I am proposing a session for those creating new visualization tools about how programmers can work with humanists to organize content in a way that responds dynamic user interests. I am particularly interested in how to create narratives through the display of archival documents.
I have been working with a collaborative interdisciplinary team that includes a computer scientist, an interactive graphic designer, a historian, and a cartographer to design and develop a new digital tool called Mix D that visualizes historical journeys. The product prototype (based upon the actor Ira Aldridge) intends to create multiple narratives that will enhance user understanding of a historical figure, and create a narrative that goes beyond the bare reading of the data. Some of the visualizations are pre-scribed (timelines and maps) while others are dependent upon user interests.
Anita Gonzalez is a Professor of Theatre Arts at SUNY New Paltz.
