation purposes.

YYYY-MM-DD-hh-mm

2021-08-19-15-04

decimal

1.4365651667

integer or decimal

12 or 4.75

timestamp

latitude, longitude

data

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Artefact

We will cover the artefacts part in the next session. The focus this week should be on planning and conducting the field trip and data collection.

For the artefact, we will give you options on how to approach making it and we are very curious about your creative concept, interpretation and implementation. Options will include digital, coding, crafting or drawing.

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Deliverables, week 6.

Make it meaningful

Challenge

An Artefact which you will be briefed on next week, week 4.

A spreadsheet with data collected, see previous slides for how-to.

A 5–7 mins presentation including digital copy of slides (.pdf).

A field trip may seem like a tedious task, but with a common interest and a plan in mind, you and your group should be able to see the value in a field trip. The more convinced and interested you are in your idea, the more successful the process and outcome. Think about your audience: what story do you want to tell?

Going through the steps and understanding what is required of you may be challenging at first, but with a systematic and organised approach, you should be able to do all steps successfully and on time.

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One of the basic situationist practices is the derive, a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiences. Derives involve playful constructive behaviour and awareness of psychogeographical effects, and are thus quite different from the classic notion of journey or stroll.

Theory of the Derive (Debord), 1958.

Off to a good start

It all started with the movement known as the Situationist International (SI). Which worked from 1957-1972 to subvert the conservatives ideology of the Western world. They believe that all rules and sterilization of the world was making it dull and lacking spontaneity and playfulness.

The Situationist International (SI) was an international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists.

Psychogeography is an exploration of urban environments that emphasizes playfulness and "drifting".

Due Week 4

Homework

Complete Field Trip

Record data

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In this session, we will review the data collected on your field trips to discuss with your peers and lecturers to prepare the design of an artefact.

Urban fieldworks 2

4

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Activity 4

In this session we will review your field trips in your respective classes with your respective lecturers first.

Select up to 3 images (or videos, sounds, notes) that you took on your field trip and casually share your experience with your lecturer and peers. Are there any insights and findings you find worthwhile to share?

On your field trip, what went well, what did not go as planned? Briefly explain what your plan and goal was in gathering your numerical data. What can or will you do with this data?

Step 1/3

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In preparation for next week, you will be introduced to a series of examples to create an artefact that expresses your topic and data visually. Here your ideas and creative interpretation is required.

Step 2/3

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Kian Peng was interested in the sense of hearing. His measuring instrument mimicked the camera by capturing sonic moments in Paris. On several metro rides, he stopped at places that sparked his interest to capture that place and its sonic representation.

Acoustic Territories

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In preparation for next week, you will be introduced to a four options to create an artefact that expresses your topic and data visually. Here your ideas and creative interpretation is required while working collaboratively in a team.

Step 2/3

Option 1 Drawing

Option 2 Data Physicalisation

Option 3 Generative DataVis

Option 4 Sound

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Step 2/3 Artefact option 1

1 Drawing Data

Drawing by hand comes naturally, you are expected to demonstrate promising and resolved translations of your field trip data into a series of data drawings. Study your references.

Draw inspiration from Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec's collaborative work Dear Data and their extensive body of individual works. Links to their websites are available below. After you have familiarized yourself with these references, start sketching and drawing your data.

Giorgia Lupi

Stefanie Posavec

4 Sound

Step 2/3 Artefact option 4

Alternatively, you can use the audio samples you collected on your field trip to create a soundtrack, for example, using the Audacity software or mobile apps such as Bandlab, which allow you to create soundtracks from your own recorded samples. Try Adobe Audition's Waveform to visually represent your recordings from where you can see deeper into the frequencies recorded from which you can draw additional conclusion.

Or use p5js and an FFT transform applied to your audio samples to visualise them dynamically in code. Challenging, but certainly worthwhile.

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Presentation, how-to?

Before we start making, Vikas will brief you on the presentation format and details required for next week.

Briefing Slides / Sample

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Step 3/3 Artefact

Let's start working on your artefact. In your group select one of the four options introduced earlier, ideate first, then define your output, do some sketches and experiments first if you find that useful. Ask your lecturers for advice. We will then see and hear about your artefact and presentation in our next session in week 5.

Before you start, upload your spreadsheet as .csv file to the shared folder. How to do that? See following slides.

