HeartBeat
An interactive installation to reflect the sentiments of Canadians during a pandemic like Covid-19
Arsalan Akhtar
Project Description
Due to the pace of this pandemic, most city art strategy papers require a framework for pandemic related public art especially in Toronto which has an agenda of moving towards becoming a smart city and public art should reflect that. This thesis investigates how might public art installations reflect the sentiment of smart communities in a pandemic. I designed 'HeartBeat', an interactive installation and visualization to reflect the emotions of citizens during the pandemic using Research Through Design and user-centered design approaches. The goal is to reflect the sentiment of Canadians during the current pandemic. HeartBeat uses tweets from Canada and visualizes the popular emotion groups during the pandemic period in an interactive installation. The contributions from HeartBeat could provide designers and artists exploring the pandemic to consider these design choices and methodologies during a pandemic in a smart city.
BIO
Arsalan Akhtar is a digital marketeer, interactive brand storyteller and interaction designer specializing in digital experiences. Arsalan has created various digital projects focusing on creative and immersive web experiences, including sentiment reflection with their thesis research as a Masters of Design candidate at OCAD University. Their work explores the link between web, physical and public art during the pandemic of Covid-19. By exploring pandemic related frameworks, like Covid-19, we can lead towards a future that is sustainable for crises or pandemic times. Their website is www.heartbeatexhibit.wordpress.com