From Data to Codex: Making Knowledge Public
Framing Participation through Participatory Data Physicalization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.82068/pgjournal.2025.22.41.09Keywords:
Participatory Data Physicalization, Information Design, Social DesignAbstract
In an increasingly datafied society, there is a growing urgency to develop practices capable of translating data into accessible and shared knowledge. This article examines Participatory Data Physicalization (PDP) as a design approach that enables processes of co-construction of knowledge through physicality, participation, and spatiality. Adopting a critical perspective, the paper proposes interpreting PDP as a form of collective and situated writing, redefining the concept of the codex: no longer a closed and linear device, but an open, distributed, and negotiable space for the shared production of knowledge. Through the analysis of four case studies conducted in civic, educational, and cultural contexts, the article highlights the key dimensions of PDP: data, bodies, time, and facilitation, and reflects on the role of designing frames to shape participation. The findings suggest that PDP can contribute to rethinking the relations between data and the public, offering new tools for civic education, social communication, and empowerment through information.
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