Time management

Independent and self-directed learning and working

Collaboration

Apply technical skills

Develop and contextualise ideas

Communicate visually

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Spreadsheet to .csv

Your spreadsheet. Under File → Download select .csv

The .csv file will download, rename and upload a copy into the shared-folder, click here.

Header

Rows

Columns

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Optional, .csv to p5js (3D) request demo by Andreas

Comma Separated Values, a .csv file imported into p5js sketch

Click image to open p5js code

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Optional, .csv to p5js (2D) request demo by Andreas

Comma Separated Values, a .csv file imported into p5js sketch

Click image to open p5js code

Due Week 5

Homework

Prepare Urban Fieldwoks Artefact and Presentation

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Activity 4

Students present their findings together with their artefact to conclude the Urban Fieldworks exercise. Outcomes to be documented in a digital format.

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Field trip results.

View Map

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Prepare your artefacts well for documentation.

Judith Lee

Panting Trees

Singapore

2012

Temperature

Custom-built tool

SD card

Degrees

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Activity 4

Prepare your artefacts well for documentation.

Patrick Kochlik

Scentscapes

Singapore

2012

Scent

Nose Henning's Odour System

Paper

Scale 1-10

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Activity 4

Prepare your artefacts well for documentation.

Ong Kian Peng

Acoustic Territories

Paris

2015

Noise

Microphone

SD card

Sound level

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First part of today's session

Review and refine artefacts as well as your presentations

Second part

Group presentations

5 mins each

prepare one laptop to present

Urban Fieldworks

Activity 4

Debrief

findings and general feedback

Homework

Document artefact, archive Activity 4 and update your CPJ

upload presentation to shared folder, click here.

Due Week 6

Homework

see previous slide

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Activity 4

Introduction to the data spaces topic. From a list of data space options, students select and define a starting point and initial interest for their Data Spaces project.

Data Spaces

6

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Recap

→ experimenting visually

→ data to visual representation

→ collecting and organising data

→ interpreting and expressing data

→ from idea to artefact

→ communicating insights and findings

→ visual narrative and presentation

Urban Fieldworks

Activity 4

Activity 1

Activity 3

Activity 2,4

Activity 4

Activity 3,4

What we have practices and addressed so far.

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Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

Possible approaches: Experimentation, iteration, trial and error, interactive storytelling, data visualisation, designing experiences.

Through making, work on your artefact's aesthetics, visual quality, visual language and visual narrative. Conclude with a presentation and a pdf or web publication.

Preparing for the Data Spaces project.

3 Artefact

2 Process

1 Ideation

Gather background information on a topic through research and group discussion, analyse and synthesise to arrive at an idea and proposal that you and your group will pursue from week 7 onwards.

Week 6

Week 9

Week 13

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Data Spaces

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Datavis

Quantified Self

Real-time data

Archives

Simulation

Text Prompt

Point Clouds

Generative Aesthetics

The objective for each group is to select, review and negotiate a Data Space from the options given on the right by next week.

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1 Datavis

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Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

Numbers, database, data mining

1

Data visualisation, data physicalisation

Climate Change, reports, public datasets, news and media, big data

Research, data cleaning, data analysis, visualisation, making visible the invisible

Method(s): Infographic, data analysis, data visualisation, polls, survey, quantitative research

Topic

For example

Example application

Approach

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Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

Find data that allows you to meaningfully visualise and interpret findings and insights from large quantities of numbers. Visualisation approaches can be code-based or manually realised in software. The results can be screen-based, printed or manifested in physical form. A well thought-out data physicalisation with special attention to materials, design, production and presentation can set a intriguing process and body of work in motion.

1

Challenge

Numbers, database, data mining

Topic

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Finding a Data Space

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Accurat

1

Starting Points

Numbers, database, data mining

Topic

Giorgia Lupi

Dear Data

Federica Fragapane

Nathan Lau

Data Physicalisation

The Functional Art

Age of Data

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2 Quantified Self

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Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

Quantified self, location based, online presence

2

Data visualisation, data physicalisation, maps, mapping

self, tracking, recording, logging, leaving trails

Collect data systematically to monitor, analyse, improve one's life(style)

Method(s): Day in the life, mobile diary study, ethnography, self quantification, data collection, data analysis, cultural probes

Topic

Example application

Approach

For example

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2

Quantified self, location based

Topic

The quantified self is not that far from a very personal data visualisation. When done consistently, it can provide surprising insights into one's daily life and routines. For example, track your own health and physical activities over a period of a week or two. Or use your phone's tracking features to see how long and where you stared at the screen each day. Observe your eating habits: How often do you chew per bite? Do you watch while you eat? What do you watch and why? Have you had a good night's sleep?

