A Conversation Between Trees: What Data Feels Like in Forest

Rachel Jacobs1, Steve Benford1, Mark Selby1, Mike Golembewski1, Dominic

Price1 and Gabriella Giannachi2

1. Mixed Reality Laboratory & Horizon University of Nottingham, UK2. Centre for Intermedia University of Exeter Exeter, UK

CHI 2013

Outline

• Introductions• Related work• The Artwork - A Conversation Between Trees• Approach to The Study• Findings• Discussion• Conclusion

Introduction(1/2)

• Global and long-term nature of climate change data defies easy or immediate comprehension.

Introduction(2/2)

• A particular group of artists in engaging the public with climate change data. – How this group of artists interpreted and

presented scientific data as part of an artwork. – Presenting a detailed account of the design of this

artwork from the ground up. – Artists, the public, but also of a climate scientist.

Related Work

• Environmentally engaged artists • Syntheses of science, action and art• How in following this approach artists have to

walk a line between the artistic and scientific treatment of data.

•

A Conversation Between Trees(1/4)

• Forest GalleryVisitors

A Conversation Between Trees(2/4)

• Environmental sensor data – Local temperature, humidity, decibel and CO2 – Visualized on two large displays that face each

other across the gallery

A Conversation Between Trees(3/4)

• Climate Machine– Visualizes recorded and predicted global CO2

levels by slowly burning circular graphs onto large circular disks of recycled paper.

A Conversation Between Trees(4/4)

• Visitors – Walking in the local UK forest during which they

enact being a sensor with mobile phone

Approach to The Study(1/3)

• The artist’s perspective:– The designer of the climate machine – The developer of the visualisations mobile

application– The collaborating artist in Brazil

Approach to The Study(2/3)

• The visitor’s perspective:– Semi-structured interviews that took place

immediately after the experience

Approach to The Study(3/3)

• The climate scientist’s perspective:– Capture their perspective of the work and their

view of the role of the artists’ engagements with climate change.

Findings

• Engaging audiences with climate data• Embedded and embodied experience• Performing data– Slowness – Liveness

• Multiple Interpretations and Dialogue

Discussion(1/2)

• The role of the artists– Not about presenting canonical interpretations of

data– provoke an emotional response.

Discussion(2/2)

• How artists provoke engagement and interpretation– To encourage a sensory engagement with data – To bring a unique temporality to engagement with

the climate data – the juxtaposition of different elements that

present contrasting datasets – Live, recorded, and predicted

Conclusion(1/3)

• Contribution– A group of artists used to engage with scientific

climate change data – By triangulating between the perspectives of the

artists, visitors and a climate change scientist, to understand how these worked

Conclusion(2/3)

• Three broad strategies – Embodying scientific data in various material ways

so as to provide a rich sensory and aesthetic experience

– Adopting a performative temporal structure that combined both slowness with liveness;

Conclusion(3/3)

– Juxtaposing multiple, contrasting and yet related, elements so as to invite comparisons while opening up spaces between them for interpretation and dialogue