Recasting the data sublime in media architecture

Abstract

In aesthetic inquiry, the sublime has remained a versatile signifier used to theorize art movements across the ages in a wide variety of artistic media. Highly influential in literature and visual arts, it has adapted to the sensibilities of changing times and objects of study. A new understanding of the concept has emerged today: the data sublime. From data visualizations to mass surveillance, the moniker data sublime has been used in the past decade to refer to the abstract manifestations of information technology in the everyday. This expression of sublimity foregrounds data as a form that is virtual, transcendent and beyond the reach of the sense apparatus. Yet data as an artifact is indelibly written and recorded by human hands. What urban representations might this paradox render possible? Are dataspaces myths or the experience of real places? This essay speculates on some of the relationships that might exist between data sublimity and placemaking in design research. It contributes to the literature by engaging in a reflection on how the data sublime could be recast and applied to media architecture. Several case studies are presented to ground this discussion and suggest potential avenues for future research.