Communication without language / Importance of Context with Data / Crowd Sourced Data  

Communicating without language

The initial direction of our concept was to create an artistic visualisation, which also represented Data. While this is still a direction we want to pursue, there was one particular issue that was raised in a number of meetings. This was, if it was possible for our proposed visualisation to communicate the data we intended, in an instinctual way that didn't need explaining. By this I mean, the observer would understand the data being conveyed, without a need for context or a prior explanation.

Wether this be instantaneously or after a few moments of thought, the idea was for everyone to be able to interpret what they were seeing. Through instinct alone, using something that's ingrained in all of us.

As much as this idea appeals to all of us, it became clear after a few weeks of deliberation and brainstorming how difficult this task may be. This set me off trying to find what all humans have in common with regards communication and is it possible to portray data purely through human nature and instinct, a sort of international language.

This led me onto a number of articles which described using different mediums to communicate ideas and messages. The most interesting of which was a system of communication developed by Ajit Narayanan for children with autism that had issues with language and speech. 

Ajit Narayan TED Talk

I also discovered a number of other articles that explored the idea of non verbal communication, using mediums such as body language an facial expression, some of which we may be able to utilise in our project.

http://neuroanthropology.net/2010/07/21/life-without-language/

http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/02/24/communication-without-words/

Context

This is an aspect i had not fully appreciated until i had done some research into the area. The importance of this cannot be understated with Data. Without context you are essentially staring at meaningless imagery, shapes, colours or whatever the medlium of expression may be. A quote from an article written by Natan Yau for the BIGTHINK encapsulates this perfectly

Without context, data is useless, and any visualization you create with it will also be useless. Using data without knowing anything about it, other than the values themselves, is like hearing an abridged quote secondhand and then citing it as a main discussion point in an essay. It might be okay, but you risk finding out later that the speaker meant the opposite of what you thought.

This describes perfectly why we cannot understate its importance, or else we are majorly neglecting a massive part of what we are trying to achieve with Data Art. This is why it is so crutial to find a way to communicate what we are trying to represent, with whatever it is we eventually create. The article from the bigthink and another article about the importance of context are posted below.

http://bigthink.com/experts-corner/understanding-data-context

http://www.qualitydigest.com/magazine/2009/apr/department/no-data-have-meaning-without-context.html

Crowd Sourced Data / Data Art

Since the beginning of the module, the main area the group has been most interested in is the idea of crowd sourced data.
we wanted to use Data about People in an area, and display that information to the people. I began researching about different methods of collecting Data and displaying it, and came across some very helpful and interesting articles.
My favourite of these were TED talks done by Aaron Koblin and Jer Thorp.
They gave me a more human and artistic outlook on data, and showed how it can be used to create some beautiful imagery while also portraying a message.

https://www.ted.com/talks/aaron_koblin?language=en#t-93545

https://www.ted.com/talks/jer_thorp_make_data_more_human

Watching these videos gave me a deeper appreciation for using data for artistic purposes. I began looking at other artists who had incorporated data into their work.
This article from theatlantic described how people in artistic fields have began using the flow and movement of people to create beautiful pieces of artwork.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/05/the-rise-of-the-data-artist/392399/