MAPS, MAPPING + THE POWER OF THE GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE

This lecture content is a bit different in that the supplementary videos will take center stage. I have presented a few times in person about the meaning and power of drawn maps, both as tools to interpret and understand data, and also visual representations of - or claims to - knowledge, information and even physical territory, which can shape systems of power. The content below covers some specific examples of how maps can be used to better understand our world - and geographies that we are not physically located within - and also how maps and geographic data can be used influence meaning or shape systems of power and control.

To start, review this short 2012 NPR Article about real world, political / social / military conflict caused by maps. As I have discussed throughout the quarter, this class is about how 2D art, artworks, designs and formats impact our realities and shape our understanding of the world - these are perfect examples of how images have power and meaning that oftentimes extend outside of galleries and museums.

The Real John Snow Knew Something…Because of MAPS!

I introduced this map last week - below is a short video explaining the story of John Snow (the real-life epidemiologist, not the fictional King in the North) and how he used maps and geo-spatial data to understand how cholera spread.

Creating a visual language - who makes the map?

Just as maps and geo-spatial data can help us understand the world better, they can also be used to shape our understanding of the world. Who makes maps, and how they are made, presented and distributed, can have a huge impact on that understanding, and what information is communicated (and what is not). Watch all 3 videos below to understand that process and subjectivity that goes into designing 2D maps.

Maps, Information and Systems of Power

Read and watch through the 2 articles and the video below. These both show examples from very different time periods about how maps can be used to better understand communities and geographies, and how they can also be employed as tools of systems of power. Consider how maps are used in each of these examples to construct political or governing power structures.

presenting Complex Events + narrative control

Select 1 of the 3 videos below to watch and consider further. While watching, think about how maps are being used to present the information. As a viewer, how do you interpret information presented on a map? How does this differ from other 2D images? How do you imagine this information could be shaped or influenced via these visuals? What information could be emphasize or left out using this type of communication design?

Exploring Interactive Maps

Explore the 3 maps below. How does the interactive element change your experience of the data and information being presented?

Bear 71 Interactive Habitat Map

Timelapse Map Showing Loss of Indigenous People’s Land

Current US Food Supply Chain Map

Maps + Narratives

To conclude this lecture content, jump to the link below and review some of the examples that Map Box - the web-based GIS platform - have deemed the most interesting, compelling and amazing maps made with their product. If you are still looking for ideas or inspiration for your Big Project #3, hopefully one of these might provide a possible direction to explore.

And, while you will not have the time or tools to produce super detailed, data-driven, interactive maps for Big Project #3, you can still produce powerful images with the skills and techniques you have been exploring the past 9 weeks. To further evidence this: watch the video below about the planning, production time and energy that went into creating the Westeros Map used for the opening credits of Game of Thrones, and then watch the surprisingly compelling and true-to-form homage video made by comedian Roy Wood Jr using a pre-school class’s art projects. The two are not visually equivalent, but since the homage video works with the established visual formats, symbols and cues of the original map, the images retain and communicate some of that emotion and meaning. Good luck with your projects!