Literally no words for this one. If you were to make an Armando Ianuchi parody about UK conservationism, this would be it.
Documentary
Deep Mapping
This post is a work in progress and may evolve into a more formal essay.
Deep Mapping
In their 2017 book “Deep Mapping“, Brett Bloom and Nuno Sacramento discuss a research process for fully understanding a place beyond what conventional maps allow. The book comprises of two core essays with accompanying images and short texts, giving methodologies one can adopt and case studies of its use in practice.
Artistic Maps, Flat Maps, Deep Maps
“With the focus of colonial ownership of land, the military and ordinance survey developed flat maps deprived of artistry and subjectivity” [1]
The suggestion made by Sacramento is that flat maps with a top-down worldview were a construct of more modern European colonial powers. That maps were a means of holding power and controlling the narrative over ownership. With people and cultures being removed from the map when they were inconvenient. Thus leaving empty space for the colonizing powers to move into and inhabit that landscape.
Whilst this argument certainly has some purchase, flat maps of a landscape, drawn from a birdseye view, have existed from the earliest examples of map making. It is also important to note that the form of map that he is indirectly referring to is most likely that of a thematic map over a topographic or general reference map. Thematic maps focus on a single topic as opposed to showing a detailed multilayered interpretation of the physical shape of the land and what can be found on it. Barbara Petchenik[2] described the difference as “While general reference maps show where something is in space, thematic maps tell a story about that place”
Regardless of the form of map that Sacramento may be inferring, maps exhibiting modern surveying techniques that can be identified as general reference or thematic maps, have existed long before the term cartography was adopted in the 1840s.
This map of the holy Babylonian city of Nippur (ca. 1400 BC) was produced on a clay tablet and exhibits signs of accurate surveying techniques. It depicts walls and buildings as well as inscriptions detailing the city.
Another example from a different ancient culture is that of the Turin Papyrus. It is an ancient Egyptian map drawn around 1160 BC by the Scribe-of-the-tomb Amennakhte. The map was drafted in preparation for Ramesses IV’s quarrying expedition to Wadi Hammamat. The purpose of which was to obtain blocks of stone to be used for statues of the King.
Depicting a 15km stretch of Wadi Hammamat (Wadi being an ancient Arabic term for valley), it contains numerous entries identifying the features on the map. These include the various gold mines and quarries as well as the distances between them. It also shows the locations of various gold deposits and the Wadi Hammamat’s confluence with neighbouring wadi’s and the surrounding hills. By this nature, it can be thought of as a
The Turin Papyrus is also the earliest known example of a geographic map. The location of the map on the ground has been identified and has been shown to be accurate.
The initial proposition that maps were made by modern powers with a colonial agenda is one taken from our point of view. As the children of postcolonial powers, we view the maps of the world with that inherited guilt. Like original sin, we are subject to the aftermath of the colonizing and destructive actions of our forebears. Chasing one another around the globe to paint the map red and to have their place in the sun.
However, this oversimplification calls into question the suggestion made by Sacramento that the maps before the emergence of modern “Military” cartography where objects of artistry and subjectivity. The fact is that whilst universal scales and the use of the cardinal directions has evolved over time, maps that are comparable with modern cartography have existed for thousands of years.
The counter argument can also be made that whilst this is true, these maps are just for previous empires. Whilst this again has purchase, the fact is they are both utilitarian documents as much as a means of controlling a lands narrative. A Babylonian map at the granular level of streets and buildings has as much to do with empire building as a London A-Z has to modern geopolitics.
Unfortunately, we could accept as a universal truth of map making, that maps are frequently commissioned almost exclusive by ruling powers. A means of both understanding the land which they already govern or wish to govern. In Europe during both colonial and pre-colonial times, many maps were infact made by the same cartographers for different factions.
