Visualisations are selective representations of reality. As we create a visualisation, the subject matter is as much our own perspective as it is the data. When developing a visualisation that is based on not-yet evidenced data but on prognostications, our anticipations and desires materialise in concrete forms. Resonating Friedman’s notion of value-sensitive design (1996), this workshop aims to explore the potential of visualisations to envision futures that participants would like to live in and experience.

Workshop Description:

Participants will intellectually and tangibly explore the possible roles that visualisation can play in imagining the future, using this exploration to reflect critically on existing visualisation practices. By adopting emotive approaches, the hope is to elicit new insights into design practices in data visualisation that challenge present representation forms. Participants will use paper prototyping techniques to develop descriptions of personal utopias. These descriptions will be examined in group exercises to mine them for ‘data stories’ – imaginary data sets which exemplify or illustrate their particular utopia. By sketching visualisations for such data sets, we will discuss the language, aims and claims of visualisation processes.

Participants include:  artists, designers, and scholars interested in critically exploring the different lenses that visualisation can provide onto the future.

Workshop Presenters: Tom Schofield, Marian Dörk and Brigitta Zics