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Art- Science- Collaborations: Examine the Spectrum

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Collaborations between artists, visualization specialists and scientists produce a broad range of outcomes. They vary widely in purpose, scope and form. Being familiar with the range of possibilities as well as understanding the vocabulary and processes of the respective disciplines fascilitates the process. The collaboration process ranges from artists assisting with color maps and design decisions to scientists collaborating with artists on work designed to hang in a gallery. The outcomes often extend beyond the original intent. Visualization specialist and scientists speak of the surprising impacts on their work. Art and visualization both are exploratory processes as well as communication avenues. Collaborations between the three fields show the potential for outcomes from increasing understanding of science to discovering solutions to significant problems of our time.
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Art - Science - Visualization Collaborations:
Examining the Spectrum
Francesca Samsel, University of Texas at El Paso
Fig. 1. Jan Tulp, Global Council Interlinkage visualization Fig. 2. Nathalie Miebach, In the Shadow of a Giant (detail)
Abstract Collaborations between artists, visualization specialists and scientists produce a broad range of outcomes. They vary
widely in purpose, scope and form. Being familiar with the range of possibilities as well as understanding the vocabulary and
processes of the respective disciplines fascilitates the process. The collaboration process ranges from artists assisting with color
maps and design decisions to scientists collaborating with artists on work designed to hang in a gallery. The outcomes often
extend beyond the original intent. Visualization specialist and scientists speak of the surprising impacts on their work. Art and
visualization both are exploratory processes as well as communication avenues. Collaborations between the three fields show the
potential for outcomes from increasing understanding of science to discovering solutions to significant problems of our time.
Index TermsDesign, Data Visualization, Art-Science-Tech Collaborations, Art, Visualization. NOTE: I tried to access the officail
list for the INDEX TERMS via the web and via the email a s IEEE instructs but no no avail. Please feel free to r evise.
1 INTRODUCTION
Collaborations between artists, visualization specialists and scientists
cover a wide spectrum. Understanding the range and types of collaborations
gives all parties a means through which to explore their options and
possibilities. The two images above represent the range of blending the two
fields. On the left is a beautifully executed visualization by Jan Tulp, [fig. 1]
who is trained in computer science a well as visual art. On the right is a
sculpture by Nathalie Miebach, [fig. 2] an artist who builds sculptures based
on environmental data she collects.
Information and scientific visualizations are typically produced with
computer graphic programs for display on monitors. Multi-media artists
using visualization as the foundation of their work often adopted these
technologies, while other artists have maintained tradition artistic materials.
While the visualization professionals focus on communication, the artists are
seeking to provide connection. Both groups are involved in examining and
communicating data and science. The artist community speaks of the desire
to depict the science in a language that also speaks to our humanity. It is this
spectrum of visualizations, their uses and audiences that will be discussed
here.
2 THE SPECTRUM
Collaborations come in as many forms as there are artists and visualization
scientists. Most also involve the scientist whose research produced the data.
Some scientists seek assistance with the design elements of their
visualization, others want to collaborate on works of art. There is much
interesting work being produced in collaborations in between those two poles.
The outcomes are clearer visualizations, visualizations that communicate on
an emotional as well as intellectual level. Unexpectedly, there are
collaborations that are moving the arts as well as the sciences into new
directions, opening up new fields of artistic practice and changing the
direction of visualization science and the science behind the data. The value
of these collaborations is being acknowledged by funding agencies across the
disciplines. Examination of the common traits within these successful
collaborations will provide a roadmap for those considering working across
disciplines.
As the data sets grow and the variables become more complex, scientists
are turning to artists to become part of their team. The reasons are many. The
following is an introduction to the spectrum work, established best practices
for maximizing the outcomes and the benefits coming from the field.
2.1 Expanding the Vocabulary of Visualization
Embracing artistic collaboration, Daniel Keefe and his team at the Interactive
Visualization Lab, University of Minnesota, work with artists to expand the
Francesca Samsel is an Assistant Research Professor in the
CyberShARE Center for Excellence Visualization Lab at the
University of Texas, El Paso. Research. E
-
mail: fjsamsel@utep.edu.
