Maps and Nomadism: using cartography to discuss space and identities
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Ribeiro, D.
1PUC-SP Email: danielmeloribeiro@gmail.com
Abstract
This study proposes the investigation of two issues raised by the post-modernity: the space and the identities, supported by Deleuze and Guattari (1980), Stuart Hall (2003), Michel Maffesoli (2001) and David Harvey (2006). We start from the idea that our perception of space is profoundly changed in a context where people are living in intense mobility, either physical (migrations, travels and displacements) or mediated by communication technologies. This new notion of living spaces evokes discussions about cultural identities, symbolized by hybridity and fragmentation. One of these identities can be metaphorically represented by the nomad: a person motivated to trespass boundaries and to explore space. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between space and identities in post-modernity, taking as object of study some artistic works that express nomadism through maps. As a sign of spatial thinking, the maps will be considered as an alternative of representation of this nomad identity. Therefore, this article brings case studies of selected artworks that use maps as visual support to discuss nomadism. Three works were highlighted, focusing on the following facets: immigration, urban flâneur and nationalism. Nomadism and immigration: in Pedro Lasch’s Latino/a America (2003, http://goo.gl/AMOg7D), a map that represents the whole American continent shows the words LATINO/A and AMERICA drawn in inverted places: the first on the north and the second on the south. Lasch also gave printed copies of these maps to latino immigrants that would illegally cross the Mexican border towards the USA. Afterwards, he collected these maps on the other side, in order to exhibit them in an art gallery. Therefore, the artist raises questions about what is the meaning of being “american” nowadays in a scenario of intense immigration, despite the national rules. Nomadism and urban flâneur: in Hub (2008, http://goo.gl/mtJ2vW), Stephen Walter draws on paper his personal version of the London Map. At first glance, the map reveals the signs of the city’s main tourist attractions. However, a closer view will uncover, with high details, other ordinary places, like streets, parks, houses and buildings. Beyond the geography and the history, some myths, legends and stereotypes of the city could be found in that representation. Nevertheless, this map differs from the traditional tourist guides since it symbolizes the Walter’s particular interpretation. The map, in that sense, becomes a narrative maze to explore the city as a flâneur, telling stories from the artist’s point of view of the city. Nomadism and nationalism: Qin Ga proposes an aesthetic experience called “The Long March” (2005, http://goo.gl/Qtyg0c). The artist tattooed the map of China on his back and hiked in the countryside, walking along the historical track taken by Mao Tse Tung and his army, at the foundation of the Republic of China. In the end of each journey, Qin Ga tattooed the name of every visited town over the map. The tattoo prints a permanent mark and that long-lasting materiality symbolizes the strength and power of political boundaries determined by national states. The national identity - a feeling that defines a person born in a distinct country, sharing the same cultural signs with others - is, thus, “registered” on our bodies. Another interpretation could remind the mythological character of Atlas, carrying the world on his back, who becomes synonym of cartography books. The examples above suggest non traditional approaches to conceive the geographic space. Several narratives emerge from these artistic maps, questioning our identities, portraying the political dimension of the displacement and expressing the complex relation between people and places. Beyond that, these maps reinforce the relevance of the mobility, the eagerness of finding new places and the criticism of the status quo, remarkable features of the post-modern nomad.