Share to
Des maux dans les idées
By : LUM Design
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 16th edition
Discipline : Communication & Branding
Categories : Communication Design / Poster : Platinum Winner
After two years of the pandemic, COVID-19 has not only wreaked direct havoc on the physical health of those who have contracted it, it leaves in its wake an imprint, sometimes indelible, on the mental health of an entire population.
The data visualization presented here exposes the increase in depression and anxiety disorders in the university population in Canada from 2020 to 2022.
The reporting of mental health statistics is approached through hybrid photographic portraiture. Interventions, such as sewing and ink, were performed on the printed photographs to make the subject of the statistic felt, tangible, sensitive, inscribed in the body.
This triptych of mental health data visualization is in its third exhibition in a two year period. First presented as part of the \”Labo Dataviz\” at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi, the series was also presented in Nantes as part of \”Datarama #7, l\’l\’évènement dataviz de la Nantes Digital Week.\”
In order to remain consistent with the data, which presents the mental health profile of the university population, a photo shoot was organized at the very location of its first exhibition. It is thus in the main entrance of the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi that passers-by were invited to have their picture taken.
As the data concern both workers and students, a fine selection of portraits allowed for a representation of both gender, age, as well as visible diversity.
The selected portraits were printed and a work of creative research was then deployed. Cutting, application of materials (paint, ink), perforations, graffiti, tearing, burning are all alterations and experiments that were performed by iteration on the portraits. The creative process consisted of sharing sensations, right in the body, provoked by the states of mental health that the statistics present (anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder).
Then came the moment to photograph the portraits that received the interventions and finally, the graphic montage that came to affix the statistics and graphically unify the whole work. The final print is 49 by 35 inches for each of the three images.
Making data visualization through hybrid photography is an innovative creative process that requires both artistic and technical skills. Making the statistic feel through manual intervention on the photograph is a challenge that involves a deep understanding of the data and visual concepts. The use of hybrid photography allows for the creation of unique and captivating visualizations that capture the audience\’s attention and facilitate the understanding of the data. Designers and artists who master this technique can bring a new dimension to dataviz by creating complex and innovative artworks while effectively communicating important information.
Collaboration