Manuscript received
For information on obtaining reprints of this article, please send
e
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mail to: tvcg@computer.org.
vocabulary of data visualization. From the earliest stage of visualization
process he and his team engage artists in the develop of the visualization
construction. They are taking advantage of an expanded artistic language and
the iterative design process to create new tools for creating clear, readily
understood visualizations.
Keefe explains his motivation for working with artists this way: “Artist
and scientist teams push technology in creative new directions, often resulting
in exciting new modes of interacting with computers that can impact many
domains across science, engineering, and medicine.” [1]
Figure 3 shows the artist’s rendering. Figure 4 is the resulting
visualization.
The intent of this collaboration was to create means multiple of clearly
visualizing the stresses in the rotation of patients with back injuries. It is an
example of artistic practice aiding in the clarity of the visualization and
forwarding the science. The funding source and need for specific results
places this collaboration clearly on the science end of the spectrum.
Fig. 3. D. Keefe, from artist’s thumbnail sketches [1],
Interactive Visualization Lab, Univ. of Minnesota
Fig. 4. D. Keefe, resulting visualization [1]
Interactive Visualization Lab, Univ. of Minnesota
2.2 Artist’s Vis, Info VisComparing the Tools
Side stepping discussions of what is and isn’t art, visualizations created
by fine artist differs from info visualizations in that the intent is different.
The distinction is not in hierarchy, but the primary purpose of the work. The
primary goal of info visualization is direct commutation on a specific topic.
Alternatively, fine art presents layers of visual connections, analogies and
metaphor. With art, viewers add their own life experience to the mix,
resulting in individual internal experiences. Its’ intent is to raise questions
rather than provide answers. Information visualization and scientific
visualization are tools for conveying complex information in a
comprehendible form. That itself is an art and there are many info
visualizations that take your breath away. The distinction is in the primary
intent. Understanding the components gives us the ability to choose when,
where and in what strength to apply the tools of each disciple. That said, all
visualization are a blend of both disciples. All lie in the spectrum between
seeking answers and asking questions.
2.2.1 Mark Lombardi
Mark Lombardi is a visual artist who began working on drawings that tracked
the entwined connections and relationships within the global banking system,
in the 1980’s. The drawings are based on information he collected from
newspapers and his own research, uncovering the out-of-view connections in
the world banking system. Developed in the days before commonly used info
vis software, his approach is low-tech but very effective. The look similar to
info vis but their intent is different. The “information” is artists collected and
selected. It is as much political commentary rather than a scientifically
complete data set. [Fig.5]
Lasting art depicts the concerns of its time while retaining relevance for
generations to come. Lombardi’s work does just that. Speaking to the
economic imbalance and the closed interconnected spheres of influence
within the global banking system, the BCCI series provides stunning
drawings that speak to our heart, eye and mind.
Fig. 5. Mark Lombardi, BCCI-ICIC & FAB, 1972-91 (4th Version),
19962000 [16]
Fig. 6. Mark Lombardi, BCCI-ICIC & FAB, 1972-91 (4th Version),
19962000 (detail) 2000.250.1 [16]
2.2.2 Jan Tulp
Jan Tulp’s visualization of the Global Agenda Council’s Interlinkage [fig.
1] is an interesting contrast to Lombardi’s BCCI-ICIC. Both are dealing with
international financial networks. Tulps’ visualization reveals an immense
amount of data through the interactive elements of the work. It is an
interactive piece that allows viewers to explore the relationships and
clustering between the Councils. It also exposes areas where the density of
the council’s networks diminishes the value of those connections.
2.3 A Standing Team - Art and Visualization
The field of visualization is growing rapidly. There are now many
practitioners well schooled in both data visualization and artistic practice.
“Wind Map” is a stunning example. It simultaneously incorporates all of the
requirements of a scientific visualization i.e., clarity and accuracy while
maintaining the beauty, emotional impact and metaphoric qualities of art.
