On Data Portraits: An analysis of creative approaches to the visualisation of personal data

Abstract

The portrait, as a symbolic representation of personal identity, tends to reflect the social, cultural and technical context in which it is created. At a moment where technological mediation is omnipresent, data portraits appear as forms of portraiture that evocatively represent the identity of individuals based on the visualisation of their personal data, resulting from their daily activities that are digitally registered by technological devices of everyday use. This paper discusses the conceptual and creative possibilities associated with the concept of data portrait, through the description and analysis of artefacts that imply this notion. In order to understand the diversity of these artefacts, we propose a framework for their analysis focused on their concepts, mechanics and on the elements of their experience. In particular, we address their expressive functions, the types of data sources they use and how that data is collected. We then consider the data visualisation processes involved and, finally, describe the resulting sensory manifestations. By focusing on these forms of portraiture, as devised with the aid of computational means, this analysis also reflects on how portraiture can be reconceptualised to become more attuned with our contemporary mode of living immersed in data.

Contributors

Catarina Sampaio

Luísa Ribas

Conference

Publication date: July 2020

Publication date (Print): July 2020

Pages: 255-262

Affiliations

University of Lisbon, Faculty of Fine Arts, Centro de Investigação e de

Estudos em Belas-Artes (CIEBA)

Lisbon, Portugal

Article

DOI: 10.14236/ewic/EVA2020.46

Copyright statement: © Sampaio et al. Published by BCS Learning and Development Ltd. Proceedings of EVA London 2020

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Conference name: Proceedings of EVA London 2020

Conference acronym: EVA 2020

Conference number: 30

Conference location: London

Conference date: 6th July – 9th July 2020

Conference sponsor: Electronic Workshops in Computing (eWiC)

Conference theme: AI and the Arts: Artificial Imagination

Product

Product Information: 1477-9358 BCS Learning and Development Ltd

Self URI (article page): https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14236/ewic/EVA2020.46

Self URI (journal page): https://ewic.bcs.org/

Categories

Series title: Electronic Workshops in Computing