Mapping It Out: An Alternative Atlas of Contemporary Cartographies

by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Tom McCarthy (Foreword)

A look at our exterior and interior worlds through intriguing and imaginative maps from over 130 contributors in the fields of art, science, film, and more Maps have always been at the heart of human knowledge. Whether they chart a newly discovered land or lay out a complicated process, maps serve to improve our understanding of what surrounds us. Maps make the complex simple, and reveal the complexity behind the apparently simple. Mapping It Out invites artists, architects, writers, and designers, geographers, mathematicians, computer pioneers, scientists, and others from a host of fields to create a personal map of their own, in whatever form and showing whatever terrain they choose, whether real-world or imaginary.

Over 130 contributors’ ideas are represented, including Yoko Ono, Louise Bourgeois, Damien Hirst, David Adjaye, Ed Ruscha, Alexander Kluge, and many more. Some contributors have translated scientific data into simplified visual language, while others have condensed vast social, political, or natural forms into concise diagrams. There are reworked existing maps, alternate views of reality, charted imaginary flights of fancy, and the occasional rejection of a traditional map altogether. 140 illustrations, 120 in color

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Maps, Geography, Cartography, Architecture, Reference

240 pages, Hardcover

First published June 17, 2014

About the author

Hans Ulrich Obrist is co-director of the Serpentine Gallery in London. Prior to this, he was Curator of the Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris from 2000 to 2006, as well as curator of Museum in progress, Vienna, from 1993 to 2000. Obrist has co-curated over 250 exhibitions since his first exhibition, the Kitchen show (World Soup) in 1991: including 1st Berlin Biennale, 1998; Utopia Station, 2003; 1st & 2nd Moscow Biennale, 2005 and 2007; Lyon Biennale, 2007; and Indian Highway, 2008-2011.
Obrist is the editor of a series of conversation books published by Walther Koenig. He has also edited the writings of Gerhard Richter, Gilbert & George and Louise Bourgeois. He has contributed to over 200 book projects, his recent publications include A Brief History of Curating, dontstopdontstopdontstopdontstop, The future will be…with M/M (Paris), Interview with Hans-Peter Feldmann, and Ai Wei Wei Speaks, along with two volumes of his selected interviews (Interviews: Vol. 1 & 2). The Marathon series of public events was conceived by Hans Ulrich Obrist in Stuttgart in 2005. The first in the Serpentine series, the Interview Marathon in 2006, involved interviews with leading figures in contemporary culture over 24 hours, conducted by Obrist and architect Rem Koolhaas. This was followed by the Experiment Marathon, conceived by Obrist and artist Olafur Eliasson in 2007, the Manifesto Marathon in 2008, the Poetry Marathon in 2009, Map Marathon in 2010, and the Garden Marathon in 2011.
In 2009, Obrist was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). In March 2011, he was awarded the Bard College Award for Curatorial Excellence.

Reviews

[to'c · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a seriously strange book. A brave book. A profound book. A book of maps.

And I doubt I understood it at all.

But you might. You should give it a try.

What for me was elusive might for you be plain. Where I was lost in many of the maps you might find your way. Where I rushed you may linger. Where I yawned you may gasp.

All that being said I enjoyed this book and will definitely visit its spaces again.

Once I find my way back...

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom McCarthy's essay is the best thing about this book for me. He continues to astonish with his ability to connect thoughts and ideas.

[Kim]

meh. Katharine Harmon's books are WAY better

[Lomme]

Meh, what’s up with McCarthy and Obrist trying to insert themselves into this conversation that is obviously not theirs to have, and not give credit where credit is due for their clearly lent ideas? For example, if Obrist could put his dikke nek and navelstaarderij aside for 2 seconds and just let Latour’s text about maps speak for itself instead of just explaining how Obrist worked with Latour and how Obrist has inspired Latour (blablabla), this book would’ve been way better. The map art they show in the atlas is a nice selection though. The essays and theoretical background they try to provide is plain shite.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"47° 22'28.0" N 9° 17'57.0" W
53°17'22.0"N 6°06'50.0"W
51°30'19.0"N 0°10'31.0"W
24°46'08.0"N 95°22'12.0"W
90°00'00.0"S 0°00'00.0"E
-Hans Ulrich Obrist"

"There is a valuable aspect to getting lost: the moment when the question 'Where am I?' breaks into my assigned set of tasks and trajectories, and impregnates my world for a second. A disruption is made and I have to establish myself in relationship to the objects that surround me: Where am I/ Who am I? Who am I while I am here?
-Julieta Aranda"

[Sarah]

I never know how to rate a book like this. I found this in a used bookstore in Minneapolis and kept it in my backseat for when I had bits of waiting time to sit and focus on a few minutes. Some of the maps went over my head. Others made me think about everyday stuff in new ways. A keeper.

[Zioluc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cartografie alternative: mappe realizzate da artisti, scienziati e altre figure per gli scopi più diversi e raggruppate in capitoli: redrawn territories, charting human life, scientia naturalis, invented worlds, the unmappable. Libro elegantissimo per formato, carta e grafica a tema (questa davvero notevole, opera di tale Barnbrook); l'introduzione di Tom mcCarthy e la postfazione del curatore H. Obrist sono brevi testi interessanti e stimolanti.
Peccato che il cuore del libro - le mappe - siano al 90% figure illeggibili, microscopicamente ridotte o tagliate, prive di alcuna spiegazione (e non parlo solo dei lavori degli artisti, per i quali non sempre la spiegazione è un bene) e per questo abbastanza inutili.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extraordinary.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated with contributions from various artists, scientists, architects, mathematicians etc mapping areas of interest to them. Thought provoking.