Fig. 6 Viegas, M. Wattenberg, Wind Map [ ]
Viegas and Wattenberg’s description of the project details the blend of
artistic and scientific intent. They state, “The map was created in the cold
winter months when wind was much on our minds. It conveys the movement
of the air in the most basic way: with visual motion. As an artwork that
reflects the real world, its emotional meaning changes from day to day. On
calm days it can be a soothing meditation on the environment; during
hurricanes it can become ominous and frightening. Although we made the
wind map as an artistic exploration, we've been surprised by the kinds of
things people use it for: bird watchers have tracked migration patterns;
bicyclists have planned their trips; and we've even seen conspiracy theorists
use it to track mysterious chemicals in the air.” [6]
2.4 Twelve Minds
Like Viegas and Wattenberg, Ruth West, Associate Professor at the
University of Northern Texas and the Director of xREZ lab, is an
interdisciplinary artist-researcher working with emerging technologies. She
has a depth of training and knowledge in art, science and visualization,
specifically, new media, molecular genetics, information aesthetics, scientific
visualization, as well as virtual / immersive environments.
In collaboration with twelve partners she spearheaded “ATLAS in silico”.
[fig.7] It is a room size virtual environment where visitors can explore
interpreted renderings of the Global Ocean Survey, a recent pioneering
voyage of discovery circumnavigating the Earth's oceans, providing a new
picture of life on Earth.
Images and multichannel audio are created through a process that
combines genetic information from microorganisms collected by the Global
Ocean Survey with environmental and social data from the geographical
locations in which the organisms were found. Participants explore
relationships within data that span from the molecular to the global. [7]
Fig. 8. A. Brown, A. Fagg, “Bion
Fig. 7 R. West , “ATLAS,in silico
Images and multichannel audio are created through a process that
combines genetic information from microorganisms collected by the Global
Ocean Survey with environmental and social data from the geographical
locations in which the organisms were found. Participants explore
relationships within data that span from the molecular to the global. [7]
2.5 Art which Collects and Illuminates Data
Bion [fig. 8] is the result of a collaboration between Adam Brown, a
conceptual artist, and Andrew Fagg, a computer scientist working in
bioengineering. It is an interactive art installation illuminating, literally,
human computer interaction. The installation is composed of hundreds of
mass-produced, 3-dimensional glowing and chirping sculptural forms their
creators call bions. As visitors enter the room, the bions recognize and
responds to their presence and proximity. The bions communicate that
information between themselves and the viewers through visual and auditory
means. As time passes the response diminishes only to increase when new
visitors arrive. It is as if the bions sense a new presence, tell the others and
then relax once the new presence is determined not to be a threat. “Bion”
makes reference to an individual element of primordial biological energy
identified as orgone by the scientist Wilhelm Reich. Each bion, measuring
approximately 4×3x2 ½ inches is a synthetic “life-form” fitted with an audio
speaker, blue lights and multiple sensors. The bions are suspended by fine
gage wire connected to panels that are attached to the ceiling. When installed
the panels form clusters of bions arranged at different elevations. Each bion
has the ability to communicate with the others and with viewers that enter the
space. [8]
2.6 Artistic Materials, Artist Collected Data
Nathalie Mielbach is a sculptor whose work is based on self-collected and
externally-collected environmental data of marine environments. Staying
true to the numbers, she creates sculptural glyphs to represent the variable
and geographical data. The glyphs and woven elements create a hybrid
sculptural visualization that functions both as sculpture and data visualization.
Her interest is in the role visual aesthetics plays in the translation and
understanding of scientific information. [15]
“Changing Waters” [fig.9] is based on meteorological and oceanic
interactions within the Gulf of Maine. Using data from NOAA and
GOMOSS buoys, the work depicts data about the seasonal variations of
marine life.
The large-scale installation consists of a 33-foot-long wall containing
plotted information through the geographic anchors of a map of the Gulf of
Maine. Additional structures depict biological, chemical and geophysical
relationships between marine ecosystems and weather patterns. There are
also a series of large, hanging structures that depict specific biological,
chemical or geophysical relationships between marine ecosystems and
weather patterns. [15]
Fig. 9. N. Miebach,Changing Waters
The work is clearly hand constructed from everyday materials that like
Lombardi’s drawings portray the science with a human imprint.
2.7 Multiple Outcomes
One solution to the balance within collaborations is to opt for multiple
outcomes. This allows for the needs and interests of both parties to be
accommodated.