Challenge

Nicholas Feltron

Starting Points

Quantified Self

Stefanie Posavec

Dear Data

Your data mirror

You have the data, now what?

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3 Real-time Data

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Activity 5

Real-time data

3

Real-time visuals, interfaces, interactive objects, audio visualiser, posenet, yolo

human computer interaction, real-time processing, computer vision

Use of real-time data for dynamically changing visuals, sounds or think of responsive interactions

Method(s): Prototyping, experimentation, observations, user testing, coding

Topic

For example

Example application

Approach

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3

Real-time data

Topic

Working with real-time data is particularly useful when interactivity is involved, for example in interactive physical interfaces such as a simple button or slider, or in more complex applications where machine learning is used to recognise a person's pose via a video transmission. Technically, this seems like a big challenge at first, but after setting up the system and keeping the idea simple, the possibilities and results can be fascinating and exciting, even if it is just pressing a simple button - what is more important here is what that button will do.

Challenge

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3

Real-time data

Topic

Creative Applications

Starting Points

Arduino project hub

Sound in, FFT bars out. sketch

Vertex Cylinder sketch v1

ml5 and posenet examples

v2

If your group considers to pursue this option, speak to Andreas about the technical requirements, challenges and possibilities.

draw. with your eyes, sketch, posenet

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4 Archives

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Archives

4

Archives of documented everyday things, places, people–found or put together by your group

Public or personal (online) image archives, historical archives

Use an image archive and classify, organise it with different analog, digital or coded strategies to gain insights into commonalities and deviations, tell the archive's story.

Topic

For example

Example application

Approach

Method(s): (Archival) ethnography, observation

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Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

A photographer cataloged all 12,795 items in her house.

Barbara Iweins' photo series "Katalog" is the result of the photographer documenting every single item in her home. via CNN article read more

Photo experiment shows our similar behaviour in the consumer matrix. Via Instagram welcome.jpeg read me

4

Archives

Topic

The topic Archives here revolve around large collections of images collected in a particular situation or location. Making sense of a vast amount of visual data can lead to unexpected insights and findings characteristic for a public or private space, community, or individual.

Challenge

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

5 Simulation

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

Simulation

5

Create a coded system that has a life of its own. Design a virtual space that can be navigated by walking around.

particle-systems, virtual spaces, physics simulation, nature of code

Start with taking a look at the Nature of Code website which introduces code and various simple and more complex simulation strategies

Method(s): Experimentation, observation, coding

Topic

For example

Example application

Approach

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

5

Simulation

Topic

With simulations of physical phenomena such as particle systems, 3D space, emergence or physics, we can bring the inside of our screens closer to reality or even beyond. What possibilities can you see in augmenting, simulating, navigating imagined realities through software and code?

Challenge

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

5

Simulation

Topic

Nature of Code

Starting Points

Karl Sims (fluid dynamics, creatures)

Matter physics engine

Virtual walkthrough sketch

particles, flocking sketch

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

6 Text Prompt

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

Text Prompt

6

midjourney, dall-e, sudowrite, hugging face

Co-create text, images with an AI system through text input

Using text to describe images and co-create with AI systems meaningfully.

Method(s): Exploration, aesthetics

Topic

For example

Example application

Approach

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

Stable Diffusion: A cat in white try

DALL·E mini: Cyberspace, the subconscious and dreams try

6

Text Prompt

Topic

Text prompting refers to a recent trend in generating images through text prompts using platforms such as MidJourney, Dall-e, or Stable Diffusion. Once up and running it is quite easy and satisfying to get the machine generate images for you, but how to make this a meaningful exercise and not just a series of woahs and oohs? Is there more to it? Are there stories that can be told that entertain us but also critically inform us about this new trend?

Challenge

Raw Mantique felt it was the right opportunity to review the chapter she had just finished reading in the Blue Shore mountains. She sat quiet as a mouse, her hands and brows raised, her one eye blinking once every four seconds. “The mountain is also the mountain,” she said, finally.

