Catarina is a PhD candidate in Communication Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon (FBAUL).
Her PhD research explores data visualization techniques for the representation of personal identity, highlighting the potential of using personal data as a raw material for portraiture. The research is motivated by the current context of technological ubiquity, wherein virtually all human activities inevitably leave a digital trace and points to a reconceptualization of portraiture driven by computational media.
Catarina has been presenting the developments of her work at several international academic conferences and exhibitions since 2018.
She received her M.A. in Communication Design and New Media in 2019 (FBAUL) and graduated in Graphic Design and Multimedia Technologies in 2005 (ESAD.CR). Currently, she is a member of CIEBA (Center for Research and Studies in Fine Arts) and works as a graphic designer and art director.
Contact hello@catarinasampaio.com.
CiênciaVitae | ORCID
This page is exclusively dedicated to her academic research. For professional work please visit the portfolio here.
CiênciaVitae | ORCID
This page is exclusively dedicated to her academic research. For professional work please visit the portfolio here.
Projects _
The Self as Data (2021 — ongoing)
To what extent can data visualization fulfill the reflexive, documental, and biographical functions that are inherent to portraiture? ‘The Self as Data’ is a data visualization system that aims to fullfil the same expressive and communicational functions of a portrait. Drawing on the notion that “new media offer new opportunities for self-definition” (Bolter and Grusin 2000, 231) this project explores how the visualization of personal data can efficiently convey characteristics of one’s identity. In doing so, it also seeks to highlight the wider uses and implications of the mediation of identity by technologies of everyday use.
More information soon...
Data Self-Portrait (2018 — 2020)
‘Data Self-Portrait’ aims to explore the creative possibilities associated with the concept of data portrait and its potential for expressing personal identity. It consists of an installation that explores the visualization of personal data pertaining to the subject's daily activities, automatically captured by digital technologies of everyday use. The project is the result of an ongoing research that seeks to frame these visualizations as representations of personal identity that reflect one’s behavioral patterns as tools for self-analysis via self-tracking.
View video of the project︎
View project︎
Data Human Portraits (2018)
Nowadays, in a more or less conscious manner, we produce, share, use, and archive immense amounts of data, through web applications and tools embedded in the mobile devices we use on a daily basis. The data we produce are often accessible to Big Data companies that, according to a commercial perspective, aim at establishing consumer profiles. Considering that this kind of approach fails to capture our sensitivity and humanity, ‘Data Human Portraits’ is defined as an autoethnographic project that resorts to the collection and visualization of personal data as a means of self-observation.
View project ︎
Publications _
Data Visualization as Portraiture: An analysis of the use of personal data in the visual representation of identity (2022) Proceedings of xCoAx 2022: 10th Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X
ISBN: 978-989-9049-33-8
Proceedings (pp. 203-223) | Conference
Representing the Self Through the Visualization of Personal Data (2021) In International Journal of Creative Interfaces and Computer Graphics (IJCICG) 12(1)
DOI: 10.4018/IJCICG.2021010101
IJCICG Journal | PDF (protected)
On Data Portraits: An analysis of creative approaches to the visualization of personal data (2020) Proceedings of EVA London: 30th International Electronic Visualization and the Arts Conference
DOI: 10.14236/ewic/EVA2020.46
ScienceOpen | PDF | Conference
The Self as Data: Visualizing identity through data portraits (2020)
Proceedings of xCoAx 2020: 8th Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X
ISBN: 978-989-746-266-5
Proceedings (pp. 471-476) | Conference
Data Self-Portrait III (2020)
Proceedings of xCoAx 2020: 8th Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X
ISBN: 978-989-746-266-5
Video | Proceedings (pp. 371-374) | Conference
Data Portraits as Tools of Self-reflection and Awareness (2019)
Proceedings of S&S 2019: 10th UNIDCOM/IADE International Conference Senses & Sensibility