An example of this can be found in the 16th century map of Scotland produced by the French cartographer Nicolas de Nicolay for King James the v. The Rutter (a bastardisation of the French word routier) was the first accurate and comprehansive map of the scottish coast and isles. It was crucial in James successful conquest of the Western Isles as it allowed him to successfully navigate the various passages and inlets of the western coast of Scotland.
So the conclusion that this takes me to, is that the position that there was a period where they were artistic and subjective endeavours is a hard one to defend. Yes there has obviously been the form of colonial control of the narative of the land suggested by Sacramento. The redacting of peoples, names and cultures to suit the agenda of the invading power, this is due to the nature of the people producing the maps not the nature of cartography in and of itself.
Deep mapping is in essense, a method of trying to redress the redactions created both actively and passively by those commisioning the map.
By opening up what information is concidered valuable and worthy of inclusion on the map. We are able to overlay all forms of cartography and data (subjective and objective), giving them equal worth and value. By doing this the cartographer is able to achieve a level of understanding of a landscape (and the naratives played out on it) than would be possible through a single conventional map, regardless of type.
Deep mapping Landscapes
In the book and during his seminar Sacramento describe a feeling of being the trespasser whilst exploring the fields around the Bogie Brig.
Deep Mapping Systems
1: Sacramento, N., 2017. Deep Mapping. 1st ed. UK: Breakdown Break Down Press.
2: Bartz Petchenik, Barbara (April 1979). “From Place to Space: The Psychological Achievement of Thematic Mapping”. Cartography and Geographic Information Science.
Letter to the National
I found this letter which was published on the Nationals website to be of interest. Whilst it confirmed many of the assumptions and standpoint I hold myself, it acts a good counter balance to the articles produced supporting the activities of shooting estates as a force for conservation good.
Letters: Nonsense to suggest that grouse shooting is good for wildlife
A day’s shooting does not come cheap
I WRITE in response to your long letter of April 6 from John Andrews extolling the virtues of grouse shooting. I honestly thought that this tosh had been consigned to history. Where to start? I shall try to address his points one by one.
1) Game shooting is an economic mainstay of rural life. Estate owners are not benevolent benefactors propping up the countryside for the benefit of the rural economy – far from it. Estates receive huge subsidies from the public purse simply for owning land, and these are more than enough to offset the wages of a few gamekeepers. If I can quote Andy Wightman: “there is something seriously wrong with a rural development programme that relies on a few wealthy individuals owning huge swathes of land who support a few low-paid jobs.”
The estates themselves can be a very lucrative investment. A recent advertisement in a well-known country magazine read: “As an investment, owning Scottish sporting estates has generally proved very rewarding, with significant long-term capital gain being achieved.” A recent Scottish Ratings and Tribunal Chairman’s report, when referring to shooting estates, read: “The local staff are poorly paid, their wages bearing no relation to the capital investment. Estates use short-term labour, leaving the taxpayer to often pay their staff from the dole for the rest of the year.”
2) Shooting grouse is not just for toffs. Quite apart from the fact that most right-thinking people would not be interested in blasting a few small birds to bits for fun, his figures don’t add up. Shooting for a party of eight guns on a prime grouse moor was advertised at £35,000 plus VAT. Think about that on your next outing, which will it be? The food bank, or pop up the hill and kill something?
3) Eagles die of various causes. Two RSPB studies are very interesting here. Firstly: “Occupations of those convicted of offences linked to raptor persecution in Scotland 1994-2014: gamekeepers 86 per cent, farmers six per cent, pigeon fanciers six per cent, pest control two per cent.”
Secondly: “Land use types in relation to confirmed poison abuse incidents 2005-2014: grouse moors 57 per cent, lowland pheasant shoots 24 per cent, farmland 14 per cent, urban two per cent, quarry three per cent.”
4) Gamekeepers found guilty of wildlife crime might lose their jobs – and so they should.