“The mountain is also the mountain,” said the other girls, in unison. “The mountain is also the mountain,” she repeated. The girls repeated it again.

She repeated it again, and so did the girls. It was the last time Mantique repeated the words. “It’s time to leave the mountains,” she said. “Now it is time to rise.”

Sudowrite in collaboration with Andreas

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

6

Text Prompt

Topic

Dall-E /

Starting Points

MidJourney

Stable Diffusion

Hugging Face

Top 50 Text-to-Image Prompts ...

Dall-E mini

Sudowrite

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

7 Point Clouds

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

Point Clouds

7

Photogrammetry, 3D scanning, 3D printing, virtual space

scan, represent, navigate a physical space virtually

Topic

For example

Approach

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

7

Point Clouds

Topic

Can we bring the physical into the virtual?

Challenge

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

8 Generative Aesthetics

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

Generative Aesthetics

8

An image generator that you can use for a design project. Be selfish and create an image generator for visual feel-good moments–project them and play some music.

Glitching, data moshing, ascii art, shaders, generative visuals, pixel sorting

Look for existing tools, tutorials or code samples to generate generative visuals, then start writing from scratch.

Method(s): Experimentation, coding, prototyping, visual research, aesthetics

Topic

For example

Example application

Approach

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

8

Generative Aesthetics

Topic

Generative Aesthetics here refers to images that are generated programmatically. Through code and numeric data produced by random number generators, Perlin Noise or other similar algorithms, certain visual styles and aesthetics can be achieved which are often labeled Generative Art. Applications here can be found in audio-visual art and design, live-coding, VJing, interactive installations or NFT projects.

Challenge

What is Generative Art, article

Zach Lieberman, talk

Olivia Jack, hydra

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

8

Generative Aesthetics

Topic

Dive back into the world of coding and find visual aesthetics through experimentation and iteration. Start small and simple. Outcomes can be a series of static images, animations or even tools to change parameters on the fly. Visuals here can be interactive and sound-reactive, too. This is primarily a playful exploration into the aesthetics of computer generated content.

Opportunities

If your group considers to pursue this option, speak to Andreas about the technical requirements, challenges and possibilities.

Rafael Rozendaal, click image.

Andreas Gysin, click image.

fxhash

teia.art

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

What kind of experience is it? Is it in a room, are you sitting down, are you standing up? So many ways of doing that, and each will have a different outcome and experience. The only way to do it is trying it out and not just talk about it. Accepting the not-knowing and being uncomfortable especially at the beginning of a project. If you have done it many times you know it’s ok–I deal with it, I know at some point something will happen.

At the start of a career in Design this is very hard because you don’t know and sometimes you want all the people to tell you how to do it or you go back to something that is more familiar and that you have done before. It’s uncomfortable but after a while you know there is a lot of interesting things coming out of it and working with other people who are also comfortable with that is really interesting. A lot of design and research is about engaging with that weirdness.

Transcribed from the Near Future Laboratory Podcast #49, with designer Paulina Yurman (PhD).

Due Week 7

Homework

In your group negotiate and decide on one topic you want to work on

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

Data Spaces

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Datavis

Quantified Self

Real-time data

Archives

Simulation

Text Prompt

Point Clouds

Generative Aesthetics

The objective for each group is to select, review and negotiate a Data Space from the options given on the right by next week.

Vikas

Vikas, Gideon

Andreas

Gideon

Gideon, Andreas

Andreas

Joanne, Vikas, Andreas, Gideon

Joanne

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Students work in groups (same as Urban Fieldworks?)

From a list of Data Spaces they select one (or more if undecided) which they want to work with and develop initial ideas

- how to build an understanding of chosen Data Space

- what they intend to study

- as a designer what they find interesting in that particular Data Space

- through their research students become acquainted and knowledgable in on of the given topics

Mindmap (on paper)

Visual Mood board (digital, use a grid to organise images)

other ideas?

Finding a Data Space

Activity 5

The development of ideas and formulating a concept begins with group discussions, sketches, planning, and feedback to prepare a project proposal based on chosen Data Spaces topic.

Project: briefing Data Spaces

7

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Data Spaces Project Proposal

Prepare a project proposal that outlines background, objectives, approach and timeline to arrive at a printed or web-based publication documenting your Data Spaces artefact(s), findings and insights to be presented in week 13.

