Sprint 2 — Data Physicalization & The Quantified Self

Intro

For our second design sprint, we chose to

The Data

As we prepared to start this sprint, approaching thesis deadlines weighed heavily on our minds, and as a result, stress seemed a natural choice for representation.

Shibori Technique

During our initial brainstorming session, we discovered a mutual interest in working with textiles as a medium for data representation. Having converged on this space, we began to investigate methods of production and manipulation such as weaving, printing, and dyeing. Drawn to the organic nature of hand dyeing, we explored various techniques and ultimately selected a Shibori-inspired method as we felt that the limited color palette (indigo and white) would allow us to focus our attention on manipulating the pattern.

After selecting Shibori as our mode of representation, we experimented with a series of techniques for folding (itajime), gathering (nui), and binding (kumo)the fabric to create varied patterns and understand the potential for mapping data to each.

We found that the process of preparing the fabric using a kumo technique was well-aligned with our data set; we felt there was an intuitive link between the expression of stress and the act of gathering the fabric to create a series of knots. In our early experiments with kumo, we found that the process of preparing the fabric was almost ritualistic; it required patience and attention and therefore served as a therapeutic act. As a result, we saw an opportunity to leverage the preparation process (gathering small areas and binding them with rubber bands) as a direct input for the final representation. (Meaning that rather than imposing a symbolic mode of representation onto a data set, the final output would arise organically as an indexical representation of the data.) As such, creating these knots could help to relieve the stress that they were meant to embody.

“Stress Blanket”

Finally, we chose to utilize the Shibori-dyed fabric to create a personalized blanket. We saw this as an opportunity to once again align the data with the physical manifestation, opting to create an object which would provide comfort in times of stress.