ISBN: 978-989-54829-3-1
Proceedings (pp. 502-511) | Conference
Data Self-Portrait II (2019)
Proceedings of ARTECH 2019: 9th International Conference on Digital and Interactive Arts (ACM Association for Computing Machinery)
DOI: 10.1145/3359852.3359963 ACM Library | PDF | Conference
Data (Self) Portraits: An approach to the visualization of personal data from an autoethnographic perspective (2019)
Proceedings of xCoAx 2019: 7th Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & XISBN: 978-989-746-220-7
Proceedings (pp. 109-124)
| Conference
Do Retrato ao Data Portrait: Visualização de dados pessoais e a reconceptualização do retrato (2019)
Proceedings of #18.ART: International Meeting of Art and Technology
ISSN: 2238-0272
Proceedings (pp. 32-47) | Conference
Data Self-Portrait: Visualização de dados pessoais segundo uma perspectiva auto-etnográfica (2019)
Proceedings of EnIAD: Encontro de Investigação em Arte e Design
(Accepted for publication)
PDF | Conference
Data Self-Portrait: Visualização de Dados Pessoais Segundo uma Perspectiva Auto-etnográfica (2019)
Master thesis
Read thesis
Oral presentations _
Data Visualization as Portraiture: An analysis of the use of personal data in the visual representation of identity
To be presented at xCoAx 2022: 10th Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X
July 2022, Coimbra, Portugal
More info ︎
On Data Portraits: An analysis of creative approaches to the visualization of personal data
Presented at EVA London: 30th International Electronic Visualization and the Arts Conference
November 2020, London, UK
More info ︎
The Self as Data: Visualizing identity through data portraits
Presented at xCoAx 2020: 8th Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X
July 2020, [Graz, Austria] Online
More info ︎
Data Portraits as Tools of Self-reflection and Awareness
Presented at S&S 2019: 10th UNIDCOM/IADE International Conference Senses & Sensibility
November 2019, Lisbon, Portugal
More info ︎
Data Self-Portrait II
Presented at ARTECH 2019: 9th International Conference on Digital and Interactive Arts
October 2019, Braga, Portugal
More info ︎
Do Retrato ao Data Portrait: Visualização de dados pessoais e a reconceptualização do retrato
Presented at #18.ART International Meeting of Art and Technology
October 2019, Lisbon, Portugal
More info ︎
Data Self-Portrait: Visualização de dados pessoais segundo uma perspectiva auto-etnográfica
Presented at EnIAD: Encontro de Investigação em Arte e Design
October 2019, Lisbon, Portugal
More info ︎
Data (Self) Portraits: An approach to the visualization of personal data from an autoethnographic perspective
Presented at xCoAx 2019: 7th Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & XJuly 2019, Milan, Italy
More info ︎
Data (self) Portrait: Utilização de processing na implementação de data portraits
Presented at Processing Community Day Lisbon Organized by the Escola Superior de Arte e Design das Caldas da Rainha
January 2019, Lisbon, Portugal
More info ︎
Data Portraits: Dados enquanto matéria artística
Presented at Congresso Internacional Retrato: Representações e Modos de SerOrganized by Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea - Museu do Chiado (MNAC), Instituto de História da Arte da Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (IHA-FCSH/NOVA), Faculdade de Belas-Artes da Universidade de Lisboa (FBAUL), Centro de Estudos Humanísticos da Universidade do Minho (CEHUM) and Amigos do Museu do Chiado
November 2018, Lisbon, Portugal
More info ︎
Exhibitions _
Data Self-Portrait IV
Collective exhibition at Arroz Estúdios
Arroz Estúdios, Lisbon, Portugal
November 2021
More info ︎
Data Self-Portrait III
Collective exhibition at xCoAx 2020: 8th Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X
[Palais Trauttmansdorff, Graz, Austria] Online
July 2020
More info & video ︎
Data Self-Portrait II
Collective exhibition at ARTECH: 9th International Conference on Digital and Interactive Arts
Altice Forum, Braga, Portugal
October 2019
More info ︎
Data Self-Portrait I
Collective exhibition at Processing Community Day Madrid
Medialab Prado, Madrid, Spain
January 2019
More info ︎
Data Self-Portrait I
Collective exhibition at Temp Studio #3 Open Day
Espaço TODOS, Lisbon, Portugal
November 2018
More info ︎
Data Human Portraits
Collective exhibition The Data, the Web, the App
Fabrica Features, Lisbon, Portugal
June 2018
More info ︎
Residencies _
Temp Studio #3
Lisbon, Portugal
November 2018
More info ︎