Making Maps
with Gaps.

   
Maps, as influential visual narratives, shape our perceptions of space, often concealing biases despite their apparent objectivity. For this project, based on my MA thesis research, I designed and hosted a series of map-making workshops that revolved around gaps and absences that are not visible in city maps.

Participants were invited to engage in creative exercises, conceptual discussions, and hands-on activities, fostering a collaborative environment for sharing diverse perspectives on space. As a result, a combined map of gaps of the city that layered participants interventions was printed out.

These encounters sparked questions about the standardized navigation maps we use daily. The act of map-making, along with the visualization of the process, reveals the power dynamics that determine the value and selection of information, which translates into the inclusion and exclusion of places and people. The workshps served as an invitation to search for other types of representations that can cultivate a sense of plurality and belonging in space. 

Alternative maps are not meant to replace the standard navigational maps, but they broaden our understanding of experience, representation, and inclusion in cities.