Further Data Research

'Diamond Jubilee Bunting Infographic' by Jam

I came across this bunting online at spreadingjam.com and thought it was a fun and quirky way of representing data visualization. Jam says their inspiration came from all the 'naff' jubilee trinkets that were on the market. The bunting features a jubilee celebration heat map and a break down of the various jubilee memorabilia there is out there. This again has opened my eyes to another possibility of how you can represent data. 

Data Research

I have begun to research into artists who use data in interesting ways. Here below are a few that caught my eye. 

                      'Meshu' by Sha Hwang and Rachel Binx

Meshu is a data location project with a difference, the designers idea allows you to select and enter locations on a map or use check ins from foursquare to create your own unique pieces of jewelry - necklaces,earrings,cuff links. It represents where you are, where you've been and where you are going in a data form which is not only personal but wearable. Materials used are acrylic, wood, nylon, and silver. 

'Ten artists, Ten years' by Arthur Buxton & Derek Ruths, 2012

This is data art of 10 famous artists such as Monet and Matisse and their paintings in pie chart form.The color distribution of each pie represents the five most used shades in each painting. I love the way such classics have been given a contemporary edge through the use of data to create a completely different interpretation of the paintings.   

'Stem' by Diana Lange 

Again this is colour data in such an interesting and unusual form. Diana Lange builds stems from colour processing through a processing application she has created that searches for images on Flickr which then creates beautiful eye catching compositions based on the colour data of the image. 

She says:

 'This little program looks for photos on flickr by a given search word. Afterwards, the colors of the photos are analyzed. The color itself gets detected and how often each color is found. This data is the foundation of every stem. Each segment represents one color of the photo, the diameter shows the quantity. The cell resolution in all segments is based on the brightness of the color.'

Mark Making Task

We were given 12 sentences such as 'A harsh black line meets a soft curved edge' and then had to interpret how we imagined this to be, on a small square of paper. I found this task exciting as I loved the freedom of being able to make all the different marks. I used biro pen, pastel and pencil. I think mark making is a really important aspect when it comes to designing as it allows you to explore and make positive mistakes. 

I decided to do a bit of research into artists who use mark making in an interesting way and came across Brice Mardens work. I love the simplicity of his work yet it's still interesting and textural. 

'Obama Letter' 2012 etching 35.6 x 35.6cm

                           'Etchings to Rexroth' 1996 etching & aquatint 203 x 172 mm

                          'Ten days' 1971 etching 30 x 21

Micheal Raedecker 'Mirage'

On our day trip to Liverpool, I visited the Walker Gallery where I came across this piece by Amsterdam born Michael Raedecker - 'Mirage 1999'. I was instantly attracted to the use of texture and mixed media that turned the almost bleak and haunted landscape painting into something interesting and exciting. The combination of the flat painted surface with the tactile use of embroidery made me want to look more closely at the piece as it was unexpected from a distance that areas you'd expect to just be painted, were in fact embroided. In terms of scale and colour the piece was of a large scale with murky earthy tones that all blended well together. Viewing this piece definitely confirmed the fact I enjoy and admire the use of mixed media as it adds more depth and texture to work and hopefully I will be experimenting in this way myself soon.