At first glance, the 16 visuals that make up Shapes of Inequalities — a new installation by the Italian information designer Federica Fragapane — don’t look like data. There are no bar graphs, no line charts, no axis labels. Instead, organic shapes unfurl across white space, like sea creatures or windblown petals. Their softness is deceptive. Installed under the overarching theme Inequalities at the 24th International Exhibition at Triennale Milano, the project translates hard, often brutal realities — economic injustice, climate crisis, gender-based violence — into a visual language that is both scientific and sensitive. It also formed the basis for a public talk Fragapane gave during the Art for Tomorrow conference, hosted in conjunction with the Triennale’s opening. In a conversation with designboom’s editor-in-chief, Sofia Lekka Angelopoulou, Fragapane discussed the politics of visual storytelling and the ethical weight of representing human experience through data.

‘I often say that I see my job as an alternative version of a photographer: I am photographing angles of reality,’ Fragapane says during an interview with designboom. ‘I strive to capture portions of them through my work.’ That framing—of data designer as documentarian—sits at the heart of her practice. Fragapane has built a career working with large institutions like the United Nations, the European Union, the World Health Organization, and Google, while also producing deeply personal, research-based projects on topics like migration, education access, and war. Her work now resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She operates somewhere between precision and poetics, applying her training in communication design to numbers that often resist simplification. Her aim isn’t to flatten complexity—it’s to give it form. ‘For me it’s important to reiterate two aspects: first of all, how data itself is not a neutral entity dropped from above, but the product of research and human actions that inevitably leave a trace, whether visible or intentional,’ she explains. ‘And so, of course, does the visualization process.’

Federica Fragapane’s Shapes of Inequalities | image © Triennale Milano

VISUALIZING HARD FACTS THROUGH SOFT FORMS

For her Shapes of Inequalities project at Triennale Milano, Federica Fragapane spent months researching ten dimensions of global disparity, including access to health care, educational gaps, racial and gender bias, and climate-related displacement. Each dataset was shaped into a visual narrative: abstract, non-linear, and, in some cases, deeply intimate. ‘Some of the subjects visualized in the exhibition touch me or have touched me personally; others are far from my own experience, and I tried to observe them and give them a shape, conscious of my privileged point of view,’ she tells designboom.

The results are not didactic, they are contemplative, even tender. The color palette, including muted reds, soft greens, cloudy purples, evokes the natural world more than the digital one. It’s intentional. ‘I often choose this organic approach when I work with data that has a living presence,’ Fragapane says. ‘It’s my way of paying homage to those lives and trying to convey that pulsating presence through form.’ This design ethos sets her apart from many working in the field of data visualization, which tends to privilege clarity, efficiency, and a particular kind of minimalism. Fragapane’s images, by contrast, invite readers to slow down. Their beauty isn’t an accessory; it’s a method. ‘Working with care on the aesthetics of my works is a way to invite people in,’ she explains. ‘A way to encourage them to look closely and read the stories I’m trying to tell through data.’

a series of 16 data visualizations | image by Alessandro Saletta and Agnese Bedini – DSL Studio © Triennale Milano

At a time when data is everywhere—weaponized on social media, simplified into clickbait, or buried in impenetrable PDFs—Fragapane’s work insists that data can also be gentle. Not less rigorous, but more empathetic. ‘I try to use what I know how to do to talk about topics I care about — that’s an extremely condensed way to describe the reasons behind some of my works,’ she notes. ‘I’m glad when others share them, use them in turn to highlight issues they care about, or when I see people discovering something new through my projects, even if those discoveries make them angry, just as they made me.’ In that way, Shapes of Inequalities becomes not just a series of visualizations, but an act of translation and of witnessing. It asks viewers to step inside statistics not as distant observers, but as participants. The data, as Fragapane insists, is not abstract, it is alive. Read our conversation with Federica Fragapane in full below.

distilling vast datasets into images | image by Alessandro Saletta and Agnese Bedini – DSL Studio © Triennale Milano

interview with Federica Fragapane

designboom (DB): Your works are included in the permanent collection of MoMA, while you have collaborated with Google, the UN, the World Health Organization, and many more. Can you walk us through your background and practice?

