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Recasting the data sublime in media architecture

Author:

Claude FortinAuthors Info & Claims

MAB '16: Proceedings of the 3rd Media Architecture Biennale Conference

Article No.: 6, Pages 1 - 10

https://doi.org/10.1145/2946803.2946809

Published: 01 June 2016 Publication History

Abstract

In aesthetic inquiry, the sublime has remained a versatile signifier used to theorize art movements across the ages in a wide variety of artistic media. Highly influential in literature and visual arts, it has adapted to the sensibilities of changing times and objects of study. A new understanding of the concept has emerged today: the data sublime. From data visualizations to mass surveillance, the moniker data sublime has been used in the past decade to refer to the abstract manifestations of information technology in the everyday. This expression of sublimity foregrounds data as a form that is virtual, transcendent and beyond the reach of the sense apparatus. Yet data as an artifact is indelibly written and recorded by human hands. What urban representations might this paradox render possible? Are dataspaces myths or the experience of real places? This essay speculates on some of the relationships that might exist between data sublimity and placemaking in design research. It contributes to the literature by engaging in a reflection on how the data sublime could be recast and applied to media architecture. Several case studies are presented to ground this discussion and suggest potential avenues for future research.

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Cited By

Reshef Kera DEichstetter EEllul J(2023)Volumetric and Edible NFTs: Explorations of the Limits of Aesthetic Assetization and TokenizationProceedings of the 11th International Conference on Digital and Interactive Arts10.1145/3632776.3632802(1-6)Online publication date: 28-Nov-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3632776.3632802
Najafi PMohammadi MLe Blanc Pvan Wesemael P(2022)Insights into placemaking, senior people, and digital technology: a systematic quantitative reviewJournal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability10.1080/17549175.2022.207672117:4(525-554)Online publication date: 24-May-2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2022.2076721

Index Terms

Recasting the data sublime in media architecture
1. Applied computing
  1. Arts and humanities
    1. Architecture (buildings)
    2. Fine arts

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cover image ACM Other conferences

MAB '16: Proceedings of the 3rd Media Architecture Biennale Conference

June 2016

84 pages

ISBN:9781450347495

DOI:10.1145/2946803

Conference Chairs:
Martin Tomitsch,
Matthias Hank Haeusler,
Program Chairs:
Peter Dalsgaard,
Ava Fatah gen Schieck

Copyright © 2016 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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University of Sydney: University of Sydney
MAI: Media Architecture Institute

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 June 2016

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Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

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MAB '16

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University of Sydney
MAI

MAB '16: Media Architecture Biennale 2016

June 1 - 4, 2016

Sydney, Australia

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Cited By

Reshef Kera DEichstetter EEllul J(2023)Volumetric and Edible NFTs: Explorations of the Limits of Aesthetic Assetization and TokenizationProceedings of the 11th International Conference on Digital and Interactive Arts10.1145/3632776.3632802(1-6)Online publication date: 28-Nov-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3632776.3632802
Najafi PMohammadi MLe Blanc Pvan Wesemael P(2022)Insights into placemaking, senior people, and digital technology: a systematic quantitative reviewJournal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability10.1080/17549175.2022.207672117:4(525-554)Online publication date: 24-May-2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2022.2076721

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