Written In The Stars by Joana Calado

Written in the Stars.

This tells a story, our story. But it is not unique, it in part belongs to all of us that have fallen for another. The technology industry can, at times, earn its reputation for being so connected it distances us; so data obsessed it forgets context and so innovative it forgets history. This visualisation is the bridge between data, design and the most human story of all: love. What you see in ‘Written in the Stars’ is a graph visualised as a night sky. On the x-axis is time of day, the y-axis is months (from 2016 to present). The size of the star represents the number of words sent in each message between me and my now fiancé. As such, the bigger the star, the more that was written. The data is sourced from Facebook messenger, this being our platform of choice in getting to know one another. As you cast your eyes across the night sky you are taken on a journey from the exciting beginnings of a relationship. Early morning thoughts and late-night musings: constant communication. The chase. You have experienced it, that person is always on your mind. As you move across the sky, the relationship is secured and matures. Bigger stars illuminate life moments such as a time-zone change difference for a work trip, an early morning get up or, as labelled, a period of commuting to another city. As the stars peter out to the right of the view, so the relationship strengthens. Technology has served us in the beginning, enabled us at distance and then fades away, as connection becomes a meaningful daily encounter: living together. The story of this night sky tells the two tales of technology: as a tool to connect when apart and an unnecessary distraction from the present.

The sky is constructed in a visualisation as if we are gazing up at the milky-way and reflecting on our relationship. The sky becomes less bold, but if you look closely it is a thing of beauty.