5) Waders thrive on grouse moors – not this old chestnut again! I think this nonsense stems from a report from the RSPB of all people from the early 90s, where they looked at wader numbers on two moors – one keepered intensively, one not – and the keepered one had more. Not really a surprise, as every living thing which could possibly be a threat to grouse had been shot, snared, poisoned, and trapped. I don’t know about you, but this is certainly not the countryside I want to see.
If we look at wader species, lapwing feed on worms and prefer the grassy moorland edges, curlew prefer a mixture of tufty grass, sedge and heather, and golden plover and dunlin prefer the high tops. George Monbiot states that research in the Cairngorms found wooded habitats were 11 times richer than grassland and 13 times richer than moorland in naturally important species. Of the 223 species on the Cairngorm massif only one, a fungus which lives on billberry leaves, requires heather moor for its survival. Intensively managed grouse moors are a desert given over to one species: the red grouse.
6) Hen harriers only breed on grouse moors. Where do I start with this one? The hen harrier was all but wiped out as a breeding species in mainland Britain. They survived only on the Western and Northern Isles, where there are no intensive grouse moors. In his monograph The Hen Harrier, Donald Watson comments on hen harrier breeding in forestry plantations. This was in the 1950s. On the continent hen harriers breed in hugely diverse habitats (some very close to human occupation) and would do so in this country too if they were allowed to.
7) Muirburn is good. Only in Britain could burning be looked at as a conservation tool. Muirburn is highly damaging to the ecosystem. It destroys untold numbers of reptiles and insects, including many nationally protected species. It destroys nationally important peat bog habitats and wetlands. It releases huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. It increases the risk of flooding. It acidifies the water table and pollutes the water supply with particulates.
I hope this can be published to counter some of the nonsensical statements made.
Graeme Myles
Alyth
Hare Culling
An article published by the BBC following the emergence of footage showing the culling of mountain Hares. The species which is under threat, is frequently culled on shooting estates as they compete with Grouse over food supplies. Whilst almost all estates will admit to culling Hare, few would admit to this scale and method. The shooting industry came out against the footage, saying that culling was necessary however it did not show best practice or moderation.
Original article and the footage discussed can be found here.
Hare-culling footage ‘not acceptable’
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said large-scale culling of mountain hares on grouse moors is “not acceptable”.
She made her comments at first minister’s questions after a video of a mass cull was passed to the BBC.
Answering a question from Scottish Green MSP Alison Johnstone about the “sickening slaughter”, Ms Sturgeon said she shared her anger.
The first minister said the Scottish government would explore all options to prevent mass culls of mountain hares.
Hamish Fulton – Atacama 1234567. galeria nara roesler, São Paulo, Brasil
Fulton.
Why Art? – Jordan Petersen
“The Abrahamic adventures continue with this, the tenth lecture in my 12-part initial Biblical lecture series. Abraham’s life is presented as a series of encapsulated narratives, punctuated by sacrifice, and the rekindling of his covenant with God. This seems to reflect the pattern of human life: the journey towards a goal, or destination, and the completion of a stage or epoch of life, followed by the necessity of revaluation and reconsideration of identity, prior to the next step forward. Abraham, for his part, makes the sacrifices necessary to continue to walk with God, or before God (as the terminology in this section has it). It is this decision that allows him to transcend the vicissitudes of life, and to take his role as the father of nations. “
This extract from a longer lecture which is part of a series of biblically themed lecture set. Talking about how art has the power to be transcendent and through beauty, suggest a path to God.
I don’t know if I fully agree with some of his stand points.
I’m not sure if that is because those point have been misrepresented or if I find them troubling at a deeper level. He is quickly becoming an infamous internet intellectual, but unlike many podcast echo chambers he comes with a pedigree and experience.
A clinical psychologist and lecturer at the University of Ontario, his work has explored the position that belief and meaning have in regulating behavior and emotion. Recently he is more notable for his positions against political correctness, gender politics as well as his defense of the freedom of speech.
