Introduction

This project examines the geographical influences on chair design, building upon previous work that analyzed women designers in the 1953 Good Design exhibition. Using Wikidata information processed through SPARQL queries and OpenRefine, this interactive map visualizes relationships among chair designers, schools, and manufacturers through Tableau. The approach leverages interconnected data to identify geographical concentrations and influences in the evolution of chair design.

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Project Conceptualization

This research continues my exploration of mid-century design influence through expanded data collection in the Wikidata environment. Inspired by Professor Kristina Wilson’s work on “Mid-Century Modernism’s Racial History” and her critical examination of how design reinforced social hierarchies, I sought to understand how seemingly neutral design could reinforce gender stereotypes and contribute to racial exclusion. Wilson’s scholarship reveals how mid-century design, despite its claims to universality, often reflected and perpetuated societal biases ².

Research Question 1#

How does the geographical origin of designers correlate with the representation of female designers across different design categories or periods?

Research Question 2#

Did specific geographical regions exhibit more substantial influence within particular design categories, and how might this relate to recognition levels for designers from those regions?

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Methodology

REFERENCE

The project draws inspiration from “The Woman Atlas” (2020) by Manuel Bortoletti, particularly its effective use of color, minimal design, effective annotations, and complementary visualizations.

DATA ACQUISITION & PREPARATION

I deployed SPARQL queries to compile datasets focusing on chair design and designers, including variables such as: Style/art movement, Period, Country of origin, Designer’s gender, Educational background

Through several query iterations, I progressed from basic designer information to comprehensive data capturing of manufacturing locations and institutional connections. The final dataset contained 208 rows before cleaning. The Wikidata Query Service³ allowed for structured extraction of interconnected design information across geographical boundaries.

DATA CLEANING

Using OpenRefine⁴, I cleaned duplicate values and identified missing information, enriching the data through research from MoMA.org, Vitra Design Museum, and Wikidata. The final cleaned dataset included:

• 88 rows
• 47 designers
• 72 chair designs
• 16 countries
• 12 manufacturers
• 30 higher education institutions
• 6 different art movements
• Time period spanning 1859-1998

MAP VISUALIZATION

Using Tableau Maps⁵, I developed two dashboard iterations:

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First Trial

Explore the Tableau directly by clicking the button below

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Second Trial

Explore the Tableau directly by clicking the button below

The second iteration of the map visualization significantly improves upon the initial exploration. It features a focused color scheme that highlights Scandinavia, Europe, and North America, effectively directing user attention to these key regions of influence. Numerical labels are integrated directly onto the map, providing an immediate understanding of designer counts in these areas.

Visualization 1: Map of Chair Designers & Design Influences Features, clickable regions allowing users to filter visualization breakdowns specific to selected geographical areas dynamically.

This is further complemented by bar and pie charts, which allow for quick comparisons of design style prevalence (Viz 1#) and gender distribution across design periods (Viz 2#). Additionally, I incorporated a mini logo that matches the colors used in the graphs, inspired by mid-century design, to enhance the header section.

Visualization 2: Map of Chair Designers & Design Influences with Art Movement Checkpoint Enhances interactivity by allowing users to explore shifts in designer distribution and gender representation across various stylistic movements and periods.

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Key Findings

Global North Dominance Reflects Historical Power: Mid-century chair design was predominantly centered in North America and Europe, aligning with Wilson’s analysis of Western perspectives shaping the era and potentially obscuring contributions from other regions⁶. This geographical concentration mirrors broader patterns of cultural hegemony that Wilson identifies in her work on modernism’s racial dimensions.

Significant Gender Imbalance: Female designers were consistently underrepresented across both overall trends and the peak Mid-Century Modern period, mirroring historical patterns of marginalization

Regional Style Variations: Specific design style concentrations emerged in different geographical areas, highlighting the importance of regional contexts in shaping design aesthetics, while still operating within a Western-defined framework.

Mid-Century Modern as a Western Focal Point: The 1940-1970 period saw the highest activity, reinforcing the prominence of North American and European designers during the movement’s height.

Scandinavia’s Relative Female Presence: While gender imbalance persisted throughout, Scandinavia showed comparatively higher visibility of female designers during the Mid-Century Modern period, suggesting regional variations in opportunities or recognition. This finding invites further exploration in the context of Wilson’s framework regarding gender representation in design history.

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Reflection

Biases and Limitations

• Wikidata’s incomplete data, particularly for underrepresented designers, limits comprehensive geographical analysis
• Potential skew from readily available sources favoring European and North American perspectives
• Dataset likely reflects existing biases in historical documentation and online knowledge bases

Lessons Learned

• Need for data enrichment on collaborative platforms like Wikidata
• Importance of contextual information within visualizations
• Value of user feedback in improving navigation and insights
• Potential value of static versions with supplementary information for broader accessibility

that Wilson’s work addresses.

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Future Directions

Enhancing Data and Context

• Prioritize improving Wikidata data completeness for mid-century designers and their geographical affiliations
• Integrate contextual information directly into the map through tooltips with regional and movement details

Advanced Analytical Approaches

• Explore network analysis to visualize relationships between designers, schools, and manufacturers across geographical locations
• Reveal patterns of influence and collaboration within the mapped data

Expanding Scope and Addressing Bias

• Strive for more globally balanced representation in the dataset
• Integrate social and historical context to better understand forces shaping the geographical landscape of mid-century design
• Draw upon scholarship such as Professor Kristina Wilson’s work to provide deeper critical perspectives on how geography intersects with race, gender, and class in design history

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REFERENCE

1. Wilson, K. (2021). “Mid-Century Modernism’s Racial History.” Hyperallergic. https://hyperallergic.com/author/kristina-wilson/ ↩
2. Wilson, K. (2021). Mid-Century Modern: Art & Design in Postwar America. Yale University Press. ↩
3. Wikidata Query Service. https://query.wikidata.org/ ↩
4. OpenRefine: A free, open-source tool for working with messy data. https://openrefine.org/ ↩
5. Tableau: Interactive data visualization software. https://www.tableau.com/ ↩
6. Wilson, K. (2020). “Livable Modernism and the Suburban Dream.” In A. Pyla & P. Golding (Eds.), Problematizing Design and Design History: Critical Studies in Design (pp. 145-168). ↩
7. Wilson, K. (2019). “The Problem with MoMA’s Good Design.” In M. Hall & E. Rossi (Eds.), Designs for Different Futures (pp. 89-102). ↩