The
Day-to-Day Data Symposium took place at the ICA London on 18 March
2006 in Cinema 2.
The
Symposium offered a unique insight into the Day-to-Day Data project
through the eyes of five of the artists involved. It featured presentations
by Abigail Reynolds, Adele
Prince, Ellie Harrison, Richard
Dedomenici and Tony Kemplen. Each speaker
discussed the ideas and methodologies surrounding their work made for the show,
in relation to a specific way in which data can be collected, analysed, processed
and visualised as part of artistic practice.
View
images >
(photography by Edward Hill, Adele Prince and Tim Taylor)
Day-to-Day Data Symposium in ICA Cinema 2
Introduction
Ellie Harrison gives a brief introduction
to the Day-to-Day Data project; describing how the artists’ works
are spread across the gallery show, the web-based exhibition and the publication.
She then introduces each of the artists who are present today including Gabrielle
Sharp, Hannah Brown, Helen
Frosi, Kevin Carter, Mary
Yacoob, Sam Curtis, Therese
Stowell and Tim Taylor. She
then introduces the format for the day’s presentations, the five different
topics the speakers will address and the timing mechanisms they have bought
with them in order to stick to schedule. Download
audio >
(mp3 audio file, 8:58 minutes, 10.2 MB)
Data
Mapping
Adele Prince introduces the project she
created for Day-to-Day Data, Trolley Spotting and an earlier
piece Lost Something. She examines how data can be collected about
urban debris whilst walking through the city and used to map our personal relationships
with our local area. Download audio >
(mp3 audio file, 9:05 minutes, 10.4 MB)
Pattern Recognition
Richard Dedomenici discusses recent
projects where research has led him to uncover bizarre patterns emerging in
the least expected places. These include his experiments in Train Spotter
Spotting and the theory of the Nail Salon Belt, developed for
Day-to-Day Data. Download audio >
(mp3 audio file, 12:01 minutes, 13.7 MB)
Data Visualisation
Tony Kemplen shows his experiments with
data visualisation techniques. By borrowing the aesthetics of educational aids
he demonstrates how absurd information can appear to be of great importance.
He concludes by sharing the process of visualising his project for Day-to-Day
Data, Eating pizza while watching
the news. Download
audio >
(mp3 audio file, 11:29 minutes, 13.1 MB)
Data Processing
Abigail Reynolds describes the rules
and systems she employs to process word data extracted from the Oxford English
Dictionary into the exact positioning of objects within her sculptures. The
Word Co-ordinate works appear as autonomous art objects, however a
little probing can reveal the complex systems which created them. Download audio
>
(mp3 audio file, 11:35 minutes, 13.2 MB)
Data Logging
Ellie Harrison shares her experiences
of logging personal data, describing the effect constant measuring and monitoring
has on her life. She introduces her two characters, the Daily Data Logger
and the Specimen and then describes the ways their data is concealed,
transformed and then presented within a gallery installation. Download audio
>
(mp3 audio file, 11:14 minutes, 12.8 MB)
Group Discussion
The discussion is chaired by Ellie Harrison.
It covers six main areas of questioning, observation and response by audience
members, speakers and other artists involved in the project:
What is the impulse to collect data?
Question posed by Therese Stowell. Responses
from Ellie Harrison, Abigail Reynolds, Richard Dedomenici and Therese Stowell. Download audio >
(mp3 audio file, 7:42 minutes, 8.8 MB)
Should the artworks have more thorough instructions?
Question posed by James Ford. Responses from Danielle Arnaud, Rob Davis, Abigail
Reynolds, audience member and Tim Taylor. Download audio
>
(mp3 audio file, 11:02 minutes, 12.6 MB)
Is there a commercial incentive for artists to collect data?
Question posed by audience member. Responses
from Ellie Harrison, Abigail Reynolds and Therese Stowell. Download
audio >
(mp3 audio file, 3:34 minutes, 4.1 MB)
It's amazing how
much enjoyment you get from your projects...
Observation put forward by audience member. Responses from Ellie Harrison and
Adele Prince. Download audio >
(mp3 audio file, 2:29 minutes, 2.8 MB)
With so many other interesting things going on, is there
any need for a Gallery Exhibition?
Question posed by
audience member. Response from Ellie Harrison. Download
audio >
(mp3 audio file, 3:24 minutes, 3.9 MB)
You seem like a support group for data obsessives...
Observation put
forward by Kate Pelen. Responses from Tony Kemplen and Adele Prince. Download audio >
(mp3 audio file, 3:52 minutes, 4.4 MB)
The Day-to-Day Data Symposium was funded by Arts
Council England Grants for the Arts