Dipsea Chimes is a kinetic data sculpture made by information designer Maggie Shi celebrating the Dipsea Race, America’s oldest trail race. Installed on a terrace overlooking Mt. Tamalpais - the race’s iconic setting - it is accessible to the local community. The piece aims to raise awareness of the race’s historical significance, particularly its pioneering role in equity and gender inclusion. To achieve this, the design presents race data in a tangible, interactive format, making it engaging and approachable.
The installation features 30 suspended paddles, each representing a winning runner from the past 30 years, a subset of the race’s 120-year history. The length of the supporting sticks corresponds to race time, while the paddles encode age and gender-board size scales with age, and color indicates gender. Labels on each paddle display the year, time, age, and gender, allowing viewers to explore the dataset.
Sources:
- Maggie Shi (2025) Dipsea Chimes – A Kinetic Data Sculpture.
- Information is Beautiful Awards 2024