Experiential Cartography

March 2023

Barnard + Columbia Architecture Department, Architectural Design: Environments & Mediations

Course Leader: Lindsay Harkema

 

Project Brief: Spatiotemporal Mapping

How do we perceive space over time? For Project 2, students will analyze and map the experiential conditions of a public space over time. They will observe the space over time taking note of physical and experiential criteria including the formal composition, sensory characteristics, maintenance and routine, as well as the movement and behavior of various human and non-human actors and forces in the space. They will identify experiential rhythms, sensory loads, potential for over and under-stimulation. Students will document these phenomena in a layered drawing. Spatial information necessary to reveal relationships between static and transient elements as well as physical and non-physical phenomena should be included. From this layered drawing, students will produce an animation of the space over time.

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​Readings:

• Setha Low, “Embodied Space” in Spatializing Culture, London: Routledge, 2016.

• Giulana Bruno, “An Atlas of Emotion”, in Atlas of Emotion, 2002, London: Verso, 2018.

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Softwares used: CAD Mapper, Google Earth, Rhino, Adobe Illustrator

 

My cartography is focused on the embodied experience of Columbia University’s Low Plaza, shaped by people, temporary infrastructures, and sounds, over time. SHAPE indicates the type of activities performed. Some are more organized and planned, some are more spontaneous and voluntary. They fuse together to dictate unique spatial and auditory experiences, some more attractive than others depending on individual preferences of social engagement and comfort. SIZE indicates the approximate magnitude of the individual/group. COLOR indicates the intensity of sound.