For this post, I will be analyzing and commenting on Isao Hashimoto’s piece “2053”.
I will start by saying the project speaks volumes, it tells the story of an arms race with arguably the most destructive weapon we have ever known. From the first uses of the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the Cold War and finally the panic in the Middle East.
This almost 15 minute video blew my understanding of the testing and use of nuclear explosion all over the world, even in our backyard. Even though this all happened before I was born I know some of the effects are still lingering.
The data presented is like I mentioned at before, every recorded nuclear explosion between 1945 and 1998. This data presented in any manner should be enough to rock the reader to the core but the way it was presented in this video was so much more.
There is a slow build, each country being given its on sort of ‘ding’ accompanied by a flash of color designated to their specific country (USA = blue, USSR = red, UK = purple, etc…). These blips and dings built into to a great chaotic crescendo throughout the piece building this real sense of panic in the watcher. The same kind of panic we should be using productively to stop the research and, god forbid, use of the weapons furthermore.
As this project has shown data visualization in this form has many advantages. It can allow the presenter to use more senses than just our eyes, it allows for more creative use of color and space, and finally it allows the viewer to see the data in a new light (literally) which can mean so much more than just a graph or table.
However, this also speaks to some of the drawbacks of this “4D” data visualization. Accessibility comes into question, imagine if someone was color blind, deaf, or general visual or hearing impaired, this project would lose a large amount of its impact. Maybe much more than just a normal graph would. It’s a fine line between the great new expanse of technology and making sure everyone has an opportunity to come along, but I know that line can be walked, so let’s do it!
