Artist in Residence: Weaving Workshop with Nathalie Miebach
“What is your water story?” That was the question data artist Nathalie Miebach posed to students attending a weaving workshop last October at the School of Data Science.
The workshop brought undergraduate and graduate students from across the University to visualize personal water experiences using reed, paper, and tape. Each participant shared a story and translated it into a three-dimensional art piece.
The event was sponsored by the School of Data Science as part of Miebach's artist-in-residency. Explaining her artistic process, she shared with the students that the journey always starts with data. “The hard part is bringing the data into a three-dimensional sculpture,” said Miebach. Quick sketching enables her to refine what she wants to visualize before creating a sculpture.
“The hard part is when we bring the data into the three-dimensional sculpture,” Miebach said.
Students began with a single reed, soaking it in water to give it pliability for bending and shaping. Students then used their hands to work with the natural material, following the reed’s natural flow. By manipulating the reed, they were able to interpret their water experiences through the material.
Using zip ties to create connection points, their stories began to take shape. Miebach encouraged students to consider data elements such as timelines, water depth and temperature, climate considerations, landscape elevation, and weather information.
These elements were then woven into unique creations, further enhancing each student's story into a three-dimensional piece. Using brightly colored paper, tape, and markers, students were able to share their water experience through data visualization and storytelling.
Once the pieces were completed, students cleared their desks to display the works, which Miebach referred to as “sketches.” Broken into small groups, participants shared their water story, explaining their techniques for creating their sketch and visualizing their data.
One student shared memories of growing up in an older home with a leaky roof, using rainfall data from the area to represent water entering the house during extreme storms.
Another student, holding a new driver’s license, shared how they were lost on a highway. With zero visibility, they took the wrong exit and found themselves in what felt like a wall of water. Using highway weather data, the student's sketch represented flooding depth and loss of visibility.
One student brought to life the experience of scuba diving. Their sketch showed the ocean from the surface downward, illustrating what can be seen at different depths and using color to identify marine life at various levels.
The workshop encouraged students to share personal experiences while using natural materials and data to create art. Participants said the process fostered a sense of community, as each story offered a unique perspective on water and its impact.
