“Debunking the quantified self through artistic data portraits” presented by Blasco-Soplon, Alsina and Mor

Symposium:

• ISEA2022: 27th International Symposium on Electronic Art
• More presentations from ISEA2022:  

• New Strategies for Design and Architecture

• Debunking the quantified self through artistic data portraits

• Laia Blasco-Soplon
• Pau Alsina
• Enric Mor

Venue(s):

• CCCB: Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

• Today the “quantified self” is a technical reality that structures datasets of all kinds of interfaces. These interfaces are created with the goal to establish, develop and transform the relationship with the self, the data and the society. In a “datified” world, data visualization challenges traditional representation systems by opening up a wide world of analytical and graphical opportunities. As user interfaces, data visualizations are artificial devices that carry cultural messages in a wide variety of forms and media. Additionally, data visualizations are never neutral mechanisms of data transmission since they affect the messages, providing a model of the world itself, a logical and ideological scheme. The fascination related with big data and the creation of increasingly sophisticated user interfaces pave the way for the proliferation of diverse mutations in the perception of the world and of ourselves. The false neutrality and transparency of quantitative representation of one’s own self is built on the assumption of a closed and measurable self that perceives itself as an entity that can be calibrated, compared and evaluated using numerical parameters. In this context, our research is focused around the implications and mechanisms of the quantified self and its visualization and also about the role that artworks based on data can play.

Keywords:

• quantified self
• qualified self
• artistic data visualization
• big data
• interface criticism

Category:

• Paper
• Short Paper