Project 2: Data Visualization – Looking Outwards
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Visualizing Empires Decline | Pedro M. Cruz, 2010
This piece captures my attention because of the depth of historical and cultural information that can be obtained through a simple graphic. The paths of empires splitting up into independent nations is radically different for each empire, and a concise way of viewing that decline is presented with fissuring blobs, completely stripping centuries of historical tides down to raw numbers.
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The Rubens’ Tube | Heinrich Rubens, 1905
The Rubens’ Tube is a physical representation of sound waves using propane flames. The changes in air pressure that sound produces directly control a bar emitting a line of many small flames, which change size based on the sine wave of the audio. I would be very interested in doing a project of this type in which I can build a physical object that monitors real-time data input.
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200 Countries, 200 Years | Hans Rosling, BBC Four
The brilliance of this bit is as much a factor of the fantastic representation of the data as it is the delivery of the narration. The way that he brings everything together over time, much like Visualizing Empires Decline, says a huge amount about how history has progressed.