Mathematical Research Data Initiative, Issue 14

This illustration is for the 14th edition of MaRDI’s quarterly newsletter, which is about the topic of correlation versus causation. I was tasked with drawing an arcade full of pinball machines; the game of pinball was used as a metaphor for how causality works. I had just returned from a trip to Tokyo, where I was extremely inspired by the aesthetics of the city. It was the most artistically inspiring trip I had ever taken anywhere, and as such, I had Japanese illustration on my mind as I was making this. I like to think that the influence shows in how I drew this.