Federica Fragepane’s Data-Driven Art on Display in Turin

When most people imagine art, “data” is not their first thought. Numbers—be they quantities, statistics, or values—exist solely in the realm of analytics, a far-cry from the creative and liberated concept of “art”. For information designer Federica Fragepane however, this could not be further from the truth. In Fragepane’s eyes, data and art are inseparable; statistics are her paints and numbers are her canvas.

A frequent contributor to La Lettura, Corriere della Sera’s cultural column, Federica Fragepane’s resumé also includes commissions for the United Nations and Core77’s Visual Communications award. Some of her works for “La Lettura” are on exhibition at the Wild Mazzini Data Art Gallery in Turin until July 8, 2018.

Exploring topics from Bob Dylan’s lyrical vocabulary to the activities of the Mafia in Northern Italy, Fragepane’s far-reaching portfolio is as informative as it is beautiful. In “Bob Dylan’s words”, spear-shaped leaves, spread radially over a semi-opaque disc labelled “1965”, resemble the spines of a sea urchin. Closer inspection reveals unobtrusive labels and fascinating insight: Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited averaged 360 written words per song, covering themes like people, history, landscapes, and freedom. With “Crime in Northern Italy”, crimson circles and gentle arcs track the frequency and scale of criminal activity across Italian cities. The product of nearly four-thousand pages of police reports, Fragepane’s illustrations provide expressive analysis without sacrificing her minimalist style.

Federica Fragepane’s captivating visualizations can also be seen on her Behance.net profile.

– Joe Powers