// new media class


Melanie Bossert — The World’s Best Spin Top

Exhibition in the Cloud — Summer 2012

The main idea of the project is to visualize statistical data not only through the shape of an object but also by its behavior. Using data from sources such as The World Bank, WHO, and CIA amongst others, each top is generated out of specific statistical data across several criteria like Political Environment, Health, Education, Economic Dynamism and Quality of Life. Correlating these statistics to an algorithm that generates the structure of each spinning top, the data creates a ranking system to categorize the best countries in the world, based on structural parameters for the physical stability of the same.

The goal of the top is to spin around itself as long as possible. After shape and volume, stability is the most essential factor affecting its movement. This principle is translated to an algorithm defining the shape of the spinning top and finally its behavior.

For example, the "Political Participation" of the population controls the size of the top of the spin wheel, hence making it easier or harder to set in motion. Another example is the "Health" factor, which controls the balance of the top, using the shape.