MILK
The MILK project tracks milk from cows in Latvia as it’s transported, processed, and finally sold as cheese in the Netherlands. Everyone involved in the transactions (from the farmer to the truck driver to the eventual customer) was given a GPS unit to track and record their movements throughout the day. The result is a very abstract yet concrete depiction of where things come from.
I must admit I wasn’t too keen on GPS maps until Timo Arnall came to speak at our school the other day. I especially liked his Time that land forgot visualization because it drove home the idea that you can share intensely personal information in an anonymous way, yet it can still remain interesting and relevant to outside viewers. Plus, it makes visible the invisible: motion through time.
I’ve found some interesting stuff over at gpsdrawing.com, although I’m not too taken with the idea of drawing objects by walking around. I’m more interested in the literal trails left by people through space and time. I like the abstract quality of this very literal and precise data.