This project dealt with the ways data and visualization are employed to understand human lives and the application of humanistic theory to those practices. It was developed with the understanding that data creation and visualization can be cyclic close-reading processes each used to develop interpretation on and engagement with the other. In particular, this project employed these practices to investigate the loose-leaf archival objects collected by Katherine Bradley (1846-1914) and Edith Cooper (1862-1913), the aunt and niece (lovers, poets, and diarists) who wrote and lived together as Michael Field. The outputs consisted of an exploratory and experimental network graph that examined the topics and sentiments of correspondence and epistolary relationships documented in the loose-leaf letters, as well as an open dataset through which viewers might understand how the loose-leaf objects have been classified.
The data collection process for this project was iterative, as the visualization development and data collection was cyclic in nature. It was based on document review, a detailed examination of each of the loose-leaf objects included in notebook 29B of the Michael Field diaries.* The initial goal was to identify what the loose-leaf material contains as there was no pre-existing record to reference. Once it became clear that the visualization would focus on the letters, more nuanced data was developed on only that object type, and added to the data. Going forward, this may be built upon to create new visualizations based on new interpretations of the material. The dataset includes classifications of both the loose-leaf material and the more in-depth data used to build the visualization.
The taxonomy metrics can be accessed online.
The visualization is an experimental take on a network graph; a product of my attempt to apply humanistic visual theory to the visualization process. It is an intentional departure from what is traditionally understood as data visualization. The language of flowers is employed in this work as an unfixed visual language through which viewers can explore my interpretation of the sentiments and topics included in the loose-leaf correspondence. It is also a visual language that was chosen for its particular ties to Michael Field, as they employed flower symbologies in their daily correspondence and in their writing. Viewers are provided with information about the letter-writers in aggregate, through the wreaths that surround their names, and through specific relationships on the vines that connecting two parties.
Please contact the researcher with any queries regarding this project. You can do so by opening an issue in the GitHub repository for this project.
(*) Accessed via the Michael Field Diary Archive, now available here. If you would like to look at the diaries themselves, as they become available digitally, do explore this site.