On The Potential of Zines as a Medium for Visualization

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Andrew M McNutt

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 View presentation:2021-10-27T13:20:00ZGMT-0600Change your timezone on the schedule page
2021-10-27T13:20:00Z

Exemplar figure, described by caption below — Where are the zines using visualization? Despite a seemingly natural overlap there has been little work combining zines and visualization. In this paper we explore this gap and highlight the potential of embracing zines as a medium for research and practice.

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Keywords

Social Science, Education, Humanities, Journalism, Intelligence Analysis, Knowledge Work, Communication/Presentation, Storytelling, General Public

Abstract

Zines are a form of small-circulation self-produced publication often akin to a magazine. This free-form medium has a long history and has been used as means for personal or intimate expression, as a way for marginalized people to describe issues that are important to them, and as a venue for graphical experimentation. It would seem then that zines would make an ideal vehicle for the recent interest in applying feminist or humanist ideas to visualization. Yet, there has been little work combining visualization and zines. In this paper we explore the potential of this intersection by analyzing examples of zines that use data graphics and by describing the pedagogical value that they can have in a visualization classroom. In doing so, we argue that there are plentiful opportunities for visualization research and practice in this rich intersectional-medium.