Federica Fragapane (FF): I work as an independent data visualization designer. This is a discipline I first encountered during my studies. I studied Communication Design at Milan Polytechnic, and I have been freelancing since 2015. What attracted me deeply at the time was the possibility of using visual elements to give a shape to information and make it more visible, and this is still the main aspect I’m interested in.

I often say that I see my job as an alternative version of a photographer: I am photographing angles of reality because I view the topics I explore as three-dimensional, complex, and irregular shapes, and I strive to capture portions of them through my work.

My presence and intervention are unavoidable, from the selection of data—the angles—to the forms in which I represent them. For me it’s important to reiterate two aspects: first of all, how data itself is not a neutral entity dropped from above, but the product of research and human actions that inevitably leave a trace, whether visible or intentional. And so, of course, does the visualization process. For me it’s very important to assert my presence and acknowledge that each drawing, while created with care and great attention to the accuracy of the information and sources, is also a reflection of my personal history.

I work with both complex data and very simple numbers. For example, one of my pieces acquired by MoMA tells the story of space waste: the visualization shows space debris classified by distance from Earth and by object type, and it’s relatively complex. But I also worked with very simple data, like the number of days since the Taliban banned teenage girls from school in Afghanistan and the death toll in Gaza.

Life Expectancy, part of Shapes of Inequalities | all visualizations courtesy of Federica Fragapane

DB: Visualizing information can take many forms, from text-based imagery to charts, interactive diagrams, or abstract graphics. Your approach has something unique in the way it employs soft forms, organic shapes, and vibrant colors to deliver hard facts. What kind of data do you mostly work with, and what is the role of aesthetics within your practice?

FF: There are indeed multiple modes of expression in data visualization, and I’ve worked with different visual languages myself. In some cases, I design simple, geometric charts—both interactive and static—that are more commonly associated with the traditional visual alphabet of data visualization. But as you mentioned, I also often use organic and soft shapes. The choice depends on the context and on the data.

I’ve worked for decision-makers, scientists, academics, the UN, and the European Union, and in those cases I’ve used the more conventional approach. But from the very beginning of my practice, I also started working on topics that are personally meaningful to me: migration, gender inequality, human rights violations. In those cases, I tend to use a different language.

I often choose this organic approach when I work with data that has a living presence, the presence of the people, and living beings, behind the numbers. It’s my way of paying homage to those lives and trying to convey that pulsating presence through form. Finally, for me, working with care on the aesthetics of my works is a way to invite people in. A way to encourage them to look closely and read the stories I’m trying to tell through data.

Unpaid care work, part of Shapes of Inequalities

DB: One of your projects that embodies this transformation of harsh, ugly numbers into soft, organic forms is Shapes of Inequality, now on view as part of the Triennale. Can you tell us more about it and how it fits into the overall theme of the 24th International Exhibition, Inequalities?

FF: For Shapes of Inequalities, I created a dedicated series of works: 16 data visualizations exploring 10 topics, some of the many faces of inequality. The visualizations present data on economic disparity, social mobility, gender and ethnic discrimination, the climate crisis, access to resources, life expectancy, and migration. The shapes I traced reflect the deep asymmetries, distances, and shifts in scale revealed by the data.

Over the past months, I’ve worked with harsh, ugly data, telling stories of both familiar and lesser-known realities. Some of the subjects visualized in the exhibition touch me or have touched me personally; others are far from my own experience, and I tried to observe them and give them a shape, conscious of my privileged point of view. My hope is that the forms I’ve created will encourage visitors to read them.

Inequality and Wealth, part of Shapes of Inequalities

DB: Beyond the visual aspect, what kind of impact do the images you create have? How do they contribute, or you you hope they contribute, to tackling inequality?

FF: I try to use what I know how to do to talk about topics I care about—that’s an extremely condensed way to describe the reasons behind some of my works. I’m glad when others share them, use them in turn to highlight issues they care about, or when I see people discovering something new through my projects, even if those discoveries make them angry, just as they made me.

