Abstract
This article details and analyzes a workshop conducted with MA students in Illustration, Publishing and Printmaking at the University of Porto, Portugal. It explored the articulation of narrative illustration and science communication to render complex, COVID-19-related information accessible to a broader public. The workshop began with a presentation of relevant theories and methodologies in science communication. Students were then invited to respond to three COVID-related briefings on media communication inconsistencies: "Oscillations of the pandemic peak”, “On Tuesdays the cases rise!” and “Bad maths!” Methodologically, participants followed a process of ideation, sketching, and refinement: unpacking statistics and public health messaging, and weaving data-driven insights, creative expression, and visual storytelling. The convergence of data and illustration facilitated nuanced interpretations of the pandemic, particularly in respect to the presentation of complex data as a sequential narrative, rather than a single image or chart. The resulting data comics pointed towards an added potential for engaging and informing broader audiences with complex public health information. Six of the workshop outcomes were presented as part of the exhibition “o_U: an exhibition of meme symptoms and side effects”, in Porto, Portugal, in March 2024. As a space geared towards a younger clientele, the host venue provided an appropriate context for performing an external validation of the workshop outcomes. The workshop and exhibition are part of the ongoing exploratory project “An Infodemic of Disorientation: communication design as mediator between scientific knowledge and cognitive bias” (FCT 2022.08322.PTDC, 2023-24).
Author Information
Júlio Dolbeth, University of Porto, Portugal
Cláudia Lima, Lusófona University, Portugal
Marta Fernandes, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal
Heitor Alvelos, University of Porto, Portugal
Paper Information
Conference: PCE2024
Stream: Interdisciplinary
This paper is part of the PCE2024 Conference Proceedings (View)
Full Paper
View / Download the full paper in a new tab/window
To cite this article:
Dolbeth J., Lima C., Fernandes M., & Alvelos H. (2024) Using Data Comics to Communicate Complex Pandemic-Related Information: A Pilot Workshop With Illustration Students ISSN: 2758-0962 The Paris Conference on Education 2024: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 637-651) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2758-0962.2024.49
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2758-0962.2024.49
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress