Filed under: art, assignments, Uncategorized | Tags: current project, maps, site mapping
“…an exemplary marriage of information, art and design.”
Speaking of maps…this is an interesting article in the New York Times about books that explore cartography as an art. The article goes on to say how these map art books can have more conceptual ideas; he even refers to how the concept trumps the actual quality of the book. Some of the books he mentions include: MAPPING THE WORLD: Stories of Geography by Caroline and Martine Laffon; THE MAP AS ART: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography by Katharine Harmon; PARIS UNDERGROUND: The Maps, Stations, and Design of the Métro by Mark Ovenden. Basically the article goes into indepth reviews of the books. There’s an almost ethereal quality to the concepts of these “Map” books. They all have a particular nostalgic feel (considering that they are maps of locations, of which can tell a story or narrative) to them. I thought this was a great article that relates to our current project. I definitely think I can draw inspiration from some of the images provided by the article. They have some humorous maps, like the one of
“An imagined train route from Oslo to Pyongyang, from STRANGE MAPS: An Atlas of Cartographic Curiosities.”
This is such an interesting map to try and follow. The author of this article puts it best:
“So what makes a map strange? Total mistakes, for one thing. “One of the most famous misconceptions in cartographic history is of California as an island,” Jacobs writes. This error derives from a romantic novel written in 1510 that stated, “There is an island called California very close to the side of the Terrestrial Paradise.” Though it is possible, Jacobs adds, given the activity of tectonic plates, that California may someday become an island.
And what makes a map surprising? When it sets out to record a real world, but in doing so has to go beyond reality. The artist Chris Wayan created an (almost) entirely new world. “Welcome to planet Dubia, a strangely familiar place,” Jacobs notes. “It’s what our planet could look like if you add a millennium’s worth of global warming.”
Finally, what makes a map funny? Let’s cite an example. My favorite is the urban rail map that shows how you can get from Oslo to Pyongyang “without changing trains.” (That map, incidentally, served as a promotion piece for Ovenden’s “Transit Maps of the World.”)”
This is an absolutely great article and it is certainly a good read for “map geeks”. I’ve actually never been interested in cartography, but after having looked at this article and working on the assignment currently in progress, I’ve developed a fancy for the conceptual ideas behind maps. However, I would like to see a further development in the visual side; although it is tough to get fancy with a map without cluttering or detracting from the fundamental use of it.
(article via: The New York Times)
(image via: The New York Times)
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
