ACTION! Beautiful Data - The Filmic Art of Numbers

Abstract

In the turf war between quantitative and qualitative methods, we appear as mediators bridging the two sides. How can quantitative and qualitative methods complement each other rather than work in opposition?We will encourage reflections on this by developing new forms of urban literacy integrating ethnographic research methods with quantitative data, filmmaking and other forms of digital media

Objective

Through a combination of practical exercises in video and audio techniques in parallel with the study of seminal observation-driven texts, this course aims to equip students with the basic tools and core principles to create short but complex portraits of urban space. This semester, the focus falls on the green spaces of Zürich, looking at its trees, green corridors, heat islands, and atmospheric conditions. This approach will be applied to experiments in the audio/visualization of quantitative data and the contextualization of qualitative data that in turn inform quantitative outputs. Through various audiovisual experiments, students will collectively speculate on ways to marry the various forms of research methods that traditionally do not intersect, creating mosaics of experimental research forms, manifested through film and audio. Using widely available recording tools and editing software, students will turn their fieldwork into short video or audio works of about 3-5 minutes.

Content

The course will compose of lectures, practical crash courses in media use and storytelling, and fieldwork sessions. The course will be a laboratory in the creation of short media works that aim to inform the architectural design process, working between the city and the studio in ONA. Students will be expected to complete all required work within the hours that the elective meets, with few requirements outside of the class hours.

Resources