Shifts in Mapping
Shifts in Mapping
“Shifts in mapping” is a fundamental research project initiated by Dr. Christine Schranz with the focus on digital maps and critical mapping conducted at the FHNW Academy of Arts and Design in Basel in 2018- 2021.
A journey to Palmyra
An artistic research project “A journey to Palmyra” was developed by Dr. Christine Schranz at the Institute of Experimental Design and Media Cultures in Basel in 2018.
Because of the conflict in Syria, the UNESCO cultural monument of Palmyra can no longer be visited. The occupation by ISIS has resulted in devastation, looting and its exploitation for propaganda purposes.
This completely web-based project explores the inaccessible location of Palmyra in Syria only through what was left of it – the remaining semantic information on the Internet.
James Gordon from Los Angeles, California, USA, CC BY 2.0
Symposium “Shifts in Mapping”
In February 2021, an online symposium “Shifts in Mapping was organized at the FHNW Academy of Arts and Design, Basel. To exchange on the topic critical maps with wider audience, renowned researchers, designers, artists and architects were invited to to discuss current positions, projects, concepts and methods around cartography and the medium of the map in a larger context: scientific, artistic, and technological. The symposium was attended online by more than 1.200 participants from more than 20 countries.
Participants
Kollektiv orangotango: Severin Halder, Paul Schweizer, Berlin
Birgit Schneider, University Potsdam
Philippe Rekacewicz, University of Helsinki
Ulrike Felsing, Bern University of the Arts HKB
Max Frischknecht, Bern University of the Arts HKB
Bureau d’Études: Léonore Bonaccini and Xavier Fourt, Paris
Diana Alvarez-Marin, ETH Zürich
Exhibition “Shaping the invisible world”
As part of the symposium, the group exhibition “Shaping the Invisible World” took place at the House of Electronic Arts in Basel, between 03.03. – 23.05.2021 . Christine Schranz, together with Boris Magrini, curator at HeK, invited 15 artists and art collectives from all over the world. The artists use cartographic strategies and location technologies to discuss geopolitical contexts and, most importantly, to uncover hidden worlds and unknown realities.
Invited artists:
Studio Above&Below, Tega Brain & Julian Oliver & Bengt Sjölén, James Bridle, Persijn Broersen & Margit Lukács, fabric | ch, Fei Jun, Total Refusal (Robin Klengel & Leonhard Müllner), Trevor Paglen, Esther Polak & Ivar Van Bekkum, Quadrature, Jakob Kudsk Steensen
A book “Shifts in Mapping”
As a final outcome, the book “Shifts in Mapping” was published in November 2021. It is an introduction to the field of digital cartographies with seven essays written by activists, geographers, designers, architects, and artists. The book draws attention to the questions of privacy, authorship, and economic interests that are highly relevant to cartography’s practices.
Credits
Christine Schranz is a designer and holds a PhD in Spatial Design from the University of Vienna, in cooperation with the Zurich University of the Arts. She is a Head of Research programme at the Institute of Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP) at the Academy of Art and Design FHNW in Basel and a person in charge of the Design Research module at the Master Program. She is currently conducting a research project in “Commons in Design”, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).