Your proposal is due week 9

Data Spaces

Project

Proposal Template

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Chosen Topic

Data Spaces

Project

Project Title

Continue working towards a proposal based on topic chosen last week or take the time and opportunity today to review and change.

Project

Proposal Template

Plan the following weeks according to milestones and in-class activities.

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Preferred Publication Format

Data Spaces

Project

Proposal Template

At the end of the semester, students will produce a publication (per project-group) documenting and summarising their process, findings and artefacts that they have worked on for the Data Spaces project.

This publication will be a website or a print publication. The format chosen must well document and summarise the process, your findings and the final outcome , the artefact(s), produced.

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Data Spaces

Project

for example

print publication

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Data Spaces

Project

Grid is a

must, always!

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Anne Geene

for example

print publication

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Data Spaces

Project

Book of Plants,

Anne Geene

for example

print publication

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Project

Dimension of Two,

Norm

for example

print publication

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Data Spaces

Project

for example

web publication

web publication

Due Week 9

Homework

Project proposal based on template and instructions given, presentation slides to be presented week 9.

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Data Spaces

Project

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Project Briefing

Data Spaces

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Week 9, Project Presentations

D301

D501

Data Spaces

Project

Week 11 and 12

Consultation and project development, each group to see 2 different lecturers over the course of both weeks.

upload presentation to shared folder, click here.

This week will be mostly self-directed and independent study. Your lecturers will be on campus in case you want to receive feedback. You are expected to further develop your experiments.

Project: development

12

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Deliverables for Data Spaces Project

22–23

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Content structure for publication

Data Spaces

Project

1 Process documentation

What you did over the duration of the project. Document and summarise the process in stages from ideation to initial testing and final outcomes with annotated images (videos or sketches for web publication).

2 Findings and Insights

How you made sense of what you were making, mistakes included. For a detailed break down see following slides (applies to both publication options).

3 Outcomes

Selection of images, videos and, if applicable, p5js sketches that present your results in a high-quality and polished manner and format.

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

2 Findings and Insights

Data Spaces

Project

2.1 Description

Briefly describe and contextualise the data topic and the data you have chosen to work with so that the reader has a better understanding of what they are reading and looking at. (~100 words supported by images, video, other media where applicable)

2.2 Findings and Insights

In a brief written reflection you contextualise and share your thoughts addressing why you have chosen a particular topic and data, what informed your ideation and design decisions, what did the data tell you and what did you intend to communicate to the reader with your project. (~120 words supported by images, video, other media where applicable)

2.3 Design Decisions

Design decisions can relate to, for example, aesthetics, visual elements, colours, layout, typography and fonts used, animations or interactivity that you have chosen to use. Tell the reader about it. (~100 words supported by images, video, other media where applicable)

2.4 Challenges

Talk a bit about the challenges you have encountered and how you resolved them. This can address technical, group-related and other challenges. (~100 words supported by images, video, other media where applicable)

Content structure for publication

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

2 Findings and Insights

Data Spaces

Project

2.5 Feedback

Talk about the feedback you go from others that you shared your work with. Here for example address overall impression of project outcomes, publication, interpretation of topic, aesthetics, visuals, readability (~100 words supported by images, video, other media where applicable)

2.6 Achievements

Talk a bit about your achievements from a team's perspective and outcomes produced. (~80 words supported by images, video, other media where applicable)

To summarise, your publication will include the following 3 sections

1 Process

2 Findings and Insights

3 Outcomes

Selection of images, videos and, if applicable, p5js sketches that present your results in a high-quality and polished manner and format.

Content structure for publication

Deadlines

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Week 14

Show and tell; project presentation. Students can show their publication draft to receive feedback.

Submission of final publication

Option Web: link and source files

Option Print: pdf and printed

Data Spaces

Project

Week 16

To better understand how your work is progressing, we will conduct a work check, do bring all necessary materials to your consultation so we can help you to progress to the next stage of your project, presentation and documentation.

Project: work check

13

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

22–23

Data Spaces

B-DC 221

Computation in Design 3

Data Spaces

Project

Download website template

After downloading the template, familiarise yourself with it and adapt the individual pages to your project requirements. You should also structure the different sections according to last week's content structure briefing - click here to see the slides.