The Journey of a Data Point

From billions of measurements to a single block of wood

Method

  • Each work begins with high-resolution population and economic datasets (over 930 million points). Rather than relying on political borders, the studio works at granular geographic scales—capturing human activity where it actually occurs.

    Data is gathered at its most precise level, then organized into a coherent spatial grid.

    The aim is clarity, not aggregation.

  • Before form is considered, the data is recalibrated to preserve geographic and economic truth.

    All coordinates are reprojected using the Equal Earth system, ensuring that each area on the map represents equal ground on the planet. Economic variation is translated using logarithmic scaling, allowing both global centers and emerging regions to remain visible.

    Distortion is reduced. Relationships remain intact.

  • Complexity is translated into material form.

    Wood species map population density:
    Maple marks low-density regions.
    Cherry defines mid-range activity.
    Walnut signals concentrated urban centers.

    Each cell is milled to a height of 1", 2", or 3", transforming economic data into a tactile topography. Abstract variation becomes physical presence.

    Material becomes metric.

  • Every block is individually milled and hand-placed according to a custom assembly map generated from the dataset.

    The final “thousand judgments” occur at the bench—adjusting grain direction, tolerance, and alignment so that structure remains steady while variation is preserved.

    The completed relief is set within a deep architectural frame and mounted using a concealed cleat system, allowing the work to sit quietly within a space while holding its internal complexity.

Relief Standards

  • Data Resolution

    Global, gridded population datasets are used instead of country totals as country borders obscure how people actually occupy space.

    Spatially distributed GDP (PPP) data is used rather than national GDP figures as economic activity is uneven within countries and must be spatially resolved.

    Datasets span billions of individual data points at kilometer-scale resolution. This resolution preserves urban concentration, corridors, and gradients.

  • Spatial Reference System

    The Earth is reprojected using an equal-area map projection. Most world maps distort area, exaggerating high latitudes and minimizing the tropics.

    Each grid cell represents the same physical land area. This allows population and economic values to be compared meaningfully across latitudes.

    Antartica is clipped. Land cell threshold = 10% land fraction to avoid spurious micro-islands while retaining meaningful coastal structure.


  • Grid Construction

    Bark & Beam uses a fixed rectangular grid per version. Countries are intersected with grid cells to compute land area per cell.

    GDP is aggregated as a zonal sum over the GDP rasterized surface. GDP values are logarithmically scaled before binning as global economic output spans orders of magnitude.

    Population density is computed as “people per km² of land within the cell”, not per total cell. This choice prevents coastal cells or fragmented land cells from being artificially diluted by ocean area.

  • Fabrication

    Three different wood species encode population density. This allows for material variation to be perceived without explanation.

    Relief height encodes economic output. Vertical difference conveys magnitude intuitively.

    Each block is milled to a fixed footprint and assigned height. The dimensional accuracy preserves spatial relationships.

    Final pieces are framed and mounted using a concealed cleat system. The work is meant to float, not hang like a poster.