ARRAYS
An array is essentially a list of data used in processing to create an easier and organized system that uses many variables, and other data, which relate to a particular part of the code. In my exhibition, I have used the metaphor that an array system is a coat check system. The coat rack represents the ‘array,’ in which the list of ‘data,’ and in this case, the coats, is held. The data that is inside the array is identified using an index number. This is represented in my exhibition by the position number of the coat hangers and the number on the ticket. The ticket is ‘given’ to the person who’s coat is hung on that specific coat hanger, similar to when a piece of data is issued to a specific index point on the array. The idea that people come back to pick up their specific coats, shows the idea that data (coats) is taken from it’s index point and used (or changed) and then put back in its specific point in the array. An array can hold any type of data, and the different colours of the coats symbolizes different types of data.
To interact with my exhibition and help understand how an array system works, the cardboard people can be moved through the cue to hand over their coats (piece of data) and get given a ticket (index number). The coat can be ‘hung’ on the coat hanger that has that index number on it, showing how a piece of data is put into an array. The people can also ‘receive’ their coats by showing their ticket number. The coat check person will look up where on the rack the numbered coat hanger is and retrieve that specific coat. This is similar to how a piece of data is used in a code when it is inside an array.
