Data Introspection: An Embroidered PhD Trajectory in Unconventional Personal Data
Renee Noortman · 2024
In an age of data, we are increasingly defined by the data sets collected about us. Expressing identity in these data sets can be difficult as they are aggregated and collected according to specific values and beliefs that might not match our own. Through an elaborate process that I refer to as data introspection, I explored three data sets about myself (books I read, board games I played and my yoga practice) to create a feminist, hand-embroidered physicalisation of those data sets. Building on the principles of Data Feminism, I reflect on the process of creating that artefact, including the selection and cleaning of the data, the materiality of the artefact and the crafting process. The artefact exemplifies new ways to use unconventional personal data as a creative, feminist material for design.