information aesthetics

silent energy consumption visualization

12 May 2008

an eco-visualization concept that aims to increase the awareness of energy usage. everyday objects are used to generate energy by piezoelectronic components that generate a small amount of electricity when moved (pressed down). the applications range from a simple keyboard button press (19mW) over opening a door (0.2W/s) to sitting on a chair (412W/s)

[link: yankodesign.com|via psfk.com]

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bus routes data sculpture

1 May 2008

a 3D data sculpture of the Sunday Minneapolis / St. Paul public transit system, where the horizontal axes represent directional movement and the vertical represents time.

the piece titled "bus structure 2am-2pm" is constructed of 47 horizontal layers, each forming a map of the bus routes that run during a given interval of time. looking down from the top, one sees the Sunday bus map of the Twin Cities, while looking from the side, the times appears as strata building upwards. within each layer, every transit route that operates at that time is represented by wood balls placed at its scheduled stops, connected by the horizontal copper rods. each route moves through time and space differently, carving out its own trail that may or may not meet conveniently with other routes.

in total 42 routes, 47 intervals of time & 296 bus stops are depicted by about a half-mile of copper rod & 6,000 wood balls, suspended in the air by hundreds of blue threads.

[link: rjustin.com (Bus Structure 2am-2pm) & rjustin.com (Mapping Mixed Information)|via visualcomplexity.com

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London crime statistics sculpture

30 April 2008

physical 3D landscape terrain models generated by datasets relating to the frequency & position of urban crimes. the precise statistics are provided by the police. each individual incident adds to the height of the model, forming a mountainous terrain. the resulting "Mountain Fear" objects do not describe an ideal other-worldly space separated from lived reality, but conversely describe in relentless detail the actuality of life on the city streets.

[link: abigailreynolds.com|thnkx Jack]

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online stalagmite bar graph

29 April 2008

a collective data sculpture that slowly grows each time a visitor expresses interest in a particular part of the Elektra digital art festival. the resulting "stalagmite bar graph" gives an overview of visitor appreciation for each of the different portions of the festival. a robot was custom built to drop pieces of tin depending on real-time user votes, while the image & sound from the sculpture is streamed live online for all to see.

[link: elektramontreal.ca & provokat.ca]

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phone usage data sculpture

15 April 2008

a physical data sculpture representing the movement & communication made with a cell phone in the timespan of 1 week. the aim of the project is to draw attention to the German telecommunications data retention act & the breach of privacy it constitutes. the law requires the telecommunications providers to store the connection data of all customers for 6 months & to make it available to law enforcement agencies upon request. the density of the cell sites reflects the speed & frequency of a person's movement within the city. the more often a place is visited, the more cell sites were added to the map.

[link: dasautomat.com|via dataisnature.com & we-make-money-not-art.com]

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crash test car results

4 April 2008

the physical depiction of the results of a crashed Ford Taurus. the blog dynamic diagrams considers this to be an interesting information design, for that it is literally a) a car crash, & b) is interactive, by allowing people to sit inside it. the 5-star rating for frontal & side crash tests is exemplified by the untouched passenger compartment.

[link: dynamicdiagrams.com]

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enerjar DIY energy display

11 February 2008

an easy-to-build device that accurately measures the power draw of electrical appliances. the EnerJar was the winner of the Greener Gadgets competition.