Part of 24/7, Awake is a real time data visualisation by Somerset House Studios resident data visualisation studio Tekja that explores our contemporary relationship with sleep and insomnia. The immersive 3D projection alternates between two contrasting cycles: an ethereal ‘sleep state’ drawn from polysomnography data from human subjects sleeping, showing a circular and rhythmic representation of the dreaming brain, and an ‘awake state’ showing the relentless real time chatter of sleeplessness around the world as displayed in a live stream of social media posts.
An interactive touchscreen serves as a gateway to explore the contemporary relationship with sleep in cities that ‘never sleep’ and are financial and technological powerhouses: New York, London and San
Francisco. The piece highlights the strength of our relationship with sleep and how it shifts and changes throughout the 24 hour period, as we move towards an increasingly awake society.
ClientSomerset HouseOutputLive data installationYear2019
