Discussion on creating art & visualizations with Go, using tools like SVGGo. Exploring minimalistic data visualizations inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois. Community projects combat racism through visualizations. Automating interactions with LLMs using Go. AI in art, emphasizing preserving human input. Exploring Linux distributions and Mac systems.
Combining art & code using Go sparked by blending design & coding conferences.
Creating diverse visual representations by simplifying complex visuals to fundamental elements in Go.
Deep dives
Combining Art and Code: The Origin Story of Using Go in Visualizations
The journey of combining art and code using Go began when the speaker attended a conference focusing on blending design and coding. Witnessing the synergy between the two domains sparked their interest in merging art and code. As an IT professional, creating charts and graphs, the speaker realized the power of using code for visualizations. With the introduction of Go in 2009, the speaker embraced its programming language, finding it suitable due to past experience with C. Experimenting with SVG generation in Go led to further exploration.
Types of Visualizations with Go: Discovering Unique Visualization Approaches
In the world of visualizations using Go, various types of visualizations do not have strict delineations based on the programming language. However, creating tools like 'Deck' and 'D-Chart' allowed for exploring fundamental graphic elements and arranging them programmatically. By working with markup languages and architectural diagrams, the speaker found a canvas-based approach crucial, offering a versatile platform for creating varied visuals. The speaker's philosophy emphasized simplifying complex visuals to fundamental elements and programmatically representing relationships between elements.
Introduction to Open Source Tools: SVGGo, Deck, D-Chart
The speaker introduced several open source tools, including SVGGo, which enabled picture programming by combining data with high-level SVG concepts. Additionally, Deck facilitated creating bespoke tools for architectural diagrams and presentations by starting with a blank canvas. Notably, D-Chart was developed on Deck, providing a charting package that leveraged fundamental graphic elements for diverse visual representations. The focus on comprehensive documentation with illustrative examples was highlighted, emphasizing the importance of clear instructional materials.
Community Challenges and Initiatives: Du Bois Visualization and January Challenge
Inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois' data portraits, the speaker embarked on a project to digitally recreate Du Bois' data stories, fostering a community challenge to recreate the visuals. The Du Bois Visualization Challenge expanded across social media platforms, inviting participants to recreate historical data charts and tell compelling stories through visualization. Moreover, the January Challenge engaged participants in crafting daily visual prompts, integrating interactive elements through tools like Guio Canvas and Define Canvas, exploring an array of graphical and interactive possibilities.
Angelica is joined by the wonderful Anthony Starks to discuss creative coding to create art & visualizations with Go. Anthony is an independent developer/designer interested in data visualization, generative art, building tools & combining art + code.
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