“Qi Visualizer” by Yuan Yifan (2014)

Qi Visualizer is an application and collective data installation. Users download the app, place their finger onto of their camera light and it records your pulse activity, creating a pulse spectogram which is considered “an artistic interpretation of Qi”[1]. You can then upload the image to the twitter handle for it to be viewed in space. This installation connects people with biometric information in a personalized manner, the installation allows for people to compare their “personal informatics” and see others biometrics, when complied it looks as a topographical map. Yifan identifies the current culture to track information about ourselves, and creates an immersive experience by projecting the information in a gallery. The privacy of our body becomes public. I think that the installation fails as some may not understand what a spectogram is, or fathom the rhythm of their heartbeat. It immerses you with segments of real time uploads and feedback, but do the users relate to other people? Do they connect or understand what the images says? It doesnt seem that they can deduce any information about themselves other than recognizing their own spectogram on the screen and feeling ownership of the image.

[1]http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2655621

“Flight Patterns” by Aaron Koblin (2005)

FAA data was utilized to create this visualization of planes flighting in and out over North America. Aaron Koblin utilized the information that preexisted to determine patterns of arriving and departing flights. We can understand the most travelled cities, and formulate an understanding of how flight transportation is affected by the type of airport and infrastructure/trade of different cities. Aaron discussed in his TedTalk that when you zoom in on the flight information you can see how arriving planes circulate the area from different directions to prepare for landings. I remember seeing an image similar to this before but didn’t realize it was about flight information. It makes me question what other data can we utilized to create connections between the way transportation, and other systems are influenced by culture and industry. This project allows for perspective on information you could never see without this imaging, I wish that you could have more data to know the names of where the flights come from and go to, understanding the plane sizes and how flights differentiate based on where they are flying and due to weather conditions. It made me think of walking on surfaces, you don’t see the footprints unless the ground is muddy or there is snow on the ground, but how much land is covered each day while we walk on the sidewalk . What are the patterns people take to avoid a broken sidewalk?