Some side projects start with a technology. This one started with a box of family photos and years of genealogy research: a 1,600-person family tree spanning continents and centuries, stored in GEDCOM, a line-based text format from 1984. Combine it with ideas even older than the format, like graph theory and state machines, then add modern web technologies and creative coding, and those ancestors come back to life.

CLI tools, graph optimizations and a user-configured pipeline of composable components transform family data into a unique form of art on a digital canvas: abstract, yet still traceable back to the people behind it. This case study will show how anyone can collect data and turn it into digital creations that express meaning far beyond their original bytes. You’ll leave with practical patterns for designing any data-to-visual pipeline: patching up messy real-world data, composing small, pure transformations, and orchestrating predictable yet highly creative async workflows.

A new talk focused on the engineering process and patterns behind a working data-art application I've built and continue to develop.

Target audience: web developers of all levels. No genealogy, art or graph-theory background needed.
Duration: Approximately 30 minutes, flexible. Includes a live browser demo.