Cities of the World: Titus Matiyane

Cities of the World -exhibition and book- shows the work of South African artist Titus Matiyane. Born in 1964, Matiyane is a sculptor, artist and musician who lives and works in Atteridgeville, a township near Pretoria, South Africa. He is one of many artists whose relationship to township life and the expanding urbanism of the modernist capitals of South Africa produced a particular fascination with both the growth and the transformation of these urban environments.

Matiyane makes drawings of cities and landscapes, and creates huge panorama drawings of cities and landscapes from a bird’s-eye view. The large-size panoramic landscape drawings are emblematic of his obsession with the built environment and modern cities. The wide format of his ’bird’s eye’ panoramas (6, 12, 24, 46 x 1.5 m) is intended to mesmerize and compel the viewer towards Matiyane’s personal sense of technical and visionary skill.

These colourful drawings overwhelm the viewers and take them on an extended journey through an urban landscape. The panoramas, which he has been making since 1990, give the impression that the artist has observed the cities from the air, while in fact he only flew for the first time in 1998.

An exhibition took place during 2007 and 2008 in many European cities. If missed it, you can always enjoy the book!

ICA conference – Santiago 2009

ICA conference - Santiago 2009

The next International Cartographic Conference (ICC) will take place in Santiago in November 2009. The Art & Cartography working group is planning several activities for this conference including a pre-conference meeting, some special sessions on art & cartography, and possibly an art exhibit and a film screening. Please contact us if you are interested in participating in any of these activities and don’t forget to submit your abstract (or full paper paper) by January 16, 2009.

Video, maps and the roots of the Middle East conflict

From the movie Know!edge

Here is a great example of the use of maps by video artists to narrate a complex and sensitive history (the roots of the Middle East conflict) for educational purpose. This video has been posted on a blog and the comments challenging the facts presented in the video are also quite interesting. They illustrate the persuasive and authoritative power of this kind of “cool” video cartography. This video just like many maps and “most narrative films tend toward a rhetoric of invisibility” (Tom Conley 2006, 4). Behind the camouflage of neutrality and objectivity of this video (and of many technological maps) there is probably a more ideological perspective. Nothing new here; only the technological and graphic design camouflages seem very efficient and convincing. Thanks to tracey for pointing out to this video.