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Variable Maps- Exploration of mapping systems
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Project name: Variable Maps- Exploration of mapping systems
Xiaoman Wang
Information age equals to binary system in my opinion. When verifying alternatively in contradictory elements became the basic methodology, communication tends to be more effective on a suppositional stage consequently. I consider dualism as the foundation in visual analysis, thus the things what we’ve known and unknown will be transformed in one another. If both sides in conversation had the information in common, the intersection becomes communication. In another words, the premise of communication is commonness. Mapping is the backbone of information design. The unknown things are being creatively translated into the information we all known, then the unknown becoming to be known (Image 1). As one of the original meaning of the word “mapping” in mathematics- A rule of correspondence established between sets that associates each element of a set with an element in the same or another set. Therefore, could we make all the projections from the unknown set to the known set? Are the sets themselves variable? I believe that in mapping systems, “To design is to invent strategies for visualizing information that make new interpretations possible”. 1
My project was named “Variable Maps”, which just came from the concept that things we’ve known and unknown would be transformed into each other. First comes a four dimensional map of central London, which is a map appears as the grid system based on elapsed time coordinates. Generally, a traditional city map represents a certain three dimensional space into two-dimensional graphics, such as the “London A-Z”. Inspired by the contour map, I began to think lines arranged in various densities could add another dimension into existing map, and the time lines showed the similar potentials as well. To justify the dualism, I chose a normal street map of central London to achieve another perspective. The space is known, and time is unknown. After documented all the time I’ve been spent following this street map with GPS, the elapsed time became known. In opposite, the space could be treated as unknown things again to be reappointed.
In the beginning, I divided the street map of central London into 40 square plots, and selected main roads on each of them. With marking every single cross in the true space on the map, I noted down the time I spent while walking though those streets. Then I defined a 3x3mm square as 24 seconds to form the elapsed time meshwork, so the map user would check out how many seconds they might need to walk between every two marks geographically, by counting those squares. The original street map thereafter was covered with elapsed time meshwork. According to the time I spent in practice, marks and grids are moved to fit for the real time. The 40 plots were visualized as 40 pages book with grids on each page, the grids are opening when moving slowly in the true space, and closing while fast. In another word, the speed can be seen easily through the densities, just like the contour map. (Image 2,3)
If the time can be described as grids, could real streets change their faces? Dualism, everything was observed through comparing with frame of reference. If the elapsed time was defined as coordinates, the true space of course can show a proper pose. So, following the grids book, I started to extend the using of them, and redraw the city map of London. (Image 4,5,6) Like the branches of a tree, maps with same principle were produced to prove the concept. Walking, taking bus or tube, cycling appears to be varied forms because of particular time when I traveling with in the same plot. At the same time, traveling in different period is also making the real space changeful. All of them could also work on aerial photographs. (Image 7)
Further, in order to turn the map to be more sensible, I tried to add real pictures into that abstract grid system. Images linked with the specific area were recreated as surreal map which was less functional but more metaphorical. I documented the real views as well as traveling through the street with different transport modes, then put the former analysis into a three dimensional images. The pictures showed things in daily life could be visualized in a diverse expression. (Image 8,9)
The outcomes are called “maps” which more or less ignored the traditional functions of them. The reason why I chose to change faces of map is to break down the boundaries of them. From my point of view, map is a container of information, and also visual description of anything, designer are finding the common among multiplicities, and diversity to sameness. As Janet and Peter said, “Before the advent of aerial photography, satellite tracking and computerized data gathering, a map was expected to represent its territory with comprehensive accuracy. Freed of that responsibility, cartographers can manipulate their data into any number of visual representations- an act so potent it has attracted the attention of other disciplines.”1
Mapping conducts a way to visualize information to share with the audience. Will this methodology work in the other sensory elements? Are there links on a certain level between visual analysis and sound? Will the information be switched in between among the five basic elements that visual, auditory, tactility, olfactory or gustatory in communication? I pushed my project into another structured area- music. After doing the transformation images leading by practical time, I collected the entire pictures together to form a film. With the thoughts of soundtrack, I did a switch from the visual system to the sound. Based on associating every essential in the staff into information of maps, such as the pitch, length, pause, etc, the grids from my visual analysis began to play music by itself. (Image 10) Thinking conversely as well, can music from visual analysis be visualized again to show a special view?
In both nature and social world, the set of unknown things is much more larger than the set with known elements, people would feel scared facing to the unknown world somehow. The unknown things are transformed into known things time by time; the known things are reappointed as well. Will transposition be an effective way in communication? Democratization of information makes everyone become inventor of rules, like designer would be the one who invent visual analysis rules. In this situation, is there more space to deal with for choices or more choices to deal with?
1. Janet Abrams and Peter Hall (2006), Else/Where: Mapping, US, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Captions:
Image 1: sketch map of communication.
The premise of communication is both sides have the information in common (see the intersection in light gray). In the situation presented in dark gray, information that known by only one side in the intersection, mapping would be needed to transform all the unknown things in dark gray into information in common, i.e. make projections in creativity.
Image 2: References of the grids book.
The most essential graphic elements were used in this first map, which representing time through a basic principle inspired by contour map. The time lines will be closing for the speed up, and opening as down. Arrowheads prepared for the navigation system, CMYK color on them shows directions. A square means a time unit, one 3x3 square represents 24 seconds in practice. A meshwork formed by these time units.
Image 3: The book of grids system.
With the basic principles of the grid, I break the central London street map down to 40 plots to form a 40 pages book. Grids changed by the contrast of elapsed time and practice time. Space and time are showed at the same time through the grids. Map user can find the time might need by counting the square units.
Image 4: Introduction of using basic principle
This map showed how to make a time-based street map by using the grid system. There are two streets in the sample, north south and west east. Marks A, B, C and D is random samples on these roads. The large circle represents a real space, and those coordinates are elapsed time. Compared with these two parts of image, it is easily to see how map and real place be changed by time.
Image 5: One plot in the certain area, shows the street beside Regent’s Park being influenced by traffic lights. Time shapes the geography.
Image 6: Walking map of central London.
Same principles. This is a comparison among maps made in different mode of transports.
Image 7: Extend of maps in using.
Push the grid system into aerial photography. The real picture taken by satellites can be rearranged as well. Sample image from Regent’s Park.
Image 8: Surrealism in the true pace by time.
Grids, street maps, postcodes, etc are abstract expression of the same principle. But the images documented everyday while traveling seems more effective. When the speed changed, the real world would be seen opening and closing as well. Like zoom in or out, more details will be found when you were traveling slowly down.
Image 9: Data analysis for traveling in Oxford Street.
This is the data analysis for the short film. I shot pictures on the bus in every 2 seconds, then I made a 3 minutes moving image with the scaled frames to show the speed.
Image 10: Soundtrack for the film.
Everything informational. I was wandering how the visual analysis be transform to the other sense. I chose music structure to improve. Each essential element could find a projection in my map systems. So I brought the basic principle of my map into score, then the grid can produce music by itself.
Project name: Variable Maps- Exploration of mapping systems
Xiaoman Wang
Information age equals to binary system in my opinion. When verifying alternatively in contradictory elements became the basic methodology, communication tends to be more effective on a suppositional stage consequently. I consider dualism as the foundation in visual analysis, thus the things what we’ve known and unknown will be transformed in one another. If both sides in conversation had the information in common, the intersection becomes communication. In another words, the premise of communication is commonness. Mapping is the backbone of information design. The unknown things are being creatively translated into the information we all known, then the unknown becoming to be known (Image 1). As one of the original meaning of the word “mapping” in mathematics- A rule of correspondence established between sets that associates each element of a set with an element in the same or another set. Therefore, could we make all the projections from the unknown set to the known set? Are the sets themselves variable? I believe that in mapping systems, “To design is to invent strategies for visualizing information that make new interpretations possible”. 1
My project was named “Variable Maps”, which just came from the concept that things we’ve known and unknown would be transformed into each other. First comes a four dimensional map of central London, which is a map appears as the grid system based on elapsed time coordinates. Generally, a traditional city map represents a certain three dimensional space into two-dimensional graphics, such as the “London A-Z”. Inspired by the contour map, I began to think lines arranged in various densities could add another dimension into existing map, and the time lines showed the similar potentials as well. To justify the dualism, I chose a normal street map of central London to achieve another perspective. The space is known, and time is unknown. After documented all the time I’ve been spent following this street map with GPS, the elapsed time became known. In opposite, the space could be treated as unknown things again to be reappointed.
