Map Art by Ed Fairburn

Astonishing Map Art by Ed Fairburn

Ed Fairburn is a Welsh artist, based in Cardiff, whose ability to combine the geography of our facial features with the geography of the earth leads to a startling and compelling synthesis of the two. Fairburn has become known in Europe for his evocative portraits, which produce complex human features from the apparently random patterns found in mundane topographical and astrological maps.

In many ways, we are living a golden age of map making, with interactive, richly textured electronic mapping technologies giving us unprecedented, real time detail. But it is also good to be reminded that, despite the benefits of this Google-era hyperliterality, there is a broader beauty to be found in the ways we visualize our common spaces. Maps can speak to much more than how to get from one place to another.

(James McBride about Ed Fairburns work)

Advertisement

The Sound of the earth

A very impressive ‘Sound Globus’ was developed by Yuri Suzuki, sound artist. He is mapping sound – pieces of typical music found on those places – on a ‘3D globus disk’: Sound of the Earth Project

The Sound of the Earth is a content of Yuri Suzuki`s spherical record project, the grooves representing
the outlines of the geographic land mass. Each country on the disc is engraved with a different sound, as the needle passes over it plays field recordings collected by Yuri Suzuki from around the world over the course of four years; traditional folk music, national anthems, popular music and spoken word broadcasts.
An aural journey around the world in 30 minutes.

Special Issue about “Cartographies of Fictional Worlds”

The quarterly published Journal “The Cartographic Journal” is this time (Volume 48, Number 4, November 2011) dedicated to the Geography of Literature. This volume was guest-edited by Barbara Piatti (literary studies) and Lorenz Hurni (cartography) and gives an impressive overview and insights into exiting interdisciplinary projects.

»A literary-geographical reading can change our
understanding – not only of books, but of the world we
live in. It creates knowledge. Through literary geography,
we learn more about the production of places, their
historical layers, their meanings, functions and symbolic
values. If places emerge from a combination of real
elements and fictional accounts, then literary geography
and literary cartography can work as a very effective eyeopener.«

Barbara Piatti and Lorenz Hurni: Editorial, pp.218-223

»This special issue of the Cartographic Journal on
‘Cartographies of Fictional Worlds’ is made up of fascinating
stories, exotic places, original concepts, and a series of
media that ranges from artistic collages to high tech
geospatial applications. This diversity demonstrates
the enthusiasm that prevails within literary cartography,
as well as the complex relationships that exist between maps,
narratives and places.«

»These examples provide a conceptual, methodological
and practical base that can serve to engage in the development
of original and relevant ways of merging the conceptual space
of the map with the experiential places of the narratives.«

Sébastien Caquard: Conclusive Remarks, pp.224/225

Have a look at 8 exciting papers at:
The Cartographic Journal

Impressions: Experimental Walking Tour in Paris

The working group of Art & Cartography had a very creative and inspiring workshop at the International Cartographic Conference (ICC) in Paris. During this activity, 26 people from all over the world with different backgrounds and interests related to arts and maps came together to walk through five Parisian areas in order to map the visible and unvisible frontieres. This was a very stimulating event as illustrated by some the following pictures:

University of Applied Arts Vienna: Mapping the Terminal

Exibition at Vienna Check-in-Terminal, Wien Mitte:

Students of the University of Applied Arts Vienna were working on the complex transit spaces for over 2 years. They turned their attention to the questions: How are you guided and tempted through the terminal? Can we learn something about the structur of our future society through those buildings? What influences has the architeture on the flow of passengers?

The results are presented in the form of drawings, photographies and movies, from 9th of June to 1st of July. 2011 at the Check-in-Terminal of the CAT Terminal, Mitte Wien. (Check-in at Towncentre of Vienna).

Please find more information on the official webpage: dieangewandte.at