Using data-driven artwork to raise funds for charity

On 1 December 2015, CDRC’s Deputy Director James Cheshire and researcher Oliver O’Brien raised £250 for the development and disaster relief charity Article 25, in an auction held at the Royal Institution of British Architects (RIBA).

Each year, the charity places a 10×10 grid over a part of London and invites architects and artists to explore the 100 resulting squares allocated to them. This year the theme was “Drawing the River”, with artists exploring the role the River Thames in central London plays in shaping the city.

James and Oliver were allocated a 10×10 square near Lambeth Bridge, where they made use of the Environment Agency’s newly opened archive of LIDAR-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) and combined this with geographical data, GIS and other software to produce their final piece; a “data driven” work of art showcasing the area around Lambeth Bridge in a different light.

Their final piece revealed some interesting features-for more on what these were, and for associated images, read Oliver O’Brien’s post