Research
Ideas and open questions between data visualization and drawing.
Statement
I use the R programming language to write algorithms that generate digital images. The idea is to code a sequence of operations, balancing designed rules and randomness, that generates a new output each time it is executed. These outputs, vector images, are instructions to drive a pen plotter, a mechanical method to draw those images on paper.
I often start from existing datasets, treating them as malleable materials to craft diverse visual representations. The whole process is very much like repurposing a tool originally made for statistical analysis and quantitative display of information for artistic endeavors.
By transforming data into ink on paper, i’m considering technology as a tool to investigate, to probe questions rather than solve them. Sometimes the algorithm produces exactly what was expected — disappointingly predictable. Other times it generates something surprising, which can become the most interesting starting point for the next iteration.
Open questions
How does a tool designed for statistical analysis can become an artistic medium?
Can the rapid feedback loop between coding and visual outputs develop a particular kind of intuition?
What can ink painting and calligraphy teach about expressivity in a digital and mechanical process?
More information
code examples github →
Tools
R ggplot2 dem pen plotter axidraw svg
Themes
landscape topography calligraphy asemic writing
Systems
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