VizChitra 2025

𝗔𝗕𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧

Have you ever thought if your next Data Visualisation inspiration could come from history?

Most of us would have thought of Data Visualisation as a very modern concept that we visualise on our screens. But what if I told you that Data Visualisation has always been a part of us and has been very crucial for ancient civilisations too? While we are processing the future of AI and Technology in Design, what if we go back in time and unearth “design before design”?

In this session, we’ll put on the hat of a data archeologist to explore how our ancestors have used different materials, techniques and semiotics to record data related to crucial data related to census, agricultural data, architecture, mathematics, science and astronomy and more. We would be exploring artefacts from different civilisations like the Indus Valley, Mesopotamian, Incan, Mayan and Egyptian - a journey through time, materials and knowledge systems.

I want to end the session with an interactive workshop where different materials like clay, beads, strings, shells etc would be provided and we can collectively build data artefacts similar to how our ancestors would have done centuries ago.

𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡

1. Interesting and a rich experience of discovering lost knowledge and decode a lot of information that our ancestors have left for us.

2. Hands on workshop where people can make their own data artefacts, we can collectively create a Data Museum out of it and people can take them home as a souvenir.

𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡

1. Designers and Non-Designers interested in history, archaeology and anthropology

2. Educators and Students who want to explore decolonial and indigenous methods of Data Visualisation

3. Artists and Storytellers curious about multi-sensory, material-based methods of visualisation and evoution of information systems

𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗠𝗘

Sowmya Jayaraman is currently working as a Systems and Communication Designer at Social Innovation Studio that primarily works with projects under the Development Sector. She is passionate about designing contextual interventions for impactful communication and behaviour change.

With a background in Graphic Design, she is also extremely passionate about History and Archeology. She also loves documentaries and learning about cultures and various knowledge systems.