Artists use data to make political statements
- Nastaran Tavakoli-Far for BBC News February 7th, 2013
- Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21018205
Big data can feel impersonal, overwhelming and cold. But stark statistics are now being used to make intimate statements through art and public advocacy.
The past few years have seen the widespread availability of a large amount of data, thanks largely to the internet.
Census reports are easily searchable, campaign polling is expertly parsed and analysed, and online dating behaviour provides a glimpse into human sexuality.
Now more artists are using these impersonal details to make an impassioned statement.
Today Americans often have more information than personal experience about current events, says Professor R Luke DuBois, director of the Brooklyn Experimental Media Center at New York University's Polytechnic Institute.
