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Destructive Interference: Encoding Loss in the Overlap

Nik Aberle

TL;DR

The paper addresses how to render overwhelming mass shooting statistics in a tangible, emotionally resonant form. It presents a parametric design workflow in Grasshopper/Rhino to produce 12 interlocking rotating cylinders, one per month of 2024, where height encodes monthly deaths and inner/outer ring features encode injuries, shootings, and days without shootings. The approach yields a reproducible, physical visualization that emphasizes presence and reflection over explicit labeling, with prototypes tested and prepared for full installation. The work demonstrates how shadow casting from rotating rings can convey scale and tragedy, offering a foundation for future, data-driven physical visualization in socially charged domains.

Abstract

Destructive Interference is a data visualization installation that representing the deaths and injuries caused by mass shootings in 2024 in the United States. I parametrically designed and fabricated an interlocking ring sculpture for each month of 2024; where the overall height corresponds to the level of violence in that month. Taller forms mark the deadliest months, while shorter ones reflect fewer casualties. Each inner ring encodes the number of people killed or injured, and each outer ring encodes the number of shootings and the number of days without them. The interlocking cylinders are powered via a motor to rotate, and lit from within. As the cylinders rotate, they cast overlapping shadows that represent those killed or injured by mass shootings. The goal of this work is to visualize otherwise overwhelming and disparate statistics in a way that is both physically present and emotionally resonant. By inviting viewers to step into and engage with these shadows, the piece creates space for reflection, conversation, and confrontation with the scale of this ongoing crisis.

Destructive Interference: Encoding Loss in the Overlap

TL;DR

The paper addresses how to render overwhelming mass shooting statistics in a tangible, emotionally resonant form. It presents a parametric design workflow in Grasshopper/Rhino to produce 12 interlocking rotating cylinders, one per month of 2024, where height encodes monthly deaths and inner/outer ring features encode injuries, shootings, and days without shootings. The approach yields a reproducible, physical visualization that emphasizes presence and reflection over explicit labeling, with prototypes tested and prepared for full installation. The work demonstrates how shadow casting from rotating rings can convey scale and tragedy, offering a foundation for future, data-driven physical visualization in socially charged domains.

Abstract

Destructive Interference is a data visualization installation that representing the deaths and injuries caused by mass shootings in 2024 in the United States. I parametrically designed and fabricated an interlocking ring sculpture for each month of 2024; where the overall height corresponds to the level of violence in that month. Taller forms mark the deadliest months, while shorter ones reflect fewer casualties. Each inner ring encodes the number of people killed or injured, and each outer ring encodes the number of shootings and the number of days without them. The interlocking cylinders are powered via a motor to rotate, and lit from within. As the cylinders rotate, they cast overlapping shadows that represent those killed or injured by mass shootings. The goal of this work is to visualize otherwise overwhelming and disparate statistics in a way that is both physically present and emotionally resonant. By inviting viewers to step into and engage with these shadows, the piece creates space for reflection, conversation, and confrontation with the scale of this ongoing crisis.
Paper Structure (4 sections, 6 figures)

This paper contains 4 sections, 6 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction And Related Works
  2. Methodology
  3. Result And Future Work
  4. Conclusion

Figures (6)

  • Figure 1: 2024 US mass shooting statistics by month per the Gun Violence Archive.
  • Figure 2: Real data from April 2024. InnerSpokeCount set to 6 represents 6% of the deaths from 2024 being in April. The InnerTwist set to 96 represents the number injured in April in relation to the total number injured and that number normalized to 0 - 180 degrees.
  • Figure 3: Real data from April 2024. OuterSpokeCount set to 8 represents 8% of the mass shootings from 2024 being in April. The OuterTwist set to -138 represents the number of days without shootings in April in relation to the total number of days in April and that ratio normalized to -180 to 0 degrees.
  • Figure 4: The final representational sculpture for April 2024. To calculate spire height I assigned the month with the most deaths (January) to 8" and the month with the fewest deaths (October) to 3", and mapped the rest of the months to their corresponding values within that range. April had the second lowest deaths of 2024.
  • Figure 5: First pass at the battery mount (left), first pass at motor centering (second from left), final battery mount in base (second from right), final motor mount in base (right).
  • ...and 1 more figures