Gaza

Barriers

Space Junk, part of MoMa’s permanent collection

Afghanistan

Iran

Environmental taxes data visualisation

Slums and Inadequate Housing, part of Shapes of Inequalities

Access to Resources: Literacy, part of Shapes of Inequalities

project info:

name: Shapes of Inequalities

designer: Federica Fragapane | @federicafragapane

exhibition: 24th Triennale Milano International Exhibition | @triennalemilano 24th International Exhibition

24th International Exhibition theme: Inequalities

dates: May 13 – November 9, 2025

location: Milan, Italy

watch designboom’s Art for Tomorrow talk in full here.

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At Fuorisalone 2025, Roca introduced Roca Connect as a tangible solution for sustainable water management, embedding its smart system within the interactive installation ‘A Beat of Water’ by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Presented in the courtyard of the Università degli Studi di Milano, the installation offered a multisensory experience that revealed the hidden dynamics of water use while demonstrating the capabilities of Roca Connect — a cloud-based system designed to optimize water consumption.

Spanning 14 meters in length and 3.5 meters in height, the structure was built from 300 linear meters of galvanized steel pipes. Its closed-loop system continuously circulated water, generating a rhythm of movement and sound that invited visitors to consider water’s essential — and often overlooked — role in daily life. By transforming data into design, the project underscored how smart technologies can reshape habits and reduce waste, especially in bathrooms, where up to 80% of domestic water use takes place.

‘A Beat of Water’ by Bjarke Ingels Group for Roca at Fuorisalone 2025 | all images ©Paolo Riolzi, courtesy of Roca

BUILDING ON OVER A CENTURY OF RESPONSIBLE DESIGN

Founded in 1917, Roca is a global leader in the design and production of bathroom solutions. From material selection to manufacturing and digital integration, the family-run company integrates environmental responsibility into every layer of its operations. Active in 170 countries with 78 production centers and over 20,000 employees, Roca combines more than a century of craftsmanship with a forward-looking approach to innovation and sustainability. This ongoing commitment shapes a clear ambition: to create smart, sustainable solutions that improve well-being while safeguarding the planet’s natural resources.

galvanized steel pipes form the flowing structure, echoing the rhythms of water

DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE BATHROOM OF TOMORROW

Roca Connect represents the next step in this vision. The cloud-based platform enables real-time, remote management of bathroom appliances in public and commercial buildings. By integrating washbasin faucets, urinals, showers, and toilets into a single digital dashboard, the system delivers actionable insights that help optimize efficiency, reduce consumption, and streamline maintenance.

the 14-meter-long installation creates a multisensory experience through sound and motion

Key features include adjustable water run times, temperature settings, sensor sensitivity, hygiene flushes, and thermal cleanings. Through the Roca Connect app, facility managers can receive push notifications, export usage data, and remotely initiate maintenance, simplifying operations across large-scale sanitary networks. Open interfaces ensure compatibility with standard building management systems, while advanced encryption provides robust data security.

By combining advanced digital tools with sustainable design principles, Roca empowers architects, designers, and developers to implement smarter water management strategies, proving that innovation, responsibility, and design can flow in perfect harmony.

Roca Connect takes center stage within the installation, promoting smart water management

a closed-loop system recirculates water to illustrate its continuous cycle

Roca Connect centralizes real-time, remote control of bathroom appliances across public and commercial spaces

key functions include adjustable water flow, temperature settings, sensor sensitivity, and hygiene cycles

the platform delivers actionable data to optimize efficiency and reduce resource consumption

facility managers can monitor, receive alerts, and manage maintenance remotely through Roca Connect

project info: 

brand: Roca | @roca_global

product: Roca Connect

installation: A Beat of Water

design: Bjarke Ingels Group | @big_builds

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A contemplative fusion of art history, contemporary design, and data visualization, Stefan Sagmeister’s exhibition ‘Now is Better’ spotlights long-term statistics on global development. Currently on display at New York’s Patrick Parrish Gallery, a series of original lenticular prints alongside adapted historical paintings are showcased to explore the developing state of humanity.