Artists are often asked to assist with color maps or contextual
frameworks. Below is one such example. Collaborating with Sean Williams
of the Research Visualization Team at Los Alamos National Labs we tested
out our interest in working together by developing a new color map on ocean
eddy visualization. Williams, working with the oceanographic team and their
data, developed a visualization tracking the ocean eddies worldwide.
Understanding eddy patterns assists in the accuracy of climate change models
because the eddies are a determining factor in ocean carbon absorption. Our
goal was simply to enhance the distinctions within the visualization through
adjustments in the color map.
Fig. 10. S. Williams, Detail of ocean eddy visualization, Global Eddy
Analysis and Visualization [3]
Many artists shy away from this type of request. However, some of my
most rewarding extended collaborations I have been evolved in started from
small beginnings. As an artist working on environmental issues within the
oceans, I was more than glad to work on the color mapping. In exchange, I
received access to research and the visualization itself. With the visualization
as the corner stone, I built a body of work about environmental changes
occurring in the oceans.
Fig. 11. S. Williams, same as above with revised color by F. Samsel
3 PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
For collaborations to succeed mutually beneficial goals and parameters need
to be established. The first question to ask is what is the primary goal of the
collaboration? Is it a visualization? A piece of art? A visual documentation
of the science? Or is the plan to produce multiple outcomes? Some
collaborators begin with a specific goal or desired product. Others decide on
open-ended explorations. The category of intention is often driven by the
source of funding and balance between parties. More often than not, the
plans are to start on one pole or the other art or science but the outcomes
end up either somewhere in the middle or with multiple results.
Goals are a starting point. Along the way surprises develop. Craig
Tweedie, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Director of the
Systems Ecology Lab at the University of Texas, El Paso, a long time
collaborator, responded this way when asked why he had given me such
extensive access to his sites and staff. “We have shared a great deal of our
data and she has, through the combination of multimedia and digital media,
been able to completely alter how we view the ecosystems we study and the
types of data discovery we have pursued.”
3.1 Why Collaboration
The first question is usually why would visualization teams want an artist in
their lab? Researchers who have done so repeatedly speak of the unexpected
impact of the artist’s presence on their work.
Robert Root-Bernstein, Professor of Physiology at Michigan State
University, is a long-standing advocate and researcher of art- science
collaborations who has looked back to collect data. He has written
extensively on art-science collaborations as one of the factors driving
scientific progress. He explains, “Science and engineering are supposed to be
objective, intellectual, analytical, and reproducible so that it is clear when an
effective solution has been achieved to a problem. The arts, literature, and
music, by contrast, are portrayed as being subjective, sensual, empathic, and
unique, so that it is often unclear whether a specific problem is being
addressed let alone whether a solution is achieved. It therefore comes as a
considerable surprise to find that many scientists and engineers employ the
arts as scientific tools, and that various artistic insights have actually preceded
and made possible subsequent scientific discoveries and their practical
applications.[10] His research is detailed in “Sparks of Genius”.
Most collaborations begin as limited short-term expectations but many
scientists report that they are still working with an artist years later. The
reasoning, like art, is hard to pin down, but the number of collaborations
which have expand into years and / or career-long bodies of work speaks for
itself.
3.2 Chaos Theory and Acoustic Art Combine to Address
Insect Infestations Contributing to Climate Change
Fig. 12 D. Dunn, J. Crutchfield, Sound scales [3]
One such example is the work David Dunn and Jim Crutchfield who have
been collaborating for many years. David Dunn is a composer who focuses
on the development of strategies and technologies for environmental sound
monitoring in both aesthetic and scientific contexts. Jim Crutchfield, directs
its Complexity Sciences Center, at the University of California, Davis, and
promotes science interventions in non-scientific settings. Their combined
diverse backgrounds lead to significant advances in understanding
communication methods of insects. Connecting rapidly expanding insect
populations, deforestation, global climate change, their research demonstrates
the significant role that bioaustics can play in disrupting the cycle. For
example, they have discovered sound frequencies that turn the beetles
cannibalistic. This knowledge opens the doors for a nontoxic bioacoustic
mechanism for detection and control strategies, a significant advance to a
growing problem. [2]
The chemical approach to controlling insect populations grew out of
biology and chemistry collaborations. Crutchfield explains, It is precisely
this kind of intentional cooperation between disciplinesbut now over a
greater range of scalesthat will most likely lead to new strategies for
monitoring and defense against what seems to be a growing threat to the
world’s forests and ultimately to humanity itself. [3]
3.3 Selecting an Artist
It is all about the chemistry. Seasoned collaborators recommend a strikingly
similar set of criteria - mutual respect, mutually agreed upon goals, clearly
defined roles, clear communication, and most importantly, an interest and
understanding of each others work. Rather than seeking someone with a
demonstrated track record in a specific field or a familiar aesthetic, consider
selecting someone who intrigues you, someone who you’d like to share a
second cup of coffee. Is there interest in each others ideas? Is the
communication clear? Is there mutual respect and curiosity?
