Due 4/02

Objectives

1. To gather and organize a collection of data
2. To understand metadata
3. To tell a story through content curation and order
4. To experiment with interactions with a collection
5. To develop a working relationship of JavaScript objects and data collection

Introduction

Anything that you have an accumulation of can be a collection. An archive is a collection of historical documents or records. Not all collections are archives, but many become relevant with time. For our next project you’re tasked with creating a collection of 25 to 50 items. Any time you see a multiplicity of an object, you begin to notice similarities and contexts in a new way. Seeing multiple of an object allows for this kind of in depth research that observing one object does not. The way the object is documented (consider the various image making techniques we’ve explored this semester) and organized helps direct the viewer on how the object is meant to be experienced.

Project

Create a collection of 25 to 50 items. Your collection should have at least five different data types affiliated with it, and should be as specific as possible. There should be a visual consistency between the items, and should have a cohesive story to it. For example: If your collection is “Dogs in Central Park” you might include: photos of the dogs that you take on an iphone, the dog’s name, the dog’s breed, the GPS coordinates of where you saw the dog, and a brief description of the encounter. Once you collect your data, you will organize it into a local database and create a JSON file that houses all the relevant content.

Once you have your data collected and collection organized, you’ll design a webpage that houses the collection. Link the JSON file and pull the data in programmatically to display your content. Consider how the collection is organized and experienced — one at a time, in a grid, on separate pages? Consider if there are groupings within your collection and how the relationship between typography and mixed media can add a visual perspective to your work.

Requirements

• A title for your collection
• You should pull your data in with a JSON file or using JavaScript objects
• Must be responsive and function on a mobile screen

Considerations

• Does the type of content give form to your site?
• How can you tell a story through a curated set of text, visuals, interactive experiences?
• What kind of different data types can you use to add specificity and interest to your project?
• Does the arrangement of elements or the grid change? Does the site’s navigation change to highlight the most current content?
• Are there filters or subsections of your data?

Examples ^{(Similar but not the same project)}

• https://victoriagwinter.github.io/wintv133/Ellastic-Collection/
• https://bagas557tns.github.io/ci2/elastic-collections/index.html
• https://pands212.github.io/projects/elastic-collections/index.html
• https://daniz053.github.io/projects/elastic-collection/index.html
• https://alexsoukakos.github.io/alexandersoukakos.github.io/billboards/index.html
• https://juliaduf.github.io/HandsArchive/HAHome.html
• https://martc626.github.io/elastic-collections/
• https://diluv059.github.io/projects/obsessions/index.html

Due 4/02

Objectives

1. To reinterpret external sources of data into narrative experiences
2. To develop an editorial perspective to content that is not your own
3. To develop a working relationship with external content and code
4. To connect and use structured content from an API (Application Programming Interface)

Introduction

Data is all around us and can help us understand new aspects about our environment. Using the New York City open data, you will select a dataset to work with. New York collects data ranging from parking violations to squirrel census. On its own, the data is a set of numbers that are difficult to comprehend without a visualization. Look through your chosen data and consider how you can tell a story through different subsets of it — you do not need to include all of it. Consider the relationship between the form, the story, and the data itself. How does the data’s container help encourage an understanding of the data not possible without it? Feel free to add in mixed media content to help tell this story, and avoid using traditional data visualizations such as bar graphs and pie charts.

Project

1. Look through the New York City data on opendata.cityofnewyork.us and select one data to work with.
2. Explore possible narrative components to the data based on how you filter it and categorize it. Will you work with the full set of data, or just a segment? How does the story of the data change based on the form?
3. Design a website for this data set. Consider adding interaction and additional content.

Considerations

• Who is the audience? What mindset should the user be in when he/she uses the site? (Be specific)
• How does the user know what to do based on the design?
• Does the type of content give form to your site?
• How can you tell a story through a curated set of text, visuals, interactive experiences?
• Does the design of the site somehow respond to new content?
• Rather than being a neutral vessel, how can the design that you use to organize your collection change when the collection itself changes? For example, do colors on the site change in response to the kind or amount of content posted to the site?

Previous student work and other references

Link