Segal used data collected over one month, in the spring of 2006, off the coast of San Francisco. "I used tidal graphs as the data subject because I am most interested in processes of nature," Segal explains, "and because it is difficult to see the connections, relations, and patterns of tidal flows from simply looking at a tidal graph."
Segal converted the graphs into vectors and translated the data into bent metal, placing it within the familiar context and human scale of furniture. The wave-like steel runs both above and below the surface of the table, with the floor below signifying sea level. "The forms modeled from the data not only reveal a dynamic pattern," she says, "they facilitate a new way of experiencing information by enabling a physical interaction of tidal patterns with the body." She hopes to grow this body of work in the future by continuing to translate other forms of data-based information into beautiful, functional forms.
All photos copyright, Adrien Segal