In the beginning, I divided the street map of central London into 40 square plots, and selected main roads on each of them. With marking every single cross in the true space on the map, I noted down the time I spent while walking though those streets. Then I defined a 3x3mm square as 24 seconds to form the elapsed time meshwork, so the map user would check out how many seconds they might need to walk between every two marks geographically, by counting those squares. The original street map thereafter was covered with elapsed time meshwork. According to the time I spent in practice, marks and grids are moved to fit for the real time. The 40 plots were visualized as 40 pages book with grids on each page, the grids are opening when moving slowly in the true space, and closing while fast. In another word, the speed can be seen easily through the densities, just like the contour map. (Image 2,3)
If the time can be described as grids, could real streets change their faces? Dualism, everything was observed through comparing with frame of reference. If the elapsed time was defined as coordinates, the true space of course can show a proper pose. So, following the grids book, I started to extend the using of them, and redraw the city map of London. (Image 4,5,6) Like the branches of a tree, maps with same principle were produced to prove the concept. Walking, taking bus or tube, cycling appears to be varied forms because of particular time when I traveling with in the same plot. At the same time, traveling in different period is also making the real space changeful. All of them could also work on aerial photographs. (Image 7)
Further, in order to turn the map to be more sensible, I tried to add real pictures into that abstract grid system. Images linked with the specific area were recreated as surreal map which was less functional but more metaphorical. I documented the real views as well as traveling through the street with different transport modes, then put the former analysis into a three dimensional images. The pictures showed things in daily life could be visualized in a diverse expression. (Image 8,9)
The outcomes are called “maps” which more or less ignored the traditional functions of them. The reason why I chose to change faces of map is to break down the boundaries of them. From my point of view, map is a container of information, and also visual description of anything, designer are finding the common among multiplicities, and diversity to sameness. As Janet and Peter said, “Before the advent of aerial photography, satellite tracking and computerized data gathering, a map was expected to represent its territory with comprehensive accuracy. Freed of that responsibility, cartographers can manipulate their data into any number of visual representations- an act so potent it has attracted the attention of other disciplines.”1
Mapping conducts a way to visualize information to share with the audience. Will this methodology work in the other sensory elements? Are there links on a certain level between visual analysis and sound? Will the information be switched in between among the five basic elements that visual, auditory, tactility, olfactory or gustatory in communication? I pushed my project into another structured area- music. After doing the transformation images leading by practical time, I collected the entire pictures together to form a film. With the thoughts of soundtrack, I did a switch from the visual system to the sound. Based on associating every essential in the staff into information of maps, such as the pitch, length, pause, etc, the grids from my visual analysis began to play music by itself. (Image 10) Thinking conversely as well, can music from visual analysis be visualized again to show a special view?
In both nature and social world, the set of unknown things is much more larger than the set with known elements, people would feel scared facing to the unknown world somehow. The unknown things are transformed into known things time by time; the known things are reappointed as well. Will transposition be an effective way in communication? Democratization of information makes everyone become inventor of rules, like designer would be the one who invent visual analysis rules. In this situation, is there more space to deal with for choices or more choices to deal with?
1. Janet Abrams and Peter Hall (2006), Else/Where: Mapping, US, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Captions:
Image 1: sketch map of communication.
The premise of communication is both sides have the information in common (see the intersection in light gray). In the situation presented in dark gray, information that known by only one side in the intersection, mapping would be needed to transform all the unknown things in dark gray into information in common, i.e. make projections in creativity.
Image 2: References of the grids book.
The most essential graphic elements were used in this first map, which representing time through a basic principle inspired by contour map. The time lines will be closing for the speed up, and opening as down. Arrowheads prepared for the navigation system, CMYK color on them shows directions. A square means a time unit, one 3x3 square represents 24 seconds in practice. A meshwork formed by these time units.
Image 3: The book of grids system.
With the basic principles of the grid, I break the central London street map down to 40 plots to form a 40 pages book. Grids changed by the contrast of elapsed time and practice time. Space and time are showed at the same time through the grids. Map user can find the time might need by counting the square units.
Image 4: Introduction of using basic principle
This map showed how to make a time-based street map by using the grid system. There are two streets in the sample, north south and west east. Marks A, B, C and D is random samples on these roads. The large circle represents a real space, and those coordinates are elapsed time. Compared with these two parts of image, it is easily to see how map and real place be changed by time.
Image 5: One plot in the certain area, shows the street beside Regent’s Park being influenced by traffic lights. Time shapes the geography.
Image 6: Walking map of central London.
Same principles. This is a comparison among maps made in different mode of transports.
Image 7: Extend of maps in using.
Push the grid system into aerial photography. The real picture taken by satellites can be rearranged as well. Sample image from Regent’s Park.
Image 8: Surrealism in the true pace by time.
Grids, street maps, postcodes, etc are abstract expression of the same principle. But the images documented everyday while traveling seems more effective. When the speed changed, the real world would be seen opening and closing as well. Like zoom in or out, more details will be found when you were traveling slowly down.
Image 9: Data analysis for traveling in Oxford Street.
This is the data analysis for the short film. I shot pictures on the bus in every 2 seconds, then I made a 3 minutes moving image with the scaled frames to show the speed.
Image 10: Soundtrack for the film.
Everything informational. I was wandering how the visual analysis be transform to the other sense. I chose music structure to improve. Each essential element could find a projection in my map systems. So I brought the basic principle of my map into score, then the grid can produce music by itself.
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