Interview with Priti Pandurangan about her Award Winning Project!
The Story of Atlas of Intangibles
Hello everyone!
This is Natalia Kiseleva, editor of the Make Your Data Speak journal!
I had the pleasure of asking a few questions to Priti Pandurangan, the author of the wonderful project “Atlas of Intangibles,” which won gold in the Make Your Data Speak Awards in the data art & storytelling category!
Our esteemed judges couldn’t help but appreciate the elegant approach to data and the unique visualization techniques, as well as the meticulous work behind all these details.
This remarkable project allows us to view city walks in a new light, seeing how sounds and impressions combine into an incredible experience! I adore such complex projects that merge personal experience with various facets of perception. The delicate design, rich interactivity, and the opportunity to hear and even touch the process of creating this project are incredible!
So today, the charming Priti will share her thoughts on the process of creating this project and offer her advice to budding data visualizers!
Questions and Answers
Natalia: Your project is very versatile, with elements of sound, color, and routes! Please tell us a bit about yourself so our readers can understand where such diverse knowledge and interests come from.
Priti: Starting with an early exposure to the performing arts helped develop my interest in experiential forms of storytelling. On stage, elements like music, movement, and gestures must combine into a choreographed piece. After being introduced to data visualisation as a design practice, I naturally gravitated toward sensory data experiences. In my early years, I was fortunate to work in a research lab where I was strongly supported and encouraged to find novel ways of presenting data and stories. Seeking that freedom of expression, a belief in cohesive experiences, and actively learning from practices across disciplines helped shape my practice.
Natalia: What inspired you to create such a complex project? Was the transmedia experience planned from the beginning, or did the idea come to you later?
Priti: I knew from the beginning that I wanted to explore the relationship between the sensory aspects of places and how they are captured by mapping practices. The final shape of the project only came together after many months of research, data walks, collaborating with other practitioners, and making small prototypes along the way. One key inspiration on this journey has been Dr Kate McLean’s academic writings and joining her on her smell walks. Once the methodology for my data walks finally clicked, I was able to move into the prototyping and production phase of the project.
I wanted the final experience to be tangible and physical for the reader. Building on the analogy of a keepsake memory box, each card embodies a specific recollection from my journeys. I considered the most natural way to suggest this poetic interplay of the tangible and intangible in our sensory encounters.
Natalia: What technologies did you use when creating the project? Could you tell us more about the technical tools that made the project what it is?
Priti: I rely heavily on sketching and analogue methods during the initial stages of a project to establish a more concrete connection with the work. Data collection and analysis usually involve a spreadsheet, and for this project, I used Airtable. Once a thread of an idea begins to form, I transition to creating small, experimental sketches with code. Although I consider myself a designer first, programming and other tools of creative coding have become an integral part of my creative process.
For the final piece, my collaborator Ajith Ranka took up the production code while I focused on setting the design direction and iterated on the visualisation directly in the browser. Our process is highly collaborative, with design and development informing each other. The primary tools for this project were Svelte for the website, D3 for the visualisation, and Strapi for the CMS. I also wrote a small Arduino script for the physical interaction. Render hosts the website, and Bunny CDN speeds up the serving of image assets.
Natalia: Were there any major changes during the creation of the project — times when the idea significantly shifted? Or did you encounter significant difficulties in implementation?
Priti: Although the idea didn’t shift significantly, we faced the usual challenges of any development project. Data was entered manually into the CMS interface, and I had to re-enter it by hand a couple of times when the order or schema changed. This was our first large Svelte project, and understanding some of its magic took a few attempts. Making the website and visualisations responsive and at least minimally keyboard accessible was challenging. The tangible interaction setup, while intuitive, was entirely hand-fabricated and required multiple rounds of trial and error with testing materials.
The timelines for the development were fairly short, which led to some stressful weeks of frantic work interspersed with occasional existential crises. In the end, although there are bits and pieces of the website that don’t feel as polished as they could have been, I’m happy to see it come together.
Always leave something left undone to come back to.
Natalia: What new challenges and the necessity to learn new things did you face during the project? New technologies? New tools?
Priti: On the equipment side, I had to learn how to record and process audio. I’m also relatively new to fabrication and needed time to get comfortable with it. What helped me most was being in an environment where I could learn these skills and have access to individuals to help me troubleshoot.
On the digital side, I had to learn how to work with fluid type and spacing scales, and also think more about making the experience effective on smaller mobile screens. CSS is as much a design tool as Figma, and in some ways, it’s a lot more powerful and direct. Not being intimidated to work with it and understanding its capabilities proved quite useful.
On the process side, I intentionally had to step back several times and learn to actively edit my work. It can be tempting to keep adding to a piece, and knowing what to remove is an important judgment to develop.
Natalia: Do you have ideas for new projects? Will you explore new directions, or will you stick to your favorite topics?
Priti: I’m really interested in exploring and treating archives as data, particularly those centred around heritage and culture. From my perspective, these subjects are under-explored and hold a wealth of information for developing rich, layered visualisations. I would also like to find avenues to incorporate more subjective interpretations of data, and how this plays out in a world now inundated with machine-generated information.
The beauty of practicing in an interdisciplinary space like data visualisation is that you can follow nearly any thread of curiosity. Staying open to inspiration and embracing uncertainty is part of the process. Whatever comes next, it will be enjoyable!
Natalia: Do you apply the skills gained from working on this project in your professional activities? This project has been highly appreciated by the community! Has this project changed your life in any way?
Priti: It has been overwhelming to see the positive responses I’ve received when showcasing this project at conferences and events. It has brought visibility to my work, connected me with like-minded individuals, and sparked meaningful conversations. Perhaps it has also helped soften parts of me that always struggle with self-doubt.
As far as learnings go, the context of this project might be less common, but the process and design skills involved are the same as in any other professional work I undertake. I believe that taking an idea from a jumble of thoughts to a polished presentation will always involve a similar circuitous journey for me.
Natalia: What main advice can you give to aspiring and practicing data visualizers on their professional and creative journey?
Priti: To my fellow practitioners, I have two small thoughts for you to consider:
- Consider your own culture and heritage: Much of the conversation around data visualisation is driven by a particular school of thought, and the vast untapped richness from other visual cultures and perspectives often remains on the sidelines. Look into your own heritage deep enough and you’ll find much that can enrich our field.
- Always consider the broader context: I echo Manuel Lima’s advice to keep the bigger picture in mind. Every piece of work we create, no matter how mundane, ties into a larger discourse. Avoid tunnel vision and think about how your work contributes to furthering this conversation.
To those who work with data visualisation practitioners, I have one request:
- Occasionally, collaborate with individuals who may not resemble your usual circle of friends. Without a diversity of perspectives or equal access to opportunities, we risk perpetuating a monoculture.
Thank you, Priti, for her story and her wonderful advice! You can learn more about this wonderful project on Priti’s website!