A trend and pitfall of political ideologies that he talks frequently on is how political ideologies essentially become thought cages. Once one identifies with an ideology there is the inherit risk that you will become possessed by that ideology. He frequently cites left wing ideologues for their increasing tendency for attacking all those who do not ascribe to their “progressive” viewpoint.
I could oversimplify this by butchering the famous Nietzsche quote to read;
“He/She who fights with the oppressor should be careful lest they become the oppressor. Remember if you gaze long into the left, the left will also gaze back into you.”
Now this obviously is a neutral standpoint, tie yourself to the mast of any ideology you are a hostage of where the ship takes you. But due to his highlighting of behavior by extreme left wing activists and thinkers, he is frequently labeled as “right wing”. I am fairly sure that whilst his politics is conservative, that he is not the extreme right wing operator that he is sometimes painted as being. How far along the spectrum he is, I am unsure as he has contradicting opinions on some issues. Which is something I feel is often simplified with the easy left right narrative. Just because someone identifies differently from their assigned birth gender does not mean they are a left leaning in their politics for example.
I make a conscious effort to try and listen to talks, lectures and podcasts from both sides of a political debate. How can an argue coherently with the aim to change someones mind if I do not fully understand and appreciate their standpoint. This broad media diet has the fringe benefit of thoroughly confusing my Google search results.
If you don’t know Petersen’s work beyond his Cathy Newman interview, here is a primer article on the Guardian.
Objecting to a track on a Dark Peak Moor
Interesting case studie and responce, typifying the polorised views and approachs to land us and management.
BBC Documentary
Battle for Scotland’s Countryside
Fifteen years after the passing of Scotland’s historic Land Reform Act, actor David Hayman presents a personal view of the battle for access to Scotland’s stunning countryside, revealing how this conflict has shaped the physical and cultural landscape of the country. He meets landowners, gamekeepers and hill walkers to discover how ordinary Scots have come to claim their right to roam over their country’s mountains and glens. The story begins with Victorian rebels who dared to march across private grouse moors. Then on to the 1930s, when thousands of urban Scots streamed out of the cities and into the hills. Finally, he discovers the present-day controversies that may threaten Scotland’s internationally renowned and hard-fought right to roam laws.
After writing the post about conflicting land use requirements this upcoming documentary was brought to my attention. Whilst it will probably be a light touch, aiming to introduce issues rather than explore them deeply, it is still interesting that this is within the public consciousness enough for a mainstream BBC Scotland documentary.
Wed 14 Mar 2018 21:00
BBC One Scotland, Scotland HD only
Watch it here after broadcast
Curators, Curatorship, Curationism
Dr Jon Blackwood’s seminar regarding the changing and evolving place and value that we ascribe to the curator.
“If in 2018 literally anyone can be a curator, what price then curatorship, and what is the role of the curator in presenting contemporary cultural production?”
We have been assigned 3 tasks to complete before attending the seminar. I will answer these here and then extend this post after the seminar.
The Tasks
- Choose an exhibition that you have seen since the beginning of the Masters course and write about it in detail, considering it from a curatorial point of view. How successful / unsuccessful was the curation and what are the reasons for your answer? Come prepared to discuss / explain.
- What different “types” of curator can you think of? What role has the curator played historically and what are the changes in our time? Jot down some thoughts.
- Imagine you have been given a space and a budget to curate EITHER a solo exhibition, OR a group show of no more than four contemporary artists. Whom would you choose, what would your theme be and how would you curate it? Jot down some thoughts and come prepared to discuss your exhibition concept.
1.
Allan Grieve at PVA Worm
The most recent exhibition I have attended and looked at in proper detail was the Allen Grieve // Workshop Dunfermline Takeover at the PVA WORM Space. The show consisted of a mix of drawings onto paper and some mixed media/collage work thatw as also drawn over. This was accompanied by a video work of a similar style to the drawings. Featuring a photographed male figure vogueing for the camera in a wig, drawings moved over and around the central figure in a constant scrolling feed of imagery.
