Maps for the 21st Century

In an article in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Andrian Kreye reflects on the Serpentine Gallery Map Marathon. The DLD friend notes that the art of cartography has not changed significantly since its beginnings in antiquity. Maps showed the city and countryside, the demarcation of borders, the vastness of oceans and the height of mountains.

New technologies for data processing, design and animation launched a new era of mapping beyond the mere guidance in the geography of our planet. Google Street View is just one example of how cartography is changing our world and what discussions that may cause. The mapping of the 21 Century makes complex relationships and records visible. One of the best known examples is the moving map, which media artist Aaron Koblin constructed from the American aviation authorities collected data. It is forming the image of a society in movement that conquers their country on a daily basis and over again. His "Flight Patterns" were seen at the Museum of Modern Art and are studied by companies around the world. For what has remained abstract and still difficult to understand until now becomes understandable at a glance with the visualization of data and processes in space and time.

The Serpentine Gallery Map Marathon set out to shed light on the various dimensions of this dawn of a new era of cartography. The multifold views of the new world can be found on edge.org.