DGAH 110 Midterm:
Mapping the Birthplaces of Tate Artists in 1950 – 1969
Introduction
My project is to map the birthplaces of Tate artists who were born between 1950 and 1969. I used OpenRefine to clean my data, Geocoding add-on in Google Sheets to process the data, and Flourish to make an animated point map that shows each individual artist’s birthplace through the years.
Sources
The dataset for this project was obtained from the Midterm Dataset created by Professor Austin Mason. The data was drawn from the Tate Collection repository created and maintained by Tate on Github, which is an open-source resource. The original dataset contains 9 columns and 732 entries.
Processes
In OpenRefine, I removed 29 rows which contain blank cells for the place of birth column. I also checked the year of birth column to ensure there is not any blank entry and removed unused columns such as year of death, place of death, and url. I then exported the data which now contains 443 rows and 6 columns directly to Google Sheets. Since I decided to use Flourish to generate visualizations, Flourish requires latitude and longitude data to locate each data point. In the Google Sheets, I installed the Geocoding by SmartMonkey add-on and used the place of birth column as the input address to generate corresponding latitudes and longitudes, which were stored in two new columns. I exported the finalized dataset as a csv file and it is now ready for visualization. Finally, I uploaded the data to Flourish and modified the animated point map template to make my visualization.
Presentation
I embedded my visualization from Flourish above. After you click the play button, the timeline at the bottom of the map will start to progress from the year 1950 and points will emerge on the map. Each point symbolizes an artist born in the corresponding year, along with their birth location. Pausing the animation, you can hover over individual point to get the artist’s name, birth year, and gender. For those interested in specific years, the timeline offers the flexibility to navigate directly to artists born in selected years. Additionally, the map features a counter in the top left corner, providing users with the option to display either the annual birth count of artists or the cumulative total over the years. This enhancement offers a more intuitive and engaging way to interact with the data, catering to varied interests and inquiries.
For the website, I Installed a new WordPress site on my https subdomain.
Significance
The application of digital tools and methodologies in the creation of an animated point map to visualize the birthplaces of Tate artists born between 1950 and 1969 reveals significant insights into the intersection of geography, time, and artistic evolution. This digital approach enables a dynamic exploration of the spatial distribution of artists, offering a visual narrative of how cultural and historical contexts across different regions have influenced the emergence of artists over two decades. By animating the data, the project not only tracks the geographical origins of these artists but also temporally situates their births within a global context, providing a unique lens through which to view the proliferation of artistic talent.
This project’s significance lies in its contribution to the Digital Arts & Humanities by emphasizing the role of spatial analysis and interactive visualization in understanding cultural phenomena. Unlike traditional data science, which often focuses on quantitative analysis and pattern recognition, this approach integrates digital humanities principles by prioritizing the narrative and contextual interpretation of data. It demonstrates how digital tools can enhance our understanding of the arts and humanities, making complex datasets accessible and engaging to a broader audience. The project thus acts as a bridge between data science and the humanities, highlighting the potential of digital methodologies to enrich our comprehension of artistic and cultural heritage.
Furthermore, the decision to use OpenRefine for data cleaning, Geocoding in Google Sheets for data processing, and Flourish for visualization underscores the interdisciplinary nature of digital humanities projects. It showcases how leveraging digital tools can facilitate the meticulous examination of cultural data, allowing for the discovery of patterns and trends that might remain obscured in traditional analysis. The interactive map serves not just as a visualization but as an exploratory tool, inviting users to engage with the data in a personal and intuitive manner. This level of interaction and accessibility distinguishes the project within the Digital Arts & Humanities, emphasizing the role of digital technologies in democratizing access to cultural insights and fostering a deeper appreciation of the arts through the lens of data.