Huachen Xin

My projects are about data visualisation. We live in the ear of data, however, many data have been hidden intensionally or unintentionally. Some data are especially curial to people and society but were difficult to access or hid for porpoises. The two projects intended to use visual manners to make the data not only accessible, understandable, but also felt. I choose two group of data for visualisation, domestic electricity consumption data, and air quality data. 

CurrenTime

Domestic electricity consumption data has long been invisible to us, lack of understanding and informing lead to energy wasting and abusing. Though visualizing the energy consumption this project intends to raise people’s energy awareness, change people’s energy using behaviour and create a more energy efficient society. 

The name of CurrenTime is a combination of current and time, and the name implies the attribute of this clock. The second-hand of this clock act as a current indicator, the angle it turns will base on how much energy are consumed in home. Each segment of the clock dial represents 100W, when the total consumption of electricity in home exceed 1200w, the second hand will tremble to remind people to watch their electricity using behaviours. 

Pollution Visualisation  

The air quality in China is a serious issue, the only source that people can access is the government published data and the authenticity of it are doubtable. Lack of alternative sources to acquire the air quality information not only violate citizen’s right to know but also connive the inaction of the government. Air Mining project intend to create an alternative way for people to access the air quality data and visualise the data in public spaces to have the social impact.

A power-free air quality monitors are created for this project, these monitors are installed on taxes or uber cars and travel all around the city to collect air pollution data. People can check the gathered data via a phone app. By doing so people can not only check their nearby air pollution data but also the air condition of their interest location. 

The installation is created for this project to visualise the air pollution in public spaces. By using polarising effect, three separate dishes show the air quality data from different sources — current spot data, official data, and user interest location data — through changing transparency. This installation enables people to feel the air pollution data comparatively and call for government to act rather than hide.