The compositions include canvases of old European paintings that Sagmeister scoured for throughout his home country, Austria, which have been fragmented and retrofitted with contemporary, abstract data visualizations on top. Through a thought-provoking blend of old and new, the exhibition encourages us to consider different, more optimistic perspectives towards the state of our society, urging us to focus on its growth and developments. 

American Dirt: CO2 emissions per person in the USA, 1880 – 2020 | all images courtesy of Stefan Sagmeister

stefan sagmeister fuses art history and contemporary data

‘Now is Better’ follows as a sequel to Stefan Sagmeister’s previous series ‘Beautiful Numbers’ with both exploring themes of liberal democracy. The new exhibition is inspired by the premise of long-term thinking, where each composition delves into global data trends — including themes ranging life expectancy to home ownership rates — between the span of 50 and 200 years.

As such, the works challenge the overwhelming amount of highly saturated, short-term media that we absorb about the world on a daily basis by offering a more grounding, data-oriented perspective towards understanding societal progress. Instead, the designer points towards ways that life on Earth has slowly been improving over time, posing a boost of hope as we continue working to make our ‘now’ a better place.

Standing Still: visualizing the time drivers around the world are stuck in stuck in traffic jams per year

Money to Learn: Public education spending in developed nations, 1880 – 2000

Spike in my Arm: USA Covid deaths depending on vaccination status

Richer and Poorer: share of the global population living in poverty, real and imagined

project info:

name: Now Is Better
designer: Stefan Sagmeister
exhibition: Patrick Parrish Gallery, New York | May 5 — June 16 2023 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom

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What does HBO’s ‘Westworld’ and ‘Love, Death + Robots’ by Netflix have in common? Think big. Now think Bigger. Unreal Engine, developed by Epic Games, is the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool, used for game development, linear film and television content creation, broadcast and live event production, architectural and automotive visualization, and training simulation to name a few. For its 2023 edition, ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) invites BK Johannessen, Unreal Engine Business Director for Broadcast and Live Events at Epic Games, on the stage of Fira Barcelona, where the experienced leader outlines the importance of content creation and professional live media coverage. 

Register now for ISE 2023 to find out more about Unreal Engine’s real-time content and experiences – link here.

developed by Epic Games, Unreal Engine is the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool (Lumen)

all images courtesy of Epic Games unless stated otherwise

FROM GAMING TO FILMS AND FROM ARCHITECTURE TO SIMULATIONS

Next generation real-time 3D content is becoming more and more advanced thanks to Unreal Engine, which can be used in industries beyond games and ProAV to create immersive experiences that awe and inspire. To let the crowds explore what lies hidden behind the gaming, film and television, broadcast and live events, and the architectural industry, the world’s leading exhibition of innovative technology confirms Unreal Engine’s Business Director for Broadcast and Live Events at Epic Games as the keynote speaker. Titled ‘All Paths Lead to Real-Time,’ BK Johannessen‘s speech takes place at 17:15 CET, on Tuesday 31 January at Fira Barcelona Gran Via.

ISE 2023 confirms Unreal Engine’s Business Director for Broadcast and Live Events at Epic Games as the keynote speaker

the 3D engine is free to download and comes fully loaded with every feature

From cinematic experiences to high-quality games across consoles, mobiles, VR, AR and PC, Unreal Engine gives users the realest experience they can get through their screen. The 3D computer graphics engine program leaves no one behind as its features include python scripting integration, data preparation workflows, mesh creation and editing toolsets, landscape and terrain sculpting, character animation authoring, architectural, high-performance film-like destruction animations, and the list goes on and on. When downloaded, the program actually comes fully loaded and production-ready, with every feature and full source code access included. 

it is possible to create the highest-quality digital humans, complete with hair and clothing, in minutes

To help beginners, but also more the more advanced, Unreal Engine offers a variety of templates that help set out a starting point and achieve the required result in the shortest time possible. Moreover, through the Marketplace, thousands of high-quality assets and plugins are included with the aim of accelerating production, while introducing new environments, characters, textures, props, sounds, full starter kits, animations, and more. 

