I will navigate through the city by its interstitial spaces. Using predetermined criteria for what qualifies as an interstitial space and matching mapping symbolism, I will go on walks through the city, avoiding usual thoroughfares and attraction points. It will be like the reverse of a tourist's sight-seeing map. Understanding that a city's substance is often reflected better in the spaces in between the destinations we travel to, I'm drawing attention to the city in several ways: 1) slowing down the pace(walking) by which we get from one location to another; 2) giving significance to in-between spaces that we fail to give an identity; 3) questioning our hierarchy of places within our urban environment—how some spaces are arbitrarily deemed valuable and developable and others are left to fallow; 4) opening up the space of the travel-able city, where most people feel the need to follow certain prescribed routes set out by city planners and residential developers. Maps from these walks will be created and distributed in the same public locations as tourist maps as well as left in other public forums such as bus stations, universities and shopping areas. A key, using artist-drawn symbols to indicate the different types of areas, will be utilized in these maps, as well as the mapped-out route. The project will also be expanded into Google maps and a website hosting an alternative touring experience.
ategories of non-sites/interstitial spaces (interstitial spaces are ruled by chaos, natural, organic occurrence. in their lack, they become a locus of non-orderly action. some places are harder to find areas that aren't under control (planned community, suburb, downtown area of a city)
vacant lot alley back of building traffic median building under construction building being torn down piles of rubble non-landscaped vegetation (however small) the ends of existing sidewalks areas behind seating areas the area next to railroad tracks the base of a bridge dumps landfills abandoned mines numerous pathways adjacent to defined, paved, and fenced walkways (walk HERE, not HERE)
Rules on how to navigate spaces (is the point to get to a destination or to map an entire area of a city? how wide does it encompass? what traces are left in the paths taken? should there be destinations? a destination to a space next to a a typical destination?)
• the path needs to be a continuous string of non-sites, with the exception of crossing the street, which shouldn't be done at an intersection or traffic light
• the ground will be marked somehow during the walk (no similarity to J. Swartz's string pathway or William Pope L drawing a line w/chalk—address how this is different)
• documentation will be taken of the surrounding space, either by photo, video or both
• i will make a detailed map of the path WHILE I'M ON IT
• if i come to a place where there is only defined space, the path is complete
• for now, the walk will only be in one direction, without retracing my steps
Other aspects of the project:
Categories will be put into groups. I will create a symbol to represent each group—potentially making it so the symbol could be altered to represent sub-categories.
Maps of the paths will utilize the symbols and street names only, without any other descriptive text except a website link. Another possibility is to make the maps look like tourist maps from the region (using clip art, stock photos, similar fonts, etc) to mimic the familiar look of a tourist map. this whole project is pointing out how our cities are defined by what a small group of people find to be valuable and attractive. these maps are opening up the possibility that other spaces have value as well.
A website will be created to advertise the availability of a virtual non-site seeing tour with me as the guide.
The maps will be made available on Google maps
I will navigate through the city by its interstitial spaces. Using predetermined criteria for what qualifies as an interstitial space and matching mapping symbolism, I will go on walks through the city, avoiding usual thoroughfares and attraction points. It will be like the reverse of a tourist's sight-seeing map. Understanding that a city's substance is often reflected better in the spaces in between the destinations we travel to, I'm drawing attention to the city in several ways: 1) slowing down the pace(walking) by which we get from one location to another; 2) giving significance to in-between spaces that we fail to give an identity; 3) questioning our hierarchy of places within our urban environment—how some spaces are arbitrarily deemed valuable and developable and others are left to fallow; 4) opening up the space of the travel-able city, where most people feel the need to follow certain prescribed routes set out by city planners and residential developers. Maps from these walks will be created and distributed in the same public locations as tourist maps as well as left in other public forums such as bus stations, universities and shopping areas. A key, using artist-drawn symbols to indicate the different types of areas, will be utilized in these maps, as well as the mapped-out route. The project will also be expanded into Google maps and a website hosting an alternative touring experience.
ategories of non-sites/interstitial spaces (interstitial spaces are ruled by chaos, natural, organic occurrence. in their lack, they become a locus of non-orderly action. some places are harder to find areas that aren't under control (planned community, suburb, downtown area of a city)
vacant lot alley back of building traffic median building under construction building being torn down piles of rubble non-landscaped vegetation (however small) the ends of existing sidewalks areas behind seating areas the area next to railroad tracks the base of a bridge dumps landfills abandoned mines numerous pathways adjacent to defined, paved, and fenced walkways (walk HERE, not HERE)
Rules on how to navigate spaces (is the point to get to a destination or to map an entire area of a city? how wide does it encompass? what traces are left in the paths taken? should there be destinations? a destination to a space next to a a typical destination?)
• the path needs to be a continuous string of non-sites, with the exception of crossing the street, which shouldn't be done at an intersection or traffic light
• the ground will be marked somehow during the walk (no similarity to J. Swartz's string pathway or William Pope L drawing a line w/chalk—address how this is different)
• documentation will be taken of the surrounding space, either by photo, video or both
• i will make a detailed map of the path WHILE I'M ON IT
• if i come to a place where there is only defined space, the path is complete
• for now, the walk will only be in one direction, without retracing my steps
Other aspects of the project:
Categories will be put into groups. I will create a symbol to represent each group—potentially making it so the symbol could be altered to represent sub-categories.
Maps of the paths will utilize the symbols and street names only, without any other descriptive text except a website link. Another possibility is to make the maps look like tourist maps from the region (using clip art, stock photos, similar fonts, etc) to mimic the familiar look of a tourist map. this whole project is pointing out how our cities are defined by what a small group of people find to be valuable and attractive. these maps are opening up the possibility that other spaces have value as well.
A website will be created to advertise the availability of a virtual non-site seeing tour with me as the guide.
The maps will be made available on Google maps