All images unless otherwise stated are courtesy of the Logansquarist.
Louis Borges’ short story ‘On Exactitudes in Science’, a fictional empire produces a map the size of the empire itself. The following generation destroys the map, leaving it to fray in the winds. The totality of maps is now not the same size, but in fact far, far larger than the empire itself, as the data footprint that geographic imagery occupies digitally far surpasses the surface of the earth. Since the first aerial image of the earth from space was published in 1966 (which was withheld for five years after it was first captured, as the US government believed showing a spherical unified earth would result in a crippling of national and political identity), geo- spatial technologies and services have proliferated at an unprecedented rate, with Google Maps has become the most viewed graphic interface in history, averaging around one billion viewers per diem. But what information goes unrepresented? Using satellite imagery and archival Fire Insurance Maps, I set out to redraw the previous floor plans of the vacant lot.
New urbanism posits street corners as sites of physical and emotional strongholds in communities as crucial points of civil life.3 Developers—well aware of what visibility from two streets offers in terms of location premium—have likewise taken note, and corner sites are disproportionately more expensive to rent for commercial activities. This lot on 3551 West Diversey was a residential unit before becoming a gas station, and ultimately became a vacant lot adjacent to an artist run space. In addition to re-drawing the old floor plans as the inaugural artist intervention on the site, I have fabricated on site a set of six sculptural glass objects on the points where these floor plans from different time periods intersect. Viewers are afforded clear sightlines through these sculptures as they augment space and intersect each other.
These six site specific objects and the chalk markings on the outdoor lot were shown aside the indoor installation were exhibited at EXTRA projects December 2019