3.4 Establishing Evaluation Markers
Collaborations are like experiments. You invest time and effort, evaluate
the results, and decide whether to continue. Scientific-artistic collaborations
are the same. A way to ease the process is to set up mutually agreed-upon
evaluation points for the project. Artists need time to gain an understanding
of the project and / or science, as well as to develop their ideas. It is helpful
to everyone if the scope of the project is clearly defined.
3.5 Assumptions
Collaborations bring together two different cultures. I am always surprised at
the assumptions we all bring to the table on both sides. A basic
understanding of each others constraints will smooth the process. Scientists
are under tremendous pressure to keep their labs and experiments moving
forward. Visualization specialists are fighting bugs, glitches and deadlines.
Artists need time for contemplation and exploring multiple directions. Based
on past experience, to artists I would suggest, presenting questions, needs and
requests in an organized condensed fashion. To the engineers, understand
that detours along the way are part of the process.
3.6 Language
Equally important is an awareness of the language used in each community.
Surprisingly, it is not the scientific terminology that causes confusion but the
common language used with our peers.
The vocabulary divide comes from both sides. Consider the following
example. I was giving a lecture on color theory to a visualization team.
Warm colors, cool colors, saturated, primary all were easily understood. A
hand shot up when I began speaking about neutral color. The question,
“What is a neutral color?’ left me stumbling for a clear definition. It is a such
a fundamental concept in the arts, framing an explanation for a scientific
audience gave me pause.
3.7 Medium
Artists use a range of medium, visual and otherwise. Artists are exploring
sound and movement as visualization mediums as well as non-traditional
medium.
3.7.1 Music Notes as Data Points
Daniel Crawford, a cello-playing undergraduate at the University of
Minnesota, came up with a new way to describe both the trend and variations
characterizing our warming climate. He composed, “Song of Our Warming
Planet ”, in which the notes represent annual temperature readings from 1880
to 2012 as charted by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. [17]
3.7.2 Data Cuisine
“Kippis” Susanna Jaschko and Moritz Stefaner lead a workshop, “Open Data
Cooking Workshop”, using of food and the properties of specific foods as a
visualization medium. Participants explored ways to represent local data
through the inherent qualities of food such as color, form, texture, smell, taste
and the associations correlated with specific foods. A particularly captivating
piece is “Kippis”, map of Finland depicts the differences in alcohol
consumption across regions. Each region is symbolized with typical food
from the area. The amount of wine, beer, and spirits consumed (compared to
the average) is shown in the fill height of three glasses per region. [9]
Translating food into data visualization needs to take into account the
associations and connotations of the specific foods just as the associations
and connotations of specific colors impact our reading of information
visualization.
Fig. 13 Open Data Cooking Workshop, Kippis,Finnish for cheers. [9]
This project was unusual not just in medium but in it’s purpose. Jacshko
explains, “Most importantly I was looking for an interesting way to make
people look at publicly available data and deal with it in an non-standardized
way. I believe that art and design processes like the collective research we are
talking about, enable us to see our society from a very different angle than the
one that is presented to us by science, politics, history or mass media.[9]
3.7.3 Surprise and Humor
“Messa di Voce’ (Italian for “placing the voice”) is a multi-media
performance in which the sound from the performers are translated into
images on the screen. It is a whimsical work exploring pattern and sound.
The images created by the sound offer an interesting look at the possibilities
for sound visualization, which could be adapted to information or scientific
visualization. [13] http://vimeo.com/2892576. The collaborators on this
project were Golan Levin, Jaap Blonk, Joan La Barbara, Zach Lieberman.