“As an artist, Alan’s main medium is drawing. He trained in Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, completing both an undergraduate and a Masters degree, and has since exhibited his work all over Scotland; notably, as part of DCA’s Nine Trades exhibition in Dundee in 2010; a four year project of drawings based on local stories and legends, The Real Bothy at Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery in 2014; and as part of the Archipelago exhibition of contemporary art at Summerhall, Edinburgh in 2017.” PVA Website
As part of the show Grieve who is also a fully qualified and experienced hairdresser had a chair and was offering cheap walk in haircuts at £8.00 for male or female customers.
As for the curation of the show, it felt hurried or improvised. The images could be read in any order and there was no apparent connection or dialogue created between how the work was placed within the space. The work was a collection of drawings over the last 10 years, with “some new work focusing on offbeat connections between Aberdeen and Dunfermline“.
The long period of time that the work was produced in showed, as there was again no consistent theme beyond the artists style and sense of humor holding these drawings together. It felt as though it were a collection of images that the artist enjoyed, and that had not been part of previous shows, so could be exhibited as new work.
The show also featured new work presumably made specifically for the show. Being cynical, one could suggest that this work exploring the connection between Aberdeen and the artists home town was only made because of the show. A weak pass at giving the work some site specific context.
The show could of been in any space as it did not make use of its location. Knowing that previous bodies of work explored and celebrated local stories and folklore and where exhibited within contextual locations. It is then a shame that the artist was not pushed to explore the context provided to the show by Aberdeen, beyond a few new drawings.
The mix of methods used to hang the work from what appeared to be simply Blue Tacking small drawings to the wall to larger paper pieces being mounted to MDF. This unframed approach at first glance looks, amateurish, but given the style of the drawings, is authentic to the style of the work.
Curatorially, overall, I felt the show was a little lazy. The connections between Aberdeen and Dunfermline where not built upon and the images from my reading could be in any order. Having assisted in the making and hanging of numerous shows, it felt like most of the decisions were made on the day.
2.
A taxonomy of Curators walk into a bar.
The first orders a round of drinks but half the glasses are empty and the tray is swimming in unfinished cocktails.
The second orders a platter for the table that everyone can share. No-one gets quite what they wanted (or enough). The bread and olive oil are placed in different corners of the bar for some reason, so everyone is having to walk back and forth. But the second curator has written a thorough report detailing how everyone was fed.
The third has a private room that has a very beautiful crystal goblet on the table with the finest champagne, but your not allowed to drink it or lean over the velvet rope.
The forth curator is helping people make their own drinks by facilitating them with their own beverage choices. All whilst trying not to tell them that craft beer is morally better than Carlsberg. The forth curator is also keenly aware that they have a meeting with the second curator in an hour. So is trying to not get stuck and spend too much time in conversations about park benches.
The fifth curator is the landlord, they have the bar, but not the time (or the money) to have the establishment running in quite the way they would like. The pink paint on the wall is still visible from the last time the first curator came in and they really need to talk to the second curator about a regular platter night. That being said, the soft edges and thick white emulsion on the walls is a warm familiar space for all the curators, so they keep coming back.
3.
Ultimate artist dinner party show! (working title)
For this show I would invite Hamish Fulton to respond with text works to the installation of paintings by Alexander Nasmyth.
Large scale vinyl banner prints of Nasmyth’s paintings would be produced and installed within the landscapes romantised in his work. Once installed, Fulton would be invited to walk through the landscape and consider Nasmyth’s portrayal of said landscape, how it had changed over time and whether the Nasmyth representation was “accurate”.
From this exercise, text pieces would be produced at a similar scale and installed within the landscape, in proximity but not within view of the Nasmyth prints.
This would create a show without walls, with diptychs appearing all over rural Scotland. It would require the viewer to not only mirror the journeys made by both artists to view the work, but also give the viewer the space to contemplate the work and the land it responds to and represents.
Sounds Different in the Dark
The range of our perception and its accuracy are narrow even when we physically move through the landscape.