Schlaf & Wandel

Data-Journalism // Exhibition, Germany, 2022

Felix Kaspar Rosic collected two sets of data and related them to each other to gain insights into his sleep behavior: One set of data on his sleep, and another of honest self-video-portraits taken immediately upon waking up. For two weeks, Felix Kaspar Rosic filmed himself for about three minutes each day after the alarm went off. At the same time, he analyzed data from his smartwatch, which monitored his sleep via an app.
The images show that when Felix Kaspar Rosic feels tired, he appears fidgety and restless on camera, whereas when he feels fit, he looks calmly into the lens. The fitness data from his smartwatch completes the picture. To put his physical condition into a larger context, Felix Kaspar Rosic also observed his body at other times of day and in other situations: In the afternoon before a seminar, immediately after exercise, and in the evening, relaxed after watching a movie.

The classic smartwatch usually combines fitness tracking with smartphone functionality. This science-fiction dream come true measures how fit its users are - or aren't. Because the devices worn on the body serve (among other things) as data collectors. From pulse and movement profiles, algorithms can determine many health metrics - including those related to sleep and its quality.

This work was part of an exhibition in the atrium at Hochschule Hannover. It was all about visualizing data. For more information, click here. ︎︎︎