A Conversation Between Trees: What Data Feels Like in Forest

1. 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, UK 2. Centre for Intermedia University of Exeter Exeter, UK CHI 2013

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

3. Introduction(1/2) • Global and long-term nature of climate change data defies easy or immediate comprehension.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. A Conversation Between Trees(1/4) • Forest Gallery Visitors

7. 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

8. 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.

9. A Conversation Between Trees(4/4) • Visitors • Walking in the local UK forest during which they enact being a sensor with mobile phone

10. 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

11. Approach to The Study(2/3) • The visitor’s perspective: • Semi-structured interviews that took place immediately after the experience

12. 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.

13. Findings • Engaging audiences with climate data • Embedded and embodied experience • Performing data • Slowness • Liveness • Multiple Interpretations and Dialogue

14. Discussion(1/2) • The role of the artists • Not about presenting canonical interpretations of data • provoke an emotional response.

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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;

18. 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