4 CONNECTING SCIENCE TO OUR EVERYDAY LIVES
John Kingdon speaks to the value of intuition and the need to connect
science to our everyday lives. “Art is above all a science and science is the
context of life today, it is the hydra conditioning our environment both
physically and through perception, informing every sense with allusions, the
complexity of which can best be grasped intuitively. Our experience is felt
rather than analyzed as in science, rather is it reorganized into forms and
colors that effect a meaning…. The wondering dialectic mind of science
expressing a poetry of growth and structure and life.” [11]
Multi-disciplinary collaborations facilitate our human need for
connection, to others, to the world, and to understanding. The complexity
and breadth of knowledge today requires that we connect and collaboration
with those outside of our spheres. The scientist benefits from intuitive
thinking, the artist from linear thinking, and the visualization specialists are
needed to connect the complexity.
Fig. 14 Antony Gromley, Isa [18]
5 CONCLUSION
For many scientists the materials, prototypes, and unrelated objects of an
artist’s studio is a cacophony. Exposing their labs to the influences of a
stereotypical artist’s environment would give anyone pause. Allotting time to
facilitate that chaotic mysterious process requires convincing. From the
artists perspective, the usual request of helping to create a visual worthy of a
journal cover is meet with similar enthusiasm.
Discussing the spectrum of collaborative processes and alternatives
provides a starting point for envisioning possible outcomes. It allows
scientists to set boundaries around their commitment. It removes unknowns
from the cost of entry. Most collaborators discover unexpected benefits of
from the initial experiences. Those experiences pave the way to more
substantial work.
Marjorie Blumenthal and Ken Goldberg offer this thought: “Bridging
the two cultures is a grand challenge. There is a fundamental asymmetry and
complementarity between them: the word Science comes from the Greek “to
cut.” The word Art comes from the Latin “to join.” The results can be
extremely productive by expanding public interest and engagement with both
sectors, bringing new topics to new audiences, and educating and inspiring
the next generation to transcend existing boundaries to discover and create
the future of innovations.”[12] Visualization is the glue that that connects the
cuts and holds the joints.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Francesca Samsel would like to thank the Texas Advanced Computing Center
for the assistance of their staff and generous use of their facilities.
REFERENCES
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Rolandhttp://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/12219/12220
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[16] M. Lombardi, http://whitney.org/Collection/MarkLombardi
[17] A. Revkin, Global Warming Trend and Variations Charted by Cello”,
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[18] Antony Gromley, Spine, 2006 http://www.antonygormley.com
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In this paper, we introduce a creative pipeline to incorporate physiological and behavioral data from contemporary marine mammal research into data-driven animations, leveraging functionality from industry tools and custom scripts to promote scientific insights, public awareness, and conservation outcomes. Our framework can flexibly transform data describing animals’ orientation, position, heart rate, and swimming stroke rate to control the position, rotation, and behavior of 3D models, to render animations, and to drive data sonification. Additionally, we explore the challenges of unifying disparate datasets gathered by an interdisciplinary team of researchers, and outline our design process for creating meaningful data visualization tools and animations. As part of our pipeline, we clean and process raw acceleration and electrophysiological signals to expedite complex multi-stream data analysis and the identification of critical foraging and escape behaviors. We provide details about four animation projects illustrating marine mammal datasets. These animations, commissioned by scientists to achieve outreach and conservation outcomes, have successfully increased the reach and engagement of the scientific projects they describe. These impactful visualizations help scientists identify behavioral responses to disturbance, increase public awareness of human-caused disturbance, and help build momentum for targeted conservation efforts backed by scientific evidence.
... Furthermore, these artistic explorations could lead to pragmatic outcomes. 15,16 We plan to continue our collaboration with researchers at Keysight Technologies to introduce novel interactive visualization techniques in order to better view and manage the growing amount of communications data transmitted via radio spectrum. For example, Murray describes a future project using the N6841A RF sensor: "Transporting the sensor throughout the city allows us to record detailed data related to the geography and behavior of urban communications and to tell stories using the patterns we find." ...
