Data as Testimony

I have been working with a lot of personal data sets lately. There are intimacies in data we don’t often share or – worse – gloss over with little care. I’m handling data that shapes worlds and leaves its mark.

Some of this data ties back to the words of others. These words are not mine, but I’m working to bring those ideas forward, to make it easier to sense the thoughts and emotions of others.

A different data set has been for a personal project, one I shared recently where I collaborated Candra McRae.

This data set preserved names of those who sought freedom by escaping slavery. I wanted to honor that in the visualization.

It will also be 9 months since Kelly died on the 30th.

This visualization is also a testament to a single life, one I knew quite well.

Too often, we’re presented with data without taking the time to honor what it stands for. We rush through to the numbers, the measures, without taking a look at the words. You see, numbers are comfortable abstractions. Words, however, hook deeply and anchor us much closer to what the data really is.

When we don’t see ourselves, we can slide right through the analysis, our clicks and keyboard clacks a steady beat as we build. We see shapes, numbers, and results. We see what we think are answers, what we hope will resonate, and an output we spend time perfecting. But sometimes, with all that removal, we miss the point.

When we see ourselves or others we know in the data, our cursor stops. These data points aren’t arbitrary: they’re family, friends, or others who matter to us in some way. They’re tangible in a way numbers aren’t. We know what this data is: loss, bravery, love, survival, optimism, but so often a testimony of life.

Don’t forget to see your data.