Maps help us navigate the world around us, but are also a way of showing our view of the world. I am interested in the way humans interact with the land, our sense of place, and mental mapping. I deconstruct the maps we so often take for granted as manifestations of reality rather than biased representations of a multi-dimensional reality. Maps are beautiful objects to look at, but much of their beauty for me lies in what they can and cannot tell us about the world. They are libraries of information layered in a single image.
I draw on my own memories of places I have lived as well as my studies in geography, including training in Geographic Information Systems. This computer mapping system uses layers of information to create complex interactive map images. Layers of the earth unfold to reveal impressions of places.
I research the history of a place, using maps to trace the history of the land and the neighborhood. The "Geographic Geneology" project helped me learn about the place where my mom grew up. I'm now working on a project using an old plat book of L.A.
I also create new maps and use the language of maps in my work. I draw topographic lines on the actual land or on walls, creating a disconnect between the meaning of the lines and the actual topography of the land or wall. Using wood grain as an image similar to topographic lines, I collage pieces of existing maps onto wood panels and use the wood grain to continue drawing the map. I also print wood grain and draw into the prints to create map images. These quasi-maps can be read as real maps that navigate space, but the space they represent does not actually exist. I also build these collages in 3 dimensions, thinking about different topographies: the actual topography of the art object vs. the drawn reference to a bigger topographical landscape. I introduce miniature people, trees, and objects into these landscapes and present them as horizontal planes that reference both the fantastical (board games like Risk) and the tragic (war strategy models).