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... Two papers explored novel information visualization approaches: Etemad et al. [10] present a novel approach to node-link diagrams, inspired by multiple artistic sources, in which edge crossing are completely removed from visualization; and Feng et al. [11] discuss the use of affect and texture as a method to enhance visualization and to infuse it with a greater range of meaning. Finally, two authors continue the conversation begun in last year's VISAP by Gates et al. [15], Samsel [27], and West et al. [37], each who found parallels between the relation of visualization and aesthetics and the broader discourse on art-science collaboration: Dolinsky and Hangarter [8] discuss an interactive art-science project that takes place in an educational context, and Walker and von Ompteda [35] discuss a series of projects involving artworks created in collaboration with scientists. In sum, the submissions to this year's VISAP were especially strong. ...
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Proceedings of the IEEE VIS Arts Program (VISAP)
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Scientists today can collect more data than they can perceive using traditional visualization methods. New technologies and sensors allow researchers to gather dynamic, complex multi-dimensional data sets---all of which must be carefully studied to reveal their hidden patterns and narratives. The authors have utilized an immersive platform to design a new visualization for real-time, intuitive, spatial manipulations of time-based volumetric data sets via a wand-based gestural interface. The resulting work resolves microscopic tissue structures at a human scale in a room-based pixel space, facilitating research, discovery, and in-person teaching and collaboration.
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It is undoubtable that there is a reciprocity relationship between the different sciences and fields of knowledge. The relation between art and science is one that extends ancient times since both of them use search and experimentation methods in pursuit of reaching the best results and satisfactory solutions which makes them in continuous development. Likewise, Art education draws its references and aesthetic values from all that is found neoteric whether it is in nature, heritage or other sciences. The idea of integration between art and science prompts on finding innovative ways towards creativity, because whenever the sources behind the design were of a scientific nature, the higher the visual connotations are closer to perception and mental receptivity. Hence, researchers are trying to create new experimental approaches through the study and analysis of some physical phenomena, such as energy, frequency and vibration, which produces precise and perfect artistic forms in harmonious rhythms and in accordance with formalized geometric and mathematical relations of scientific origin that can be used by art students to create innovative design works as intellectual starting points, can be consulted and relied on as technical references, with a formal logic, and mental legitimation, which contributes to the enrichment of the aesthetic values of the art work. So, this study aims to take advantage of some physical phenomena such as energy and frequency and vibration and its formal output as an innovative source in teaching arts.
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We introduce Artifact-Based Rendering (ABR), a framework of tools, algorithms, and processes that makes it possible to produce real, data-driven 3D scientific visualizations with a visual language derived entirely from colors, lines, textures, and forms created using traditional physical media or found in nature. A theory and process for ABR is presented to address three current needs: (i) designing better visualizations by making it possible for non-programmers to rapidly design and critique many alternative data-to-visual mappings; (ii) expanding the visual vocabulary used in scientific visualizations to depict increasingly complex multivariate data; (iii) bringing a more engaging, natural, and human-relatable handcrafted aesthetic to data visualization. New tools and algorithms to support ABR include front-end applets for constructing artifact-based colormaps, optimizing 3D scanned meshes for use in data visualization, and synthesizing textures from artifacts. These are complemented by an interactive rendering engine with custom algorithms and interfaces that demonstrate multiple new visual styles for depicting point, line, surface, and volume data. A within-the-research-team design study provides early evidence of the shift in visualization design processes that ABR is believed to enable when compared to traditional scientific visualization systems. Qualitative user feedback on applications to climate science and brain imaging support the utility of ABR for scientific discovery and public communication.
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Within this chapter, we explore a conceptual framework of the simulacra for the ecological art project, echo::system. We will describe an arts-driven process which bridges practice and research to consider how diverse fragments of ecological information can be synthesized into emergent structures for exhibition, participation, and performance. We draw on our experiences of developing mediated simulacra of urban-desert landscapes through interdisciplinary collaboration and expertise, to qualify the challenges and opportunities of such a process. Further, we consider the impact of movement-based participation on the perception of the public. Finally, we attempt to disambiguate the roles of narrative, performer, audience, media, and computation in order to articulate how this framework supports the dynamic expression of real and imagined ecologies.
