The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Esoteric Creativity: Michael Paukner’s Visualizations

By Maria Popova

One of the reasons we love data visualization and the infographic arts so much is that at their best, they can bring a level of intuitive understanding to overwhelmingly esoteric subjects. Which is why we’re head-over-heels with Austrian visualization artist Michael Paukner, who tackles the obscure and the enigmatic with creative quirk and a unique graphic style.

The Hundredth Monkey Effect: Theory, which posits that a learned behavior or idea spreads instantaneously within a group, in an almost paranormal fashion, once a critical number is reached. Click image for details.

His work is a kind of modern artistic alchemy, exploring both real phenomena and the eeriest corners of quasi-science, those fringe worldviews that have always coexisted with and challenged the dominant scientific dogmas of the time.

The Celtic Zodiac: 13-month lunar calendar dating back to around 1000 B.C., devised by Celtic priests known as Druids and constituting the ancient origins of Halloween. Click image for details.
Kundalini: Sanskrit word meaning either ‘coiled up’ or ‘coiling like a snake.’ The Kundalini movement in Indian yoga deals with ‘corporeal energy’ that circulates in and around the human body in an artificial electromagnetic flow. Click image for details.
Stonehenge Rebuilt: Click image for details.
Metatron’s Cube: Pattern believed to have sacred geometry with religious value depicting the fundamental principles of space and time. Click image for details.
Capital City of Atlantis: Reconstruction of the mythical city based on a German plan Michael found on an obscure website. Click image for details.

See more of Michael’s work in his relentlessly fantastic Flickr stream.

via Coudal

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Published November 2, 2009
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https://www.themarginalian.org/2009/11/02/michael-paukner-visualization/
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