Anything can be portrayed in a map. The mix of maps at the opening of the You Are Here: Mapping Auckland exhibition at Auckland Museum yesterday was interesting: blueprints for new suburbs, animated traffic maps and social and health statistics of the region, amongst many other charts and records.
The dynamic map where visitors are invited to add their stories was gorgeous – typing my story and reading others’ stories made me feel like I was a part of Auckland and a part of a wider story. The snippets of stories portrayed what is hard in a map – the complexity, depth and colour of life – like is described in Calvino’s Invisible Cities (see the quote in a previous blog).
In terms of the presentation of my project, I liked how some maps had sections reproduced at greater scale on a separate block next to the main map. I was thinking of doing something similar with the photographs of infrastructure that are a key part of my project: highlighting the invisible.
For me personally there is such an interest in seeing the invisible: my favourite map at the exhibition was a 19th century representation of Auckland’s volcanic field by German geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter. This is a section of the map showing One Tree Hill and the associated lava flow. Auckland is built on lava fields but this isn’t visible, except near some cones or where the lava has flowed into the harbour. It is so interesting to see on the map where the lava flows under the houses and roads that are the city as I know it. The porous lava also helps move water through the city - at the Onehunga Aquifer and from Mt Eden through to Western Springs.
Source: Auckland MuseumI need to develop my presentation ideas further. Creative representation is not a strength of mine so I’m planning on using next week’s class to ask for feedback and ideas on what I have for my project so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment