MoMA Explores Information Design's Useful Beauty

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York is set to open its new exhibition, "Full Disclosure: The Edge of Information Design," on September 27. The exhibition delves into the field of information design, which merges data visualization with visual aesthetics to make complex information accessible to a wide audience.

Paola Antonelli, MoMA's senior curator of architecture and design, describes information design as a way to understand the world and its timely concerns. "Having an exhibition about information design shows that we are continuing our mission to talk about the art of our time, of our time," Antonelli stated.

A notable piece featured is Ed Hawkins' "Warming Stripes," which visualizes global warming trends through annual color bands ranging from deep blue to bright red. Antonelli considers this an ideal representation of information design's capacity to translate large and complex phenomena into understandable forms.

The exhibition also showcases works exploring personal data, such as "Dear Data" by Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec, where they visualized everyday patterns like the number of curses uttered in a week. This highlights how information design can foster personal connections with the data that surrounds us.

MoMA has been collecting works of information design since 2008. Antonelli suggests the field's origins extend far back in history, even to cave paintings, as it has always involved explaining things narratively and visually. The exhibition also reflects the impact of the digital age, featuring both screen-based works and large-scale installations.