Tag: bseiso-dina

Dina Bseiso

Safe and Efficient: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/109F3hSSAu4JiwXOZjUWeXE9MCHbSyGTxQ2NsjYybswY/edit?usp=sharing
Whimsical and Delicate: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1D8HgQUN66rcik-lWdlQqh84aOSQjeXnVCQ31zOGgyd4/edit?usp=sharing
Fierce and Dynamic: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1On86_Jbcnnu39KTjHuWYnY_Zd6tjoiX8CDJ7VzqE4JU/edit?usp=sharing

Data Visualization Workshop: Stop and Frisk Program is Effective!

What is your story?

Our story is attempting to educate people about the effectiveness of the ‘Stop and Frisk’ program. Primarily, how it leads to rightful incarcerations as well as notify citizens where and when crime occurs in the Los Angeles area.

How does the selected data support your story?

By solely looking at the “stop and frisks” that lead to a follow-up or incarceration, we can tally the number of times the program effectively lead to a “true positive” outcome. Our story essentially states that without this program in place, this statistic would instead be the number of potential crimes that would not have been mitigated.

The second graph from our analysis shows where and when the true positives occur. This visualization serves as a public service announcement to the citizens of Los Angeles about potentially dangerous areas and when to avoid them.

What data did you omit, and why?

In order to show the effectiveness of the program, we filtered out the data representing “stop and frisks” that did not result in a situation necessitating follow-up or incarceration. In other words, our data represents only “stop and frisks” resulting in arrest — a metric that is indicative of success of the program. We also chose to not create a visualization about gender, race, or division of the LAPD as they could be interpreted as biased and even discriminatory.

How does the representation support your story?

We used Tableau as our main representation graphic as it would give us a clear visual analysis which would be easy for the general public to understand. The graph clearly explains our analysis using two simple color coding system, with line graphs quantifying the number of true positives over time.

What visual metaphor(s) did you use and why?

We chose a line graph to communicate how this data changes over time. We felt that the continuous nature of a line would effectively communicate the dimension of time, going from the conventional left to right orientation. The erratic nature of the line graph communicates the unpredictable and stressful nature of crime in Los Angeles. We can see the constant ebbing and flowing, conflict and resolution, of crime. We have the Stop and Frisk program to thank for helping to bring order to society.

Stop and Frisk Program Success

Dina Bseiso

A. Fierce and Dynamic: edges, diagonals, slices, daunting, targeted, racing, multidirectional, enormous, unstable, engulfing

B. Whimsical and Delicate: shy, in hiding, awkward, clumsy, frail, clustered, scattered, spontaneous, loopy, shattered

C. Safe and Efficient: centered, square, unidirectional, parallels, aligned, framing, unambiguous, weighted, measured, orderly

Frankly, I found this assignment rather difficult — both in ideation and in execution. I decided from the start to embark on these voices on as abstract a level as I possibly could, and so found my designs to be rather simplistic on the whole. Despite this trend, I believe all three sets are distinguishable from one another. I found whimsical and delicate to be my most challenging set, in that I had in my mind a very clear idea of what that meant to me, but found it very difficult to translate the idea into material arrangement. Especially when the minimum size of our forms could be 1″x1″, I found myself readjusting, redefining what it meant to be “delicate” or “whimsical.” In the end, I found it to be my most successful set.

Dina Bseiso

As my object, I chose a mason jar. I use mason jars passively in my day-to-day as established containers around my home. On my desk, they contain writing utensils and various art supplies. Upon a wall installation, one contains a couple feathers and studded earrings. But I’ve been seeking mason jars more actively, using them for containing my smoothies I make at home and bring to school. Simple, enduring, pleasant to look at, and functional. They do not shout, they simply are wherever they are for whatever purpose you’ve given them. Usually, the purpose is to carry things. And in the case of my smoothies, I carry them.

So, for this project, I considered the following: what if a mason jar carried me? Mason jars are of a standard size, and so the entirety of Me could not possibly fit into a mason jar; however, I slipped my fists into one mason jar each, and proceeded to live as I normally do. I attempted to do things as I normally would, but came out as unsuccessful. Even though I could see objects within my grasp, my still-visible fingers would flex and stretch in vain as any object remained just out of grasp. My usually dextrous fingers were just as dextrous, but rendered unfunctional. The mason jars, too, were rather unfunctional, as they could not productively carry me to achieve some goal (other than thwarting my attempts to act on other objects). In the end, I succeeded in carrying a very-specific brush with an oblong shaft, and brushed my mother’s hair. I also was able to pull tissues out of a tissue box, but failed hopelessly at trying to blow my nose. I did not even try, because it would have been gross, and on the glass of mason jars, which my fingers were so close to touching but never would.

The experience was eye-opening and world-changing, even if just for the small span of time I had the mason jars on my hands. I have a long-withstanding fear of losing my fine motor skills in my hands. Without the dexterity, I would flounder in drawing, cooking, playing instruments, and being self-dependent in routine things (like buttoning my clothes). This exercise, although temporary, unsettled me. It reinforced the power a tangible object could have, even if through misuse.