‘We are delighted to have secured BK Johannessen as our headline speaker. As audiences, customers and consumers return to something like a normal life, there is an insatiable demand for content on digital signage, live stages, videowalls, experiential art and advertising, and virtual and VR experiences. The work that can be seen all over the world from creators using Unreal Engine is truly extraordinary and we cannot wait to hear more about it. It is a keynote session you do not want to miss – see you there in Barcelona,’ comments Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events.

in architecture, whether you want photorealistic or slickly stylized result, the rendering is processed a fraction of a second per frame

BK Johannessen brings a deep understanding of the needs of professional live media content creators to every project. An experienced leader with extensive international experience in the computer software and media industries, he has supported top-tier broadcasters on all continents, helping them to achieve their creative visions and produce engaging content.

users can recycle the same assets from first concepts to final frames, eliminating waste across every phase of production

Unreal Engine’s use ranges from the gaming and film industry to architecture, animations and simulations

BK Johannessen, Unreal Engine Business Director for Broadcast and Live Events at Epic Games

to help beginners, Unreal Engine offers a variety of templates that help set out a starting point

from cinematic experiences to high-quality games, Unreal Engine gives users the realest experience they can get through their screen

the Engine integrates into the desired pipeline to support the most widely-used formats and protocols in film and television production

when gaming, it is possible to connect all your players with the same high-quality experience across all major platforms

William F. White Int’l, Virtual Production Academy, Caledon FC © Pixomondo, alter ego

Unreal Engine 5.1 for Fortnite

project info:

name: Unreal Engine | @unrealengine

creator: Epic Games | @epicgames

keynote speech:

name: All Paths Lead to Real-Time

event: ISE 2023 (Integrated Systems Europe)

location: Fira Barcelona Gran Via, Barcelona

date: 31 January, 17:30 CET

speaker: BK Johannessen, Unreal Engine Business Director for Broadcast and Live Events at Epic Games

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In a project of discovery and imagination, VizArt is a data visualization and 3D cartography studio based in Orvieto, Italy, that specializes in interactive visualization, static infographics, geovisualization, and 3D shaded relief maps. The studio was founded by Silvia Spacca, a graduate in Entertainment Disciplines and Film Engineering, and Leonardo Zanchi, a graduate in Computer Science with a specialized degree in Virtual Reality and Multimedia. In an innovative collaboration, Leonardo’s growing interest in data visualization found a new dimension with the application of Silvia’s 3D modelling knowledge, merging the two initially unknown fields and propelling a constantly evolving visual journey.

Through the combination of traditional cartography and the use of satellite data, places far away in time and space are brought to life and made tangible, culminating in a series of vintage and modern 2D prints depicting 3D shaded relief maps that are available for purchase. VizArt’s cartography works include rendered and enhanced topographical maps, hypsometric relief maps and data visualization infographics. Their projects have been completed with the support of cartographers Daniel Huffman, Peter Atwood, Morgan Hite and Joshua Stevens, who have contributed their professional cartography and georeferencing techniques and knowledge.

detail of an elevation tint viridis of Europe

all images courtesy of VizArt

vizart’s cartography projects

The Italy-based studio’s work has been completed with the support of cartographers Daniel Huffman, Peter Atwood, Morgan Hite and Joshua Stevens, who have contributed their professional cartography and georeferencing techniques and knowledge. With their cartography work, the first phase of VizArt’s projects involves research, including looking for maps, the licences that bind them, and the years of realization. Once Silvia and Leonardo have chosen a potential candidate, they carry out a thorough check of the state of preservation and an assessment of digital restoration possibilities.

Restoration work may consist of the removal of some stains due to the wear and tear of time, colour correction, reconstruction of missing or torn parts, or the removal of the sheet fold mark. Next, the map is georeferenced. Using the information provided by the map itself, often simply the year it was made and the scientific agency that commissioned it, the appropriate projection is sought in order to place it correctly in geographical space. This is followed by the search for and positioning of digital elevation models, which, depending on their type, convey information on natural geographical reliefs, and general surfaces such as vegetation and buildings.

