Fernzugangsverzeichnis Pfäffikon ZH

Fernzugangsverzeichnis

Collecting and documenting every WLAN name and mobile antenna in my hometown

BA thesis «Das Komische in Daten», 2022
Visual Communication and Digital Spaces, HGK Basel, FHNW

Lecturers: Kambiz Shafei, Dr. phil. Claire Reymond, Ted Davis

Data visualisation
Website
Photography
Print

My thesis topic was humour in data. I saw a lot of comical potential in our relationship to the internet. So I started collecting Wi-Fi names and taking photos of mobile phone towers in my hometown, Pfäffikon. Inspired by old telephone directories, I documented 8,228 Wi-Fi names and 15 mobile phone towers in a village of 12,000 inhabitants. I was interested in the ubiquity of the internet and how much we depend on it.

Explore the WLAN names of Pfäffikon

Data can create contradictions in what we expect, which can sometimes lead to comical situations. This is why I believe that data visualisation can offer viewers a unique perspective on various topics in a humorous way. In my thesis, my aim was to illustrate a dataset in a manner that highlights the humorous aspects.

More information and pictures on the website of the diploma exhibition.

Fernzugangsverzeichnis

Process

Collecting WLAN data with the WiGLE WiFi app on a smartphone

Map of all recorded WLAN points in and around Pfäffikon ZH

«FritzBox» written in chalk on a mossy tree branch

WLAN directory

Open book: postcard page and a yellow map of Wi-Fi names related to sport

Fernzugangsverzeichnis

Process

WLAN directory

Mobile antenna calendar