Aesthetics and inspiration for visualization design: bridging the gap between art and science

Most information visualization research and design is being performed in computer science and engineering labs by technically trained individuals. Within the digital arts and design communities, on the other hand, there is a parallel discourse regarding artistic visualization aesthetics and interaction design experimentation. Unfortunately, there has been limited exchange and collaboration between infoVis researchers and artists. This paper provides pointers to resources which can provide aesthetic and conceptual inspiration for visualization design in order to bridge the gap in visualization discourse between science, art, technology, and design. The examples given, intended to generate ideas for visualization metaphors and interaction models, are drawn from experiments in algorithmic art, architecture, artificial life, and the natural environment.