Geofiction (fictional maps)
Most of this article was originally published on the Storyslingers blogspot: click here for the unedited version (sorry if links are old or broken).
Have you ever looked at a map and wondered what stories might have happened there? Map making is a great way to start getting into a story. Back in 2012 we ran two geofiction competitions, and got some amazing entries from around the world from writers, cartographers and artists. Here’s the winners:
Many thanks to everyone who submitted maps – (32 maps submitted) – we loved them all and really struggled with compiling long and shortlists. Much respect.
1st Map of Western Refractoria
original: inks on watercolour paper
Jeffrey Beebe,
b. Indianapolis, IN
Lives and works in NYC, USA
This map ticks all our boxes. We could imagine the stories and people that might populate this world. The map is beautiful, with wonderful texture and depth and some really quirky details. The humour of the place names fits neatly with the Storyslingers sense of humour.
to see all the lovely details of the map, go here: http://jeffreybeebe.com/?v=collection&collection=4
“Over the last nine years, I have created the world of Refractoria, a comprehensive imagino-ordinary world that is equal parts snotty, satirical autobiography and improvised fantasy. The Refractoria drawings--geopolitical maps, city maps, celestial charts, genealogical trees, etc.--are equal parts draughtsmanship and writing. They are a place in which I dump the visual sum of my experiences--the relationships I've had, the books I've read, the music I've consumed, the conversations I've had and overheard. It all exists in Refractoria.
I make these large drawings for the same reason we knowingly fall in love with the wrong person--it is a spectacle, an act of deliberate misbehavior bound to fail and disappoint . . . but the experience is abject, terrifying pleasure while it lasts. And I'm left undeniably altered--and humbled, wistful and a little sore--at the end of each experience.”
2nd The Map of the Eternal Itinerant
original: Digital
Kate McLean,
Whitstable, UK.
This map is highly conceptual, investigating the notion of a city as perceived by a newcomer. The map works on many levels, it’s intelligent and well designed, there is space for the onlooker to fill with their imaginations, and there is reference to an outer world beyond the scope of the map.
“As a sensory researcher and designer my primary focus is on developing smell maps of different cities worldwide. As an initial stage in my exploration of linking place, human perception and emotion I investigated the notion of a city as perceived by a newcomer. Taking data from hand-drawn maps of a city seen after one month and six months I discovered that as newcomers to a city we create islands and links between them as a tool to understand where we are; we retain elements from our past such as friends, inner sanctuaries of self and simultaneously project into our future. In the map these elements of human perception are represented using the metaphors of geography, urban design and transport infrastructure. The Map of the Eternal Itinerant is a universally applicable personal visual reference.”
More maps available at www.sensorymaps.com.
Joint 3rd The Old Empire of Lorn
original: Digital
Maxime Plasse,
Lives and works in Lyon, France.
We chose this map for its detail, the imaginative scope and artistic execution. We could all imagine stories playing out in the old empire of Lorn.
“Stories are an essential part of my job and life. The human mind is a powerful resource and imagination is probably one of its greatest jewels. Each one of us has a unique and deep inner world hidden within, where countless stories are taking place.
Writers use words to cast these worlds through our minds. I try modestly to put them into my maps. For me Cartography brings out parts of my inner world and lets them tell their own stories. If you let your imagination be your guide, you will probably hear some of these stories, while wandering the paths through the Old Empire of Lorn. May you enjoy your journey.”
http://www.cartographersguild.com/members/-+max+--albums-max%27s+maps.html
Joint 3rd Kvraagetaan
original: coloured ink on 60 sheets of black paper
Juli Martí Casals
b. Barcelona, Spain.
This map is conceptually brilliant, pushing at the boundaries of cartography and art. The map is hand-drawn to perfection, and really must be seen at full size to be properly appreciated.
Juli was born in Barcelona but grew up in Paris; between two cities, two countries. He started his professional life as assistant for an architect in Barcelona and then as a correspondent in Paris for the catalan magazine “El Temps”. His geographical and political interests brought him to publish an essay titled “Els Estats contra Europa” (States against Europe), Angle Editorial, 2009. He first showed his mapping works a year ago in Paris, at Le Duplex, and then in Barcelona at the Casal del Barri del Poblenou, January 2013.
“As a necessary support to play with my cars on, drawing maps soon turned out to be my main game. Torn between two cities (Barcelona and Paris), its two cultures, and its three languages, maps were the territory where I explored my own comprehension of the world. As I grew up my interests were more focused on the cartography itself, with its scales, color codes and international icons.
Kvraagetaan belongs to a project about an ensemble of 3 cities. For the moment, it measures 207,9 x 273 cm, it occupies 60 black A4 sheets and it’s still growing… the work turns around the question of borders and the geographical and urban influences from one city to another. In a sort of recognition to all the AZ or Michelin guides we all use.”
Go to our blogspot post for more shortlisted maps: http://storyslingers.blogspot.com/2013/06/2nd-map-making-competition-results.html
Interested in geofiction? Check out the cartographers guild, urbangeofiction, maproomblog, 1/10000, no sense of direction blog and the cartographers' websites listed above. Cartographers from the above guild are available to commission, so if you’re an author who needs a map made of their fictional world, check out their forum. Award-winning cartographer Maxime Plasse (joint 3rd in this competition) is open to commissions.
We’ll be featuring more geofiction on the new (2020) version of Storyslingers, so keep your specs peeled for that. This article has also been tagged in the “prompts” category until such a time that we write up an official “geofiction” prompt. There’s not much to the prompt other than get your colouring pens out and start making a map.
