Since the Sigtuna working retreat in November, mapping procedures are on my mind… and all over the place; in books, notes and various materials. Reading and making. Seeking ways, following paths.
One accessible course would be to track the development of map projections, meant to change certain aspects of representation; to advance geodetics, to aestheticize or challenge general understanding – or combinations thereof, such as the “butterfly projection” invented by Bernard Cahill (1909) and improved by Gene Keyes (1975), the Dymaxion map by Buckminster Fuller (1943) and the reconsidered butterfly map by Steve Waterman (1996).
Three butterfly maps by Cahill and Keyes; Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion map; 2013 Waterman butterfly map;
images credit to Wikipedia commons and Gene Keyes’ website
The butterfly map concept provides a starting point. As the Praxis group (and Nordic Summer University) gatherings generally take place in the Nordic-Baltic countries, I have chosen Waterman’s Europe-centered version (1996), reproducing it in varying sizes; A3, 1 x 2 metres and 2 x 2 metres. At the Sigtuna retreat, all participants were invited to mark their own places of special significance on the 1 x 2 metres map. Some persons pinned only one place, others many. Connecting the individual pins with embroidery yarn (remainders from the 2018 Star Roads project) casts a somewhat arbitrary net over the so far colourless cardboard…
Praxis “significant places’ map”; graphite drawing on cardboard, coloured map pins and mercerised cotton threads;
100 x 200 cms; (collaborative work in progress)
Connective threads and pinned places: silver grey: Purmo–Hosaina–Fiji; dark green: Puerto Maldonado (Amazonas)–Madrid–Tartu; greyish brown: København–Reykjavik–Vancouver–Lisboa–Stockholm–Post-Anthropocenic Speculative Diaspora; green: New York City; bright blue: Mariehamn–Lisboa–Åbo–Cottonwood–Kökar–Atupeva/Atupera?; brownish yellow: Herental / de Wimp; dark grey: Nakkila–Åbo–Haifa–North Namibia / Ovamboland; dark red: Alta; warm yellow: Seattle–Taos (New Mexico)–New York–Berlin; light yellow: Tejgadh–Frostviken–Melbourne–Stockholm; light violet: Örebro-Kåvi–Stockholm–Linnés Hammarby–Bern–Kailash–Helgum–Umeå–Lycksele–Visby–Dalhem (Småland).
Before the map, there were the tales of travellers. Before the concept of abstract space, there were a thousand and one places.
Helena Hildur W: two A3 size butterfly maps;
left: graphite pencil on paper; right: monoprint with graphite shading on paper
Helena Hildur W. 