Client: The City of Cape Town  Medium: Vinyl on glass

We were commissioned to create 6 artworks on the new rapid transport bus stations in Cape Town. Our approach involved creating striking infographics using data related to the area the station was located.

The Weather on Fridays. This public art infographic / data visualisation is a visual representation of local weather conditions on each Friday of the previous year (2010). Colour is used to represent temperature and an arrow device shows wind direction. As one of the primary aims was to create an aesthetically interesting graphic when seen from a distance, we took the liberty of placing the summer months of December and January in the middle, and the winter months of June and July at the ends to create a sunset-like image. We also spent a lot of time tweaking the colour vs temperature range to enhance this effect, while still keeping the graphic informative.

The (sometimes dramatic) weather is an important aspect of life in Cape Town, known in the 15th century as The Cape of Storms, and the beaches in the area surrounding this station are popular kite surfing and windsurfing spots. We developed a visual system for representing temperature and wind direction and then applied the data to it, producing a pattern.

For detailed overview of the project please visit: Hannah Williams (co-colaborator)  »