1985 geologic map of Wyoming with shaded relief

After this information is processed several times, Silvia and Leonardo combine the created elements with three-dimensional modelling software. This decides the light, the extent of relief to be shown, and the depth of shadows, and then the final product begins to be configured, somewhat like a photograph or rendering. Just like in a photograph, the temperature or intensity of light temperature, or the inclination of a lamp attribute each final image with a different quality and feel. ‘Since the papers we make are meant to be an artistic product, not technical papers, the emotional and visual aspect of the images is favoured, so in some cases the reliefs have been exaggerated to emphasise the evocative elements of a particular area’, comments VizArt. This enhancement is evident in their series of Ipsometrical maps where colours have been assigned according to elevation, which has been greatly increased.

1942 topographic map of Maui with shaded relief

detail of a vegetation map of Iceland with shaded relief

1930 topographic map of Hekkingen, Norway with shaded relief

Detail of a red elevation tint of Namib Desert

1936 city map of Florence, Italy, with shaded relief

project info:

name: Vizcart
designer: Vizart

team: Silvia Spacca, Leonardo Zanchi

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions’ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom

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all images courtesy of CRA-carlo ratti associati

the project by CRA-carlo ratti associati and eni shows how much CO2 each individual tree species can capture and store, aiming to demonstrate the key role that trees play in producing oxygen. it promotes forestry protection instead of deforestation by illustrating how the same amount of CO2 would be released in the atmosphere if the trees were removed. ‘natural capital’ showcases eni’s commitment to forestry initiatives, and will open to the public during the milan design week 2021 as part of INTERNIs ‘creative connections’ exhibition, from 4 to 12 september 2021.

the installation experiments with a giant data visualization that extends over a 500-square-meter garden. a series of floating bubbles are nestled amongst the vegetation of brera botanical garden, one of the country’s most fascinating urban gardens, which sits in the center of italy’s design capital. each bubble is of a different size – from a few centimeters to a few meters – in proportion to the amount of carbon dioxide that the corresponding trees can capture and store during their lifecycle. at the entrance to the garden, a giant sphere lies on the ground representing the amount of CO2 produced on average by the human body every year. the contrast between the sphere and the floating bubbles suspended among the branches creates a contrast that portrays the fundamental role that plants play in guaranteeing the planet’s health and limiting global warming. 

project info:

name: natural capital

designers: CRA-carlo ratti associati for eni

creative lead: italo rota

scientific research: alessio fini (università di milano) – results have been obtained from projects smarturban, qualiviva, and life urbangreen

CRA team: carlo ratti, antonio atripaldi (project manager), saverio panata, luca giacolini, chiara borghi, matteo zerbi, nicola scaramuzza, serena giardina, alessandro tassinari, aurora maggio, irem ceri, oliver kazimir

renderings by CRA graphic team: gary di silvio, pasquale milieri, gianluca zimbardi

location: brera botanical garden of the university of milan, italy

date: 4-12 september, 2021

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kim albrecht works as an interface design researcher in a physics lab at the center for complex network research. his work asks the basic question: ‘how can design help us to understand the world surrounding us?’ for albrecht, design in this sense is not about decoration or communication, but rather acts as a tool to create insights and knowledge. his most recent project sees him visualize the scientist’s path to success using an interactive graph of data that questions the correlation between career, ability, achievements and lasting scientific impact.

the project visualizes the randomness of success in science

albrecht’s project — created in collaboration with roberta sinatra and laszlo barabasi — is entitled ‘the science of success’, and was featured recently in the journal ‘science’. visualizing the randomness of significant scientific achievements, the interface allows you to explore 10,000 careers spanning seven different disciplines: physics, ecology, economics, neuroscience, chemistry, biology and cognitive sciences.

