Play Something: Data
Throughout my life, I’ve known no greater joy than the joy of discovery. It’s my hypothesis that this intimate, self-rewarding process never gets old, and, in fact, only sweetens as the years go by.
To test this hypothesis, I’m developing a series of wooden toys that reappropriate the classic waiting room “Rollercoaster” toy – a colorful, kinetic thing that has enraptured millions of youths waiting their turn at the doctor’s office. Using open source data, I will bend and twist the wires so as to portray a visualization of the following realities:
1. School subjects (Math, History, Science, Art, English) funding across America.
2. Childhood obesity in America juxtaposed with the rise of electronics.
3. Wait times in doctor’s offices in 4 or 5 different countries.
One of my goals for this project is to produce a toy that is desired equally by, both, children and adults. Success will look a lot like these following scenario:
Parents are having friends over for their son’s 4th birthday party. The children quickly gravitate to the playroom and discover these wooden, kinetic toys. Drinks in hand, the adults saunter in to watch the children. A mother bends to play with her child and makes a discovery of her own.
Later at home, the mother googles “arts funding public schools long island”.