Today, the internet revolution has democratized exploration in ways that Columbus and Magellan could never have imagined: everyone has become an explorer. New cartographers are adding their personal explorations to existing maps and creating new records of their own experiences. If that which is observed is inherently altered, it follows that a person's experience of a place directly changes the place itself; places are what people believe them to be. That means that today's maps are about much more than hills, valleys, rivers, and roads. Maps have become tools for examining the emotional, sociological, and philosophical aspects of the human experience.
-- Brendan Crain
What We are Doing
Here are a few things we’ve outlined for the project ahead.
1. Make Maps
The Shanty will function as a venue for map making. Each weekend a new mapping theme will be explored, and visitors will have the opportunity to create their own maps, as well as see maps related to a chosen theme. For example, one weekend's mapping theme will be Sound. Visitors will create maps to show how sounds shape their experience of the landscape and their social environment. People can also map sounds in different shanties and on the lake. They will consider which sounds are natural, human made, or musical. Users can call into a website to make a sound map themselves. Other examples include social networks and transportation. The mapping activities will be inter-generational.
2. Collect Data
The shanty will function as a data collector. Each weekend, based on the theme for the weekend, a handful of survey questions will be up. These questions have limited response options, to which visitors respond by voting with a dot sticker. The data from these surveys will be compiled into a GIS map and database, to provide to the Art Shanty headquarters at the completion of the project. Detailed demographic data such as age, gender, profession, home base, mode of transportation, etc. will be provided about the visitors, as well as other non-traditional data that could be mapped in different ways (ex. how many potholes are on your block? do you say pop or soda? is it duck-duck or gray-duck?).
3. Educate
As public geospatial consciousness expands, we have an opportunity to affect the way the world is seen and represented. The Radical Map Shanty seeks to develop geographic literacy and expand perceptions of the physical and mental spaces we occupy. We think the rooftop of a frozen lake is the perfect place for it.
4. Play
We invite you to help us enjoy winter in all its Glory, inside a warm and colorful hut.
Physical Structure
This will change and be updated with photos and stories as we embark upon the adventure of bringing plans to reality.
The physical structure will be an 8X8 shanty, with room for visitors to stand, sit and create. It will provide a sense of dis-orientation for the Art Shanty community, as the roof will create a three-dimensional directional arrow pointing South. When people enter the shanty, the closest two walls will feature large interactive maps that will alternate weekly based on the theme of that weekend. For those interested in exploring the shanty activities in more depth, there will be a comfortable seating area.
You learn more about this process through the Construction Group.
Who We Are
Feel free to lend a hand, give input or sign up!
The Art Shanty Radical Mapping team is made up of many people with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. Emily is an architect, Diana is an education doctoral student, Lesley is a map curator, Jaime is a photographer and data specialist, Alicia is a bike mechanic,/psycho-geographer, Raina is a community youth organizer, Callie and Claudia are student curriculum developers, Eli is a radical cartographer… and the list goes on. Visit Mappers page to learn more about us.