Molly Wensley

Signal is a data-driven visual exploration of trend cycles in the entertainment industry, created using TouchDesigner. Through a dynamic series of fast-paced digital collages and text animations, the project visualises the top entertainment searches from each year between 2014 and 2024—highlighting the fleeting nature of cultural attention in the age of social media.

At the heart of the work is a reflection on our increasingly shortened attention spans and the overwhelming saturation of content we consume daily. As text fragments and images flicker rapidly across the screen, mimicking the relentless scroll of social feeds, Signal captures the constant turnover of what’s popular—how trends rise, dominate, and vanish in an instant.

By showcasing a decade of shifting obsessions, the project invites audiences to question the permanence of digital fame, the emotional effects of content overload, and the cultural consequences of a society addicted to novelty.

The object of this project was to create an ode to your chosen subject using encoded systems. I selected my ode to be connection, inspired by the use of palm lines. The lines of connection explores human identity and connection through the unique language of palm lines. The interactive installation features a series of 24 wooden blocks, each engraved with individual palm line patterns—symbolic maps of personal stories and lived experience.

Mounted on a A1 black background, the project draws the viewer in through contrast and texture. Audiences are invited not only to observe but to engage—tracing the engraved lines with their fingers, feeling the subtle grooves carved into the wood. This tactile experience transforms passive viewing into intimate interaction, emphasising the power of human contact and shared presence in a digital age.

Through the simple act of touch, C(ode) allows audiences to reflect on what it means to be connected—not through screens, but through skin, sensation, and the deeply personal lines that make each of us unique.

This project is a generative data visualisation project created in TouchDesigner that explores our relationship with screen time and the impact of choosing more meaningful, beneficial activities. The work uses a series of dynamic visual blocks whose vibrancy, colour, and movement directly respond to data inputs representing different types of daily activities.

As screen time increases, the blocks become dull, static, and slow—symbolising the draining effect of excessive digital consumption. In contrast, when data reflects time spent on more healthier activities—such as reading, social interaction, physical activity, or creative tasks—the blocks transform: becoming more vibrant, fluid, and alive.

This evolving visual ecosystem acts to challenge audiences to reconsider how they spend their time. By making abstract data tangible and emotionally resonant, my data visualisation encourages viewers to find balance, prioritise well-being, and rediscover the joy in living beyond the screen.