A Map is Not a Territory
Malala Andrialavidrazana - Visual Artist
Presenting ‘ECHOES (from Indian Ocean)’, a series of visual representations and counter-representations, 2011-2013, South African photographer and activist Peter McKenzie wrote in 2013: “What consequently emerges is the possibility of reimaging as a precursor to
reimagining this Indian Ocean diaspora. For too long, perspectives of the majority world have been shaped by the colonial gaze, the paradox of pristine tourist attractions, and war, starvation, and disease… ‘It’s not what’s out there but what’s in there’ becomes the mantra for a new way
of seeing, exploring new perspectives, and showing alternatives.”
The Rise and Fall of Cartographer’s…
The promise of easy access and better education in the virtual, unfiltered space of the internet has been fertile ground for discriminatory principles in many ways since its inception. Cultural pluralism and diversity in the media-saturated jungle are still far from being achieved. The flow of goods and data remains firmly under Western control, while the digital divide has widened and marginalization has increased due to unequal access to global networks, new information technologies, and connectivity. Alongside the rise of new, thrill-seeking online media, the misuse of the image rights of people in the South has become commonplace. The atmosphere at the beginning of the Echoes project is the pressure of the myopic media gaze, described as perceptual distortion in hyperreality. The insane violence, but the inability to discern the insanity of reducing the lives of others to clichés or useless stereotypes, is murder. In science and cartography, the watchword is the crisis of the model. Admittedly, works of art do not have the same practical
function as geographical and scientific maps, but they can help to make sense of a complex reality as a visual stimulus. However, immersion in the projection version of the series gives the feeling of timeless inner cartography, which became the cradle of the following works.
…And the Mad Dream for Electricity
The measures of time, space, and distance are completely different in the Figures series, due to the multiple layers on the surfaces of the images as well as the geographical maps at their base. If we accept that the process of assemblage amplifies connectivity, there are many ways to read each work in detail, through conventional codes, drawing lines, written elements, graphic frames, and cultural symbols. The scale factor is a way of personalizing all the characters in a work, but it also acts as an amplifier of reality, as leaders have instrumentalized cartographic illustrations and banknotes as propaganda to promote political ideologies through their strong impact on social imaginaries.
Home is Where it Hurts…
The work presented here seizes on ideological tools in the public domain to subvert issues of colonial heritage, the evaluation of which is seriously problematic. Ethically and scientifically, proof of falsity and fraud invalidates the result, which should lead to a conviction and reimbursement. This legal value prohibits the case from being closed until the penalty has been paid. The case can therefore only be considered as a pending case, awaiting judgment. Thus, colonialism has never ceased but has only established new rules for the movement of goods and people that remain for their benefit. Looking at the African dictators spoiled by the current colonizers, sovereignty based on independence gives the third degree. This approach: strongly interested in history and its issues, is resolutely turned towards the building of a fulfilling world. To better share the inspirations, let us first recall this: A Map is not a Territory (Alfred Korzybski on Map-Territory
relation, 1931).
Free Imaginary…
Inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ challenges to categories and linear thinking, to perceptual and narrative limits, by his unique way of approaching the enigmatic nature of modern science through surrealist interpretations of reality, by his brilliant allegorical short story...under the prism of the acuity of his blind eye continuing to look at the world through the absurd while remaining upright and true to his values, the presentation will highlight a selection of works from the Figures series in connection with the creation of another artist. Among them: Knowledge is power. Maps are sources of knowledge about the world. The map constructs reality, it does not reproduce it. Geography is characterized by imprecision and ambiguity. The map is a system of mirrors, self-reflexive, remote from reality. It naturalizes their process of invention. It creates a problem of decoding and interpretation. There is tension between the spatial order of the maps and the temporal chaos of reality. The signs that the maps use are not obvious and only make sense when they function according to a specific code.
4 сен 2023
