Maps for the 21st Century

Author: Artur Schmidt

With great pleasure the DLD Conference announces the multi-dimensional panel discussion "Maps for the 21st Century", moderated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director of Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Programmes at the Serpentine Gallery, London.

With regard to the multi-dimensional superstring theory, Maps for the 21st Century l conflates 11 extraordinary speakers to solidify cross-sections of visual arts, data design and science. "Maps for the 21st Century" is a call to artists, designers and scientists to showcase possible maps for the next decade. Evolving around the notion of "mapping", the panel condenses how artists, designers and scientists apply maps to intersect visual art concepts, storytelling, statistics, computer based design, and science.

The Internet increased the presence of maps in our thinking. It has become easier to make maps, to change them, and also to work on them collaboratively and collectively and share them (e.g. Google Maps and Google Earth). Depicting not mere geographical areas, these multidimensional maps express a vast area of interconnected ideas and issues in a world where maps and networks are evermore reticulated and interrelated. After the focus on social networks in the last couple of years- could the focus now be on location as a new key dimension?

Introducing Obrist's new book „Maps fort he 21st Century", published by Thames & Hudson, this ongoing project responds to an urgent need to chart this first decade of a century characterized by terms such as increasing displacement, migration and globalisation.

In addition, DLD and Hans Ulrich Obrist are delighted to announce the free poster project "Maps of the 21st Century". Featuring maps by artists, thinkers and designers such as Julieta Aranda, Rosa Barba, Ed Ruscha, Maurizio Cattelan, Rivane Neuenschwander, Simone Forti, Koo Joeng A, Anri Sala, Philippe Parreno, Qiu Zhijie, Pae White, Stamen Design San Francisco, Aaron Koblin (Google Creative Lab), Markus Miessen and filmmaker Alexander Kluge, they will be on display at the conference and a free "take away" present for DLD's 2010 community.

"Maps for the 21st century" (DLD Version) is curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist in collaboration with Johannes Fricke Waldthausen

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