03.2 Methods of translating

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< I decided to focus on the fourth experiment, the map >

To start with, I did some research on the International situations movement. I felt that it was in relation with my work, as it is about the subjectivity of the map in relation to the ambiance, the feelings, the physical experience of the place more than a strict and detailed map of a place. It is all about this idea of ‘dérive’ and wandering while experiencing a place.
+ In addition, I’ve looked into the different kinds of maps and their purposes.

psychogeohgraphic maps
+ ambiances unity

  • Asger Jorn
  • Guy Debord

Then started to have a think about how the map could look like, what would be the system/concept behind it.

  • first experiment, using an original map and just changing the information on it to put them in relation to the text.

I decided to focus on my 3rd idea – archipelago of the different ‘ambiences’ of the text. I started to sketch the map and work with the text to see how to lay it out + ways of representing the island. (below)

for the representation of the island, I decided to use the technique of collage, in reference to the Situationist visual aesthetic but also because the text was published in the 50’s – no computer at that time – so I wanted to create this map with as little help from my laptop as possible. + I decided to go with the second collage experiment: the shapes look more organic and thus more linked to the aesthetic of islands.

collages realised for each island:

the shape that you see on the bottom right represents the sentence ‘I at last discovered that there was in me an invincible summer’. This in my opinion the most powerful sentence fo the whole text, and somehow a summarise of it. Thus, I wanted this Island to be different, to stand out from the rest. Moreover, with the idea that it communicates, I thought that representing it like this, with the blurred and melting/merging of these colours that represent winter and summer is more suited to what I wanted to communicate here, than a collage.
+ I used an actual topological/3d map of the place as the littoral.
I added features on the map with the aim to make it more relevant to the text. I also added arrows that give the reading direction of the map in relation to the text.
Regarding the type on the map, I printed out the text and cut out words of it in order to label the islands. Again, made by hand to follow the original idea of keeping it in relation to the 50’s. + I feel like it gives more strength and character to the map.

To continue, I wanted to give the map a 50’s aesthetic so I looked at so map from this time and picked up some of the features to add them to my map.

Final map

I then started to think about the final format of the map: I wanted at first to give it the size of a postcard, in relation to the fact that the text is extracted from about. I know that I personally use a postcard as a bookmark so the idea was to give the map a format that would allow it to be used within the book. It’s almost like going full circle from the book back to the book.
Although, when I printed it out, it was too small to be able to read the map. I thus decided to create an A3 folded version that would go in a pocket. The size still being quite small (as it is folded) the map could still be a part of the book – may be at the end of it in an extra pocket?

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