Jer Thorp’s work focuses on adding meaning and narrative to huge amounts of data as a way to help people take control of the information that surrounds them.
Why you should listen
Currently the data artist in residence at the New York Times, Jer’s software-based art has been featured all over the world. His former career as a data artist explains why his art often brings big data sets to life and is deeply influenced by science. Originally from Vancouver, he lives in New York City, where, along with his work at the New York Times, he teaches in NYU’s ITP program.
What others say
Underpinning Jer’s examples is a powerful common thread of humanizing data and making it a living piece of our personal histories and cultural poetics.
Jer Thorp’s TED Talk
More news and ideas from Jer Thorp
Culture
Can we overcome partisanship? TED@250 explores the economy, political gridlock and the fiscal cliff
December 18, 2012
The term “fiscal cliff” has gained traction in the U.S. news in the past few months, at least in part because it paints a vivid metaphorical picture. Popularized by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, the term refers to the ill economic consequences that could occur if Congress does not change its course on several policies […]
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Explore exoplanets with a wave: A collaboration to visualize Kepler data
August 17, 2012
Wired UK brings news of a fascinating collaboration to explore data from NASA’s Kepler mission, which has brought back evidence of thousands of exoplanets, or planets outside our own solar system. Some exoplanets are huge, some tiny, near or distant, hot or cold — and some may even be Earth-like, offering clues to the origin […]
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