Fiber optic ocean: Merging media for data representation
Özge Samancı, Adam Snyder · 2017
This paper explores the interactive art installation, Fiber Optic Ocean, portraying the consequences of technology's invasion of oceans. Three life-size shark skeletons are trapped in an ocean made of fiber optic threads. This 20-foot-by-20-foot installation combines fiber optics with sculptural elements and data-driven light and sound design. Data visualization and sonification emerge from the use of two data sets: human data (tweets per second) and shark data (speed of live sharks tagged with GPS). This paper examines the affordances and constraints of design with fiber optic threads. Using fiber optics in this media context expands the expressive opportunities for artists and creates a platform for representation of data.