Prof. Johanna Drucker on “Local Time: A Challenge for Visualization”, brought to you by the Pelagios Network.
Johanna Drucker is the Breslauer Professor of Bibliographical Studies and Distinguished Professor of Information Studies at UCLA. She has been a driving force in the Digital Humanities for the past decade, with a particular focus on visualization, as evidenced by publications such as SpecLab: Digital Aesthetics and Projects in Speculative Computing (Chicago, 2009) and Graphesis: Visual Forms of Knowledge Production (Harvard 2014). Her most recent book, Visualization and Interpretation, was published by MIT Press in Fall 2020.
In this talk, she aims to explore the topic of local time. The term “local” usually suggests a specific geographical spot, but it also has applications to temporal systems—and to data visualization. Yanni Loukissas developed the idea “local data,” to insist on connection to situated conditions of production. The notion of “local time” conflicts with the use of uniform graphic standards such as clock time and calendar dates presented in a rational grid with x-y axes and discrete coordinates. It also considers specific attitudes towards temporal metrics that are culturally located and spatially bound. The challenge is whether conventional timelines and chronologies could be modified through additional approaches to visualization—as well as to structured data formats. Using three areas of focus—historical chronologies, experiential timelines, and narrative theory — this discussion suggests some approaches for visualizing “local” time.
Johanna’s talk will be preceded by a short introduction to the Visualization Activity of the Pelagios Network and how to get involved. The Visualization Activity of the Pelagios Network supports the development of tools and methods for visualising geospatial information. If you would like more information, go to https://pelagios.org/
The Zoom meeting room has limited capacity. If you would like to attend, please sign up in advance here: https://forms.gle/
We’ll then email you the Zoom link in the week before the talk. Many thanks to Sally Chambers and DARIAH-EU for hosting.