Data Materialism in Art Making

Abstract

This short paper is a sketch of some pragmatic considerations for the use of data in the production of artwork. My practice as an artist causes me to encounter data as a series of daily material questions and this has encouraged me to develop a series of brief theoretical propositions and practical methodologies which will be outlined here. An overview of some art historical, broader culture or creative and lastly ontological imperatives for the consideration of data as an artistic material will be followed by some examples of data materialist art practice from my own work. These last will illustrate some simple methodologies which I have adopted.