A Human Density

For UCSF’s new hospital building MendeDesign was commissioned to picture the metaphysical ‘weight’ of humanity. [+]Big data from global public health studies – birth information, physiological measurements, population density – was processed according to a proprietary algorithm that transformed the raw data into representational images. The resulting visuals – a horizon, vacationers on the beach, a cloudscape – query our world’s values, direction, and sense of cohesion as a global community. [+]

Data sets were compiled from a variety of public sources, including The World Health Organization, The Central Intelligence Agency, and The United Nations. The algorithm assigned specific pixel size and color values to individual data points in order to render the larger images. The final images were digitally printed onto UV protected archival paper and installed using traditional wallpaper hanging techniques.

Average dimensions: 21 x 30 ft.

Photography: César Rubio