‘over the last five years, my work has become influenced by the idea of design as ‘drawing things together’. a connection between art, science, and technology,’ explains kim albrecht. ‘before the renaissance, art and science were not seen as two separate disciplines. today they co-exist in our cultural realm but intersect only seldom. I am trying to bring these disciplines closer together through the artifacts I create. my work is done collaboratively with scientists. once created, they become boundary objects reaching various audiences.’

albrecht sees design as less about decoration or communication, but rather as a tool to create insight

clicking anywhere on the histogram filters the scientists according to a number of criteria: their average citations after ten years, their ‘individual Q’ or ability to consistently produce high impact papers, the number of papers they have produced, and their ‘H-index’ — a scientist has index ‘H’ if they have ‘H’ papers with ‘H’ citations. the result? the highest-impact work has the same probability of falling anywhere in the sequence of papers published by a scientist. it could be the first publication, appear mid-career, or emerge last. this result is known as the ‘random impact’ rule, and can be observed throughout the graph’s beautifully realized data. no matter discipline, rank or prolificness: impact peaks are career-wide, occurring whenever and wherever inspiration hits.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: peter corboy | designboom

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montreal based digital artist mathieu le sourd AKA maotik has designed an immersive, interactive installation of real time data inspired by the ocean waves. entitled FLOW, the multimedia environment offers a poetic and playful sensory experience that mimics the aesthetic principles of the rise and fall of sea levels by representing data influenced by temperature, humidity, audience positioning and the pull of the moon.

the installation was specially designed for the ‘deep space’ 8K media display at the ars electronica festival in linz, austria. using 8 different 1080p HD active stereo-capable barco galaxy NH12 projectors, ‘deep space’ projects 16×9 meter images onto the wall and floor of the ars electronica center, creating a visceral and inhabitable visual realm. maotik’s FLOW makes use of this technology to create an intelligent data environment where various forms of information can be expressed in a dynamic representation that enhances the viewer’s perception of physical space.

the installation is presented during the ars electronica festival in linz

synchronized with the moon, the ‘sea’ levels change gradually to create an environment offering varying degrees of immersion. the project attempts to envelop the audience in a virtual universe abstract enough to accommodate daydreams, digital analysis and personal interpretation. all the content is designed and run in real time, in an ‘open form’ format that offers various combination options to the interpreter. the installation aims to create a system with a random creation process, governed by a range of settings defined by nature. dictated by nature’s processes, each of the installation’s states becomes unique and inimitable. a responsive soundscape by audio artist lucas paris translates the visual aspect of FLOW into an aural entity, a sonic experience with its roots in natural phenomena.

 
the space uses 8 different 1080p HD active stereo-capable barco galaxy NH12 projectors

realtime weather data modifies the content

11 different weather parameters are used to represent the ocean 

an interactive floor allows the audience to generate waves as they walk

all the content is designed and run in real time

dictated by nature’s processes, each of the installation’s states becomes unique and inimitable

sound reacts according to the movement of the waves

scanners track the position of the audience

a responsive soundscape by audio artist lucas paris translates the visual aspect of FLOW into an aural entity

the project accommodates daydreams, digital analysis and personal interpretation

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: peter corboy | designboom

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herwig scherabon’s ‘income inequality’ project, details los angeles’ and chicago’s income levels through a series of abstract data diagrams. the images reveal an architectural aesthetic by showing a high resolution matrix of blocks that mimic the appearance of magnetised iron. the poorest neighbourhoods in the city are clearly distinguishable and stand in distinct contrast to the highest towers belonging to the rich.

the project was exhibited at the glasgow school of art graduate show 

the project which has been shortlisted for the information is beauty awards, aims to highlight the income segregation levels of both cities. herwig scherabon states that there is an obvious divide between rich and poor in modern cities. the patterns and correlations within the urban fabric, as well as the politics behind urban planning, reveal a lot about the people that live in these places and the powers that shape them he says. ‘income inequality’ presents an alternative way of looking at a city, revealing the inequalities and segregation mechanisms that exist in different districts. 

chicago’s infamous south side reveals a significantly low income area

los angeles has very low income areas in and around the downtown area

the image contains 12 million little blocks 

the street grid retains the urban footprint of the respective city

the prints are mounted on thick wooden boards with captions on the side

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: hollie smith | designboom

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