Data Garden is a textless, interactive work that situates itself at the intersection of digital narrative, data consumption, and user interaction.
Through a minimalist click-and-advance mechanic, the piece presents a virtual routine of a content consumer whose daily interactions across various platforms contribute to an ever-growing ecosystem of data. This data, once extracted and processed, takes form within the Data Garden, a persistent and evolving archive where digital traces endure beyond their initial context.
Originating fromthe undergraduatethesis NewNarratives andDigital Ergonomics in the Era of Hyperconnectivity, the project examines the ways in which we engage with information in an era of content saturation. By adopting the visual language of comics as a framework, Data Garden proposes alternative modes of reading and understanding data.
The game critically reflects on the ergonomics of hyperconnectivity, questioning the agency of users in an ecosystem where engagement itself becomes a resource. By reducing interaction to a single-button input, the work highlights the paradox of digital agency—where ease of access and participation often mask deeper structures of control, surveillance, and commodification.
In a space where every action generates data, who truly owns the narrative? Are we active participants, or merely passive cultivators of an ever-expanding digital landscape?