LO 2 – Generative Art

The project Drawing Water, created by David Wicks, grabbed my attention as it incorporated scientific facts about where water falls and where it is consumed in the US. It was definitely fascinating to see scientific rainfall data being turned into an interactive artwork. Wick explores how landscapes, data visualization, and relationship between people and places can be turned into drawings, maps, animations, and softwares. Although this project may just look like a pretty animation, each line corresponds to a daily rainfall measurement. The length and initial placement of the lines represent the amount of rainfall and where it fell. The final placement and color are determined by the urban water consumption. As an example, if the rainfall was pulled farther away from where it fell, the color of the lines turn from blue to white. Each part of the map is encoded with specific data from that specific region. Wicks stated that he downloaded and parsed the data using python and used Cinder for creating visual software. In addition, this animated map is also interactive, allowing users to zoom in or zoom out of certain areas.