In most cases the same dataset can originate two parallel projects, respectively in Information Visualization and Information Art. I would even argue they should, since they can learn a lot from each other and cross-pollinate ideas, methods and techniques. And there are many designations that can easily encompass those projects, such as New Media Art, Computer Art, Algorithmic Art, or my favorite and recommended term: Information Art.Įven though a clear divide is necessary, it doesn’t mean that Information Visualization and Information Art cannot coexist. But in case the last option is chosen, the resulting outcome should start being categorized in a different way. Others will still want to pursue their own flamboyant experiments and not abide to any of this. Some will consider this insightful and try to follow these principles in their work. When talking to Stuart Eccles from Made by Many, after one of my lectures in August 2009, the idea of writing a manifesto came up and I quickly decided to write down a list of considerations or requirements, that rapidly took the shape of an Information Visualization Manifesto. However, I do feel it’s important to reemphasize the goals of Information Visualization, and at this stage make a clear departure from other parallel, yet distinct practices. They also represent important steps in this long progression for discovery, where we are still trying to understand how we can find new things with the rising amounts of data at our disposal. I don’t tend to be harshly censorial of many of the projects that over-glorify aesthetics over functionality, because I believe they’re part of our continuous growth and maturity as a discipline. But with more agents in a system you also have a stronger propensity for things to go wrong. The recent outburst of interest for Information Visualization caused a huge number of people to join in, particularly from the design and art community, which in turn lead to many new projects and a sprout of fresh innovation. When Martin Wattenberg and Fernanda Viégas wrote about Vernacular Visualization, in their excellent article on the July-August 2008 edition of interactions magazine, they observed how the last couple of years have witnessed the tipping point of a field that used to be locked away in its academic vault, far from the public eye. The criticism is slightly different from person to person, but it usually goes along these lines: “It’s just visualization for the sake of visualization”, “It’s just eye-candy”, “They all look the same”. Over the past few months I’ve been talking with many people passionate about Information Visualization who share a sense of saturation over a growing number of frivolous projects. “The purpose of visualization is insight, not pictures” Information Visualization Manifesto Posted: August 30th, 2009 | Author: Manuel Lima | Filed under: Uncategorized |
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