The Moksha Roundup
Issue #35, September 27 - October 3, 2022
Welcome to this week’s Moksha Roundup! This small newsletter is a weekly roundup of the latest and greatest in the data visualization/design/visual storytelling world. Every week, we compile our favorite projects from journalists, storytellers, and technologists and share them with you.
In this issue, we share great visual storytelling pieces from Yi Zhe Ang, Kontinentalist, and Bloomberg. If you’re not subscribed already and want to see more in the future, sign up below:
01. K-Means Clustering: An Explorable Explainer
By Yi Zhe Ang

Freelance information designer and data journalist Yi Zhe Ang has made an interactive article about k-means clustering.
Through a graph, readers are shown the basic steps of the algorithm. The number of samples and clusters can be increased or decreased to one's liking, and data points can be dragged or selected. These interactions enable users to explore how data is divided into clusters until the best prototypes or centroids are found. The interaction design makes an otherwise inaccessible topic much more accessible.
Visit the piece →02. The 90km journey that changed the course of the war in Ukraine
By Financial Times

In this piece, Henry Foy, Sam Joiner, Sam Learner, and Caroline Nevitt tell the story of how Ukraine took back territory in the northeastern part of the country from Russian forces.
It has different visual media—video clips, maps, graphics, audio, and photography that paints a picture of Ukraine’s major victory. In one of the maps, readers can take the 90km excursion the Ukrainian troops made from the village of Pryshyb to the city of Kupiansk. Detailed annotations, videos, and images are provided along the way, making readers feel like they were there. The piece has overall great art direction, and it’s visual journalism at its best.
Visit the piece →03. Big oil’s dirty secret in Iraq
By Greenpeace

For Unearthed, Greenpeace UK's journalism team, Joe Sandler Clarke, with graphics from Gurman Bhatia, investigates how oil production in southern Iraq contributes to climate change and the health problems experienced by the locals.
The piece includes satellite images that display the proximity of the flares coming from the oil fields to residential areas. They release deadly chemicals into the atmosphere, including methane, and towns nearby have high rates of cancer cases.
Visit the piece →04. New York City’s Empty Offices Reveal a Global Property Dilemma
By Bloomberg

This piece, written by Natalie Wong, John Gittelsohn, and Noah Buhayar and visual journalists Jeremy C.F. Lin, Jenny Zhang, and Paul Murray, shines a spotlight on how remote work is impacting older offices in New York City.
Using a 3D model of Third Avenue, the piece explores the challenges faced by some buildings in the area, from debt to upgrades owners hope will attract new tenants.
Visit the piece →05. Creating spaces for dialogue
By Kontinentalist

Designer Griselda Gabriele, illustrator Munirah Mansoor, and data visualizer Bianchi Dy explore how queer cinema from Southeast Asia is helping people reclaim their identities and tell their own stories.
The article combines illustrations, audio snippets, graphs, and other visual tools, enabling readers to learn the rich history of queer cinema in the region and how it has evolved over the years to become more inclusive.
Visit the piece →Thanks for reading this roundup. Want these in your inbox, every Monday? Subscribe below: