Visualization, and design more broadly, is an instrument of amplification: a way to make the small large, the hidden visible, the closed open. Through projects ranging from print graphics to data visualization to interactive installations, this talk explores the aesthetics of amplifying the human gesture in its broadest sense: drawing by hand, the blink of an eye, the movement of the body. Artistic creations held in archives but rarely seen. Human-made images and words encoded in the datasets that train AI systems. How can amplifying such gestures generate new aesthetic forms across different contexts, and which emotional and sensory registers do they engage? And how can the messy, iterative process of human creation coexist with AI systems?

Richard The is a designer, educator and partner at TheGreenEyl, an interdisciplinary design studio based in Berlin and New York. His work explores the aesthetic and cultural implications of technology through graphic design, interactive interfaces and immersive installations. His projects have been exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale, Ars Electronica and the Design Museum London. He is also an Associate Professor of Interaction Design at Parsons School of Design, where he directs the MS Data Visualization program.