Output details
34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
Sheffield Hallam University
Data-Objects, Practice-led research inquiry
For many, statistical information and graphs remain abstract and unintelligible. This research investigates how we can interpret technical/digital information through the creation of physical objects to bring better understanding and increased accessibility to scientific data for a variety of audiences.
A pilot study of the data-objects concept was awarded an AHRC 'Digital Transformations' grant in 2012. In this study a number of physical objects were created to represent data gathered by packaging engineers on the ability of older people to open domestic containers (Yoxall1). Data-objects were created/crafted by hand and through computer-based modelling and 3D printing technologies. Visual metaphors were used to represent the data and individuals were asked to interact with the data-objects and discuss which objects effectively communicated the underlying information.
Related research includes: the book chapter ‘Data-Objects, Sharing The Attributes and Properties of Digital and Material Culture’, in Digital Media Technologies for Virtual Artistic Spaces, Dew Harrison (ed), IGI Global USA (2013); the panel presentation 'Making and Reading Material Data' at the International Symposium of Electronic Art (ISEA), Istanbul, Turkey (2011); the conference publication 'Enhancing the Understanding of Statistical Data Through the Creation of Physical Objects', at the 2nd International Conference on Design Creativity (ICDC2012) Glasgow; the paper ‘Databronze: The influence of material choices on the understanding of information represented as a physical object’, at the International Association of Societies of Design Research conference (IASDR), Tokyo 2013; and the paper/artefact/publication ‘Data-objects: Databronze’, presented and exhibited at the Praxis and Poetics conference, the Baltic, Newcastle 2013. To date, the data-objects have also been exhibited in Sheffield Hallam University and at the Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology (CWUATT). This work led to an invitation onto the TSB Internet of Things Road-mapping Workshop and an invite from InnovateUK to talk on Data Exploration.
