Datagraphy

Datagraphy is a protocol-based series of visuals that blends coding, photography, and data processing. After years of developing my practice primarily around networks, code, and text, I wanted to push my exploration beyond the digital realm and into the physical world. This project arose from the question: How can I connect images and text while continuing to interrogate the empathic movement and the role of data in static artwork?

At its core, Datagraphy begins with photographs and videos captured outdoors, which are then transformed through a process that incorporates contextual and environmental data. The final visuals emerge as ASCII art (a conversion of images into text-based representations) enriched with metadata about the image. This metadata includes elements such as mapping information, weather conditions, and natural or contextual insights related to the photograph’s subject. These layers of information aim to offer viewers more than the surface story of the image.

The project operates across two formats: an online interactive version and a tangible print version. In the online version, each piece dynamically integrates text from interviews conducted about the images, embedding the voices of individuals tied to the context of the photographs. The print version serves as a static reflection of the process, offering a more meditative engagement with the visuals and their accompanying data.

What drives Datagraphy is my interest in how processed visuals can echo the intricate relationships embedded in their context. The aim is to evoke an empathic movement in the viewer, encouraging them to step beyond their own perceptions and into a shared understanding of the image’s environment and story. By layering data over visual art, Datagraphy attempts to recreate the natural, human process of interpreting and empathizing with the world around us, inviting a deeper connection between image, text, and context.

Ultimately, Datagraphy is not just about visual representation; it’s an exploration of how art, data, and empathy intersect. It challenges the static nature of traditional artwork by embedding a living narrative within each piece, offering a multidimensional experience that resonates beyond what meets the eye.

Online Project : Datagraphy Online Project