The “SANCITY” (Newly Data-driven City) project was created in response to the rapidly evolving concept of Data-driven Smart Cities. In these urban environments, data is not just a by-product of technology but a pivotal force or tool reshaping power dynamics and governance structures. “Data Obelisk” is an innovative installation that embodies how data is collected, analysed, and utilised in urban settings. Comprising five sets of sensor-laden columns, this work reflects the citywide diversity in data acquisition, ranging from a spread of individual sensors to an interconnected network, mirroring a “SANCITY” data-centric nature.

The installation metaphorically illustrates the stratification of power within data ecosystems: central sensors amassing comprehensive data symbolise dominant power nodes, secondary sensors signify auxiliary data support akin to the local governance, and tertiary feedback sensors represent the limited public interaction with their data. This embodiment critiques the active yet unequal data acquisition and control in smart cities, serving as a microcosmic representation of power dynamics in the digital urban landscape.

「SANCITY（新數據驅動城市）」項目是為響應快速發展的數據驅動智能城市概念而創建的。在這些城市環境中，數據不僅僅是技術的副產品，而是重塑權力動態和治理結構的關鍵力量或工具。“數據方尖碑”是一個創新的裝置，體現了在城市環境中如何收集、分析和利用數據。它由五組裝滿傳感器的立柱組成，反映了城市數據採集的多樣性，從單個傳感器的分布到相互連接的網絡，映射了 “SANCITY “以數據為中心的本質。

該裝置隱喻了數據生態系統中的權力分層：積累全面數據的中心傳感器象徵著主導權力節點，二級傳感器象徵著類似於地方治理的輔助數據支持，三級反饋傳感器代表著公眾與其數據的有限互動。這種體現批判了智慧城市中積極但不平等的數據獲取和控制，是數字城市景觀中權力動態的縮影。