Art Is...Data? Data Is...Art?

Everything is data, in the end. We are all just bits, DNA base pairs, atoms, quarks... This is pretty reductive, but completely accurate.

Art certainly is data. A paintbrush leaves strokes of paint, which can be reduced to just calculable wavelengths of light and the reflectivity of the surface, resulting in visual bits. Man, that's a cold way of looking at it, but it's completely accurate.

But is data art? Well, data can be shared visually, sonically, even tactilely - so it can affect the senses, which is a component of art. And it certainly can evoke emotion and make commentary. So not all data is art, certainly, but data can be absolutely be art.

But why? What would be the purpose of data art? And how might we think about creating art with data?

Lesson: Data Art

In this lesson, I share a few top-level ideas about the types of art we can create with data. While not an exhaustive list, it's certainly a good starting place if you're thinking about taking some data and expressing it in a way that might trigger an emotional response. Or maybe you want to create an experience that's mostly about the aesthetics or commentary, and not so much about "driving decisions".

Listen: Julia Krolik on Data Art

In this interview, Julia Krolik shares her thoughts and experiences as a creator of data art. She makes a case for why data art matters, and shares some examples of the craft and talks about the impact data art can have on individuals and communities.

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Learn more about data storytelling and visualization via my other LinkedIn Learning courses.