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In this position paper we discuss successes and limitations of current evaluation strategies for scientific visualizations and argue for embracing a mixed methods strategy of evaluation. The most novel contribution of the approach that we advocate is a new emphasis on employing design processes as practiced in related fields (e.g., graphic design, illustration, architecture) as a formalized mode of evaluation for data visualizations. To motivate this position we describe a series of recent evaluations of scientific visualization interfaces and computer graphics strategies conducted within our research group. Complementing these more traditional evaluations our visualization research group also regularly employs sketching, critique, and other design methods that have been formalized over years of practice in design fields. Our experience has convinced us that these activities are invaluable, often providing much more detailed evaluative feedback about our visualization systems than that obtained via more traditional user studies and the like. We believe that if design-based evaluation methodologies (e.g., ideation, sketching, critique) can be taught and embraced within the visualization community then these may become one of the most effective future strategies for both formative and summative evaluations.
Conference Paper
In this position paper we discuss successes and limitations of current evaluation strategies for scientific visualizations and argue for embracing a mixed methods strategy of evaluation. The most novel contribution of the approach that we advocate is a new emphasis on employing design processes as practiced in related fields (e.g., graphic design, illustration, architecture) as a formalized mode of evaluation for data visualizations. To motivate this position we describe a series of recent evaluations of scientific visualization interfaces and computer graphics strategies conducted within our research group. Complementing these more traditional evaluations our visualization research group also regularly employs sketching, critique, and other design methods that have been formalized over years of practice in design fields. Our experience has convinced us that these activities are invaluable, often providing much more detailed evaluative feedback about our visualization systems than that obtained via more traditional user studies and the like. We believe that if design-based evaluation methodologies (e.g., ideation, sketching, critique) can be taught and embraced within the visualization community then these may become one of the most effective future strategies for both formative and summative evaluations.
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We present a study of interactive virtual reality visualizations of scientific motions as found in biomechanics experiments. Our approach is threefold. First, we define a taxonomy of motion visualizations organized by the method (animation, interaction, or static presentation) used to depict both the spatial and temporal dimensions of the data. Second, we design and implement a set of eight example visualizations suggested by the taxonomy and evaluate their utility in a quantitative user study. Third, together with biomechanics collaborators, we conduct a qualitative evaluation of the eight example visualizations applied to a current study of human spinal kinematics. Results suggest that visualizations in this style that use interactive control for the time dimension of the data are preferable to others. Within this category, quantitative results support the utility of both animated and interactive depictions for space; however, qualitative feedback suggest that animated depictions for space should be avoided in biomechanics applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Accumulating observational evidence suggests an intimate connection between rapidly expanding insect populations, deforestation, and global climate change. We review the evidence, emphasizing the vulnerability of key planetary carbon pools, especially the Earth's forests that link the micro-ecology of insect infestation to climate. We survey current research regimes and insect control strategies, concluding that at present they are insufficient to cope with the problem's present regional scale and its likely future global scale. We propose novel bioacoustic interactions between insects and trees as key drivers of infestation population dynamics and the resulting wide-scale deforestation. The bioacoustic mechanisms suggest new, nontoxic control interventions and detection strategies.
Gathering Steam: Bridging the Arts and Sciences to Expand
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M. Blumenthal, K. Goldberg, "Gathering Steam: Bridging the Arts and Sciences to Expand Public Interest in Technology, Engineering and Math", http://seadnetwork.wordpress.com
Global Warming Trend and Variations Charted by Cello
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Visualizing Motion Data in Virtual Reality: Understanding the Roles of Animation, Interaction, and Static Presentation
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D. Coffey, F. Korsakov, H. Hagh-Shenas, L. Thorson, A. Ellingson, D. Nuckley, D. Keefe. Visualizing Motion Data in Virtual Reality: Understanding the Roles of Animation, Interaction, and Static Presentation. Computer Graphics Forum (Presented at EuroVis 2012) (2012) Volume 31, Number 3pt3 pp. 1215-1224
Global Warming Trend and Variations Charted by Cello
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A. Revkin, "Global Warming Trend and Variations Charted by Cello", New York Times, July 2, 2013
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Antony Gromley, Spine, 2006 http://www.antonygormley.com