Data in Bloom
Data humanism offers another way to engage with "Data in Bloom" and situate the work as data physicalization installations. These installations are rooted in the perspective of the designer, which challenges traditional expectations of how to engage with art, with data, and with what counts as both. Through the lens of data humanism, Data in Bloom’s floral arrangements aren’t simply floral versions of art, but displays of engagement, indicators of color and visual analysis, and highly subjective instances of understanding made physical and sensory through the use of flowers. Here, not only is beauty in the eye of the beholder, but so is data.
Dufresne created a data-inspired floral physicalization of Simon Claasz van Waterlant II’s "The Adoration of the Magi." As living things, flowers often refuse to perform the way we might want them to. Art in Bloom’s living-and-dying installations are so wildly popular for all the ways that they do not follow the rules and conventions of traditional art and data: they need water and sunlight, they are perishable, they smell, they need to be cared for and tended to, they move and shift, droop and die. In doing so, they foster community, excitement, and joy as folks re-engage with and reimagine the art that the floral pieces are based upon. Data points, like art, signify a moment, a story to be told, something to be analyzed and considered.
Kelsey Virginia Dufresne
Kelsey Dufresne (she/her) grew up across the United States and landed in North Carolina among cicadas, willow oaks, and dogwoods.
After studying English education and American literature at NC State University, Dufresne continued exploring the capacity of experiential learning — asking questions like: What is to be gained when we shift focus to the process and the doing? What happens when we bring two different, seemingly unrelated concepts or components together? What can we learn from them individually and together? Inspired by Ophelia's empowered use of flowers in Shakespeare's Hamlet and Sylvia Plath's incorporation of tulips into her poetry, Dufresne explored flowers as media — especially when held in conversation with art. This interest carried into her work with data science, where she explored interdisciplinary, multimodal, and arts-informed ways to engage with data.
Dufresne still resides in North Carolina with her family of many boys, where she teaches English at UNC Chapel Hill and creates with her children — who especially love watercolors, stickers, and glitter glue.
Read the NC State University article for more information about Dufresne's floral installation, her inspiration, and her journey.