The class echoed my thoughts on mason jars: how they are typically rather functional, and do their job well in containing things. And typically, people do not misuse them. The class joined me in laughing at my struggles to pick up a marker — a task that would in other circumstances be very easy for me, considering the health of my hands. Instead of mason jars being convenient and helpful, they were inconveniencing and formed a physical barrier between me and anything I hoped to achieve. In that way, the mason jars were still very enduring and reliable. But also, they lost their trait of pleasantness.

Dina Bseiso

Part 1 — 
This object is the epitome of excellent and elegant craftsmanship. It’s a piece that has been cared for by its creator, and as a piece so respected I, as its latest owner, feel responsible to care for it, too. It also serves as a memento to my last trip to the Middle East, when I traveled with my father to Jordan to visit some family. It’s a reminder of a different way of life, of my current luxuries, and as a jewelry box it humbles me.

Part 3 — 
I believe if we looked at all objects, people, thoughts, and things in the world this way, we would have a more deliberate lifestyle. Perhaps the pace of life would be slower, more reflective, and so each of our actions would bear more precise consequences. Perhaps, too, society would be more compassionate and inquisitive, looking to further our understanding of our differences and our individual struggles.

When life seems to be getting ahead of us, it would be beneficial to look at the world in this way: it would force a rushed and racing mind to fight against a societal tide and pressure, to question why the state of being is the way it is, and whether there is any reframing — of perspective, of demeanor — to do. It allows us to look internally, too, as the environment around us is as much affected by us as we are affected by it.

I do not think the meaning of this object has changed for me. I think I have always appreciated it for its intricate design and craftsmanship, and respected it for the hands that respected it so. If anything, I have become more curious about the whereabouts and wellbeing of the artist, and I hope they’re doing well.

Dina Bseiso

I tasted most of the food options, but the food I was most curious about were the following: lemon, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and vinegar chips, and grapefruit.

Preconceived Associations:
sea salt and vinegar — sharp, numbing, salty
lemon — always in need of sugar, trickery, bright
grapefruit — irredeemable, bitter, offensive
apple cider vinegar — easily overwhelming, pungent, sharp

The majority of those food options I do not indulge in on their own. Save for the sea salt and vinegar chips, the foods tend to be accompanied by other contrasting flavors. Even so, I do not enjoy all of them. Whether alone or in a medley of other options, grapefruit tends to be avoided at any cost necessary. Although I expect it to be sour, like a lemon, I feel mislead by its color. I associate flavors of a pinkish shade (and often deeper) to be sweet. Whenever I give grapefruit another chance, hopeful that “this one” will be the sweet one that buries the previous experiences away, I’m deceived. Indeed, none of the food options before the mberry were sweet. Great to know that this one day would not be the exception, and adhere to the rule.

Enlightened Associations:
sea salt and vinegar — sweet, honey barbecue, gentle, smooth, not painful
lemon — subtle, timid, wholesome, subdued, anticlimactic
grapefruit — invigorating, pleasantly surprising, exciting, tantalizing, nectar
apple cider vinegar — a mistake, burning, bitter, offensive, a prank

Curious, excited, and anxious, I gave the mberry ample time to coat my tongue thoroughly. With some hesitation, unsure if I had given it enough time to settle, I took a bite out of my favorite of the food options: the sea salt and vinegar chip. Indeed, my perception of its flavor was wildly different; now, it was so sweet I likened it to a honey barbecue chip. The sensation was so delightful, I was sure to go back for seconds.

Next, the lemon. I’ve had sweet lemons before, but not quite like this. As if sugar had been sprinkled on it, or as though it was lemonade in a solid form, I indulged in the lemon and its peel. It reminded me of a Palestinian lime from my sister’s garden — subtly sweet, without a hint of sour. I also had seconds of this food.

The grapefruit was next (admittedly because I had forgotten about the vinegar at this time), and I was most skeptical of how I would receive it. Grapefruit has never been a hit with me, and yet it was perhaps my favorite experience of the day. Tasting grapefruit so sweet was enough to change my opinion of the fruit, even though I know I’m tasting it in this way under very specific circumstances. If anything, it revived hope in me that I may discover the sweet grapefruit all those grapefruit lovers seem to be lucky enough to find.

After such success with the grapefruit, I had high expectations for the apple cider vinegar. I foolishly took a hefty gulp, and regretted it instantly. The vinegar was not sweet. It burned all the way down my throat. It was the most unpleasant experience of the day, and quite frankly I would have had an unsweetened grapefruit over it any day.

Overall, I enjoyed this experience. I believe going in with low expectations was the key to enjoying it to the extent that I did, and becoming overly excited was a mistake. I do not believe, under any circumstance, will I be open to taking a straight sip of vinegar of any kind. I think I am more inclined now than before to taste the other items, mberry or no. If the food tasted like this once a year, I anticipate my curiosity and excitement for the “one different day” would build and peak, whereas if the food tasted like this all the time my excitement would plateau or come and go with the seasons